By Gideon Nma Scott, Jr.
Reports reaching this paper say that some senior officers of the Armed Forces of Liberia will be subjected to the Uniformed Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) for their alleged back-stage involvement in the week-long protest that led to the resignation of the Minister of National Defense, Retired Maj. Gen. Prince C. Johnson.
Mutiny is an open rebellion or disrespect against constituted authorities, especially by soldiers against their senior officers.
Accordingly, anyone found guilty of attempted mutiny, sedition or failure to suppress or report a mutiny or sedition, shall be punished by death or such other punishment as a court martial may direct.
Minister Johnson’s resignation followed a nationwide protestation by some women who claimed to be wives of personnel of the Armed Forces of Liberia and operated under the banner ‘Army Wives Association of Liberia,’ who described him (Johnson) as a “dreadful, power-drunk, inhumane, and impassionate individual.
They further accused Johnson of appropriating low salaries and incentives for their husbands, no insurance and healthcare benefits for them and their children, no education programs for their children, as well as the poor living condition in the barracks and other welfare and recreational programs for the military, as compared to other facilities in West Africa.
However, the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia assured that a thorough investigation will be carried out into the officers who led their wives into the streets to disrupt the celebration of the 67th Armed Forces Day and that a report should be made to him within a two weeks.
It can be recalled that in a meeting with the women, the President assured the women that their grievances would be thoroughly investigated, with a view to finding lasting remedy to the issues.
From that meeting, the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) was immediately instructed to restore electricity at the EBK Barracks, the Ministry of Education to open and operate the Linda Thomas Greenfield School at the EBK Barracks on a tuition-free status, as well as to work out modalities to increase the salaries of State security officers, including the AFL.
Inspite of the President’s assurance and promises, the purported AFL wives continued their protestation across all AFL Barracks, including Gbarnga, Bong County; Kakata, Margibi County; Coast Guard Base along Dual route and in Grand Gedeh County, blocking every entrance, as well as preventing the movement of vehicles, motorcycles, and kehkeh as well as pedestrians which led to the cancellation of the Armed Forces Day celebration.
Our source said all officers and personnel whose wives disrespected the orders of the Commander in Chief of the Army will be court-martialed to answer to why they disrespected the orders of their CIC through their wives.
“It was glaring that those women did not act in isolation. They were pushed, sponsored, and supervised by their husbands, some of whom are senior officers within the ranks and file of the military,” our source said.
“While planning the protest through their wives, it was suggested in one of their private meetings to postpone the protest to a date after the AFD celebration, but one of the senior officers, who may have had some personal issues with his former boss, insisted that disrupting the AFD celebration would have embarrassed the President and forced him to take a decision,” he said.
The UCMJ is the foundation of the system of military justice, and contains the substantive and procedural laws governing the military justice system wherein the President prescribes procedural rule and punishments for violations of crimes in the manual for court-martial.
As in the case of the purported wives of the AFL, who openly disrespected the orders of the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia, and the engagements by some dignitaries, including the UN, ECOWAS and other partners, their action warrants a call from the UCMJ, which authorizes discharge from the force, confinement, hard labor without confinement, restriction, reduction in grade, fine, forfeiture, reprimands, and death.
When this paper contacted Maj. Stephen Tarplah, an information officer in the office of the Chief of Staff, as to whether his office knew of any plan to investigate soldiers whose wives were allegedly involved in the week-long protest that led to the resignation of the former Defense Minister, he referred us to the President’s speech of February 12, saying in a friendly tone, “Please listen or read the President’s speech.”
In an address to the nation, President Boakai said, “We must never tolerate any indiscipline and breakdown of order in the AFL, because the reconstituted army has won the admiration of the entire country for its professionalism and has become a source of national pride for all of us.”
“So, we cannot afford to endorse anything that will endanger the morale of our soldiers and generate doubts and suspicion. On the other hand, our government will ensure that our military is well looked after as I have always said,” the President noted.
