{"id":88950,"date":"2026-04-04T13:06:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T13:06:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/rodney-sieh-calls-for-apology-on-leaders-murders"},"modified":"2026-04-04T13:23:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T13:23:30","slug":"rodney-sieh-calls-for-apology-on-leaders-murders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/rodney-sieh-calls-for-apology-on-leaders-murders","title":{"rendered":"Rodney Sieh Calls for Apology on Leaders&#8217; Murders"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Liberia. <\/strong><\/span>Rodney Sieh, Managing Editor of FrontPageAfrica, is calling for a national reckoning with Liberia\u2019s past, warning that the country continues to repeat governance failures that once plunged it into conflict.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking in an interview on OKAY FM with broadcaster Clarence Jackson, Sieh stressed the need for reconciliation, accountability, and a break from what he described as a cycle of political mistakes and sycophancy.<\/p>\n<p>He pointed to the killings of former presidents William R. Tolbert Jr. and Samuel Doe as \u201cunnecessary mistakes\u201d that continue to cast a shadow over the nation\u2019s political culture.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was no reason to kill Tolbert. There was no reason to kill anyone for power in Liberia,\u201d Sieh said. \u201cEveryone who comes to power does exactly the same thing, even worse&#8230; and we\u2019re not learning from anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Journalism and Accountability<\/p>\n<p>Sieh, a prominent investigative journalist, reflected on the challenges of operating an independent newsroom in Liberia, particularly during the administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. He said his commitment to journalism is rooted in the country\u2019s history of weak checks and balances.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis country went to war because there was no system of checks and balance,\u201d he said. \u201cThe media was not free to report&#8230; so this is our way of giving back by reporting issues that would otherwise go uncovered.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite facing imprisonment and intimidation, Sieh emphasized that bold and persistent journalism remains essential in holding power to account.<\/p>\n<p>Call for National Healing<\/p>\n<p>Sieh argued that Liberia\u2019s political culture has changed little since the civil war years, with patterns of division, repression, and mistrust persisting across administrations.<\/p>\n<p>He proposed a \u201cnational week of healing,\u201d urging the Liberia Council of Churches, particularly through Reverend Kortu Brown, to lead reconciliation efforts. This, he said, should include formal apologies to the families of past leaders, including William R. Tolbert Jr., Samuel Doe, and Charles Taylor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need reconciliation and an apology,\u201d Sieh stressed, noting that unresolved grievances continue to undermine national unity.<\/p>\n<p>Warning Over Political Tensions<\/p>\n<p>Sieh also weighed in on the treatment of Montserrado County District #10 Representative Yekeh Kolubah, a frequent government critic. He cautioned that efforts to sideline the outspoken lawmaker could backfire and distract from governance priorities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSay what you want about Yekeh Kolubah, but he has not changed,\u201d Sieh said, warning that suppressing dissent could fuel protests and shift attention away from government achievements.<\/p>\n<p>Progress Overshadowed<\/p>\n<p>While acknowledging progress in sectors such as healthcare\u2014highlighting improvements at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center\u2014Sieh said such gains are being overshadowed by political infighting and vendettas.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf positive things are happening, but you\u2019re focused on settling scores, it becomes difficult for people to take those achievements seriously,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Cycle of Sycophancy\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Sieh blamed much of the dysfunction on entrenched political sycophancy, with officials prioritizing loyalty displays over effective governance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s happening from government to government,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople are trying to prove loyalty to the president instead of focusing on doing their jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He warned that internal rivalries among officials seeking attention and favor are undermining stability within government.<\/p>\n<p>Fragile Future<\/p>\n<p>Sieh cautioned that Liberia cannot rely on external support in the event of renewed instability, noting that traditional partners such as the United States and European countries are increasingly preoccupied with their own challenges.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo one is going to come to our aid if we don\u2019t put ourselves in order,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Lessons Unlearned<\/p>\n<p>Concluding, Sieh warned that Liberia risks repeating its darkest chapters if it fails to learn from history.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLeaders promise change, but they repeat old mistakes,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need healing, reconciliation, and a reawakening of our country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He added that the government\u2019s tendency to \u201ctake two steps forward and one step back\u201d continues to undermine progress and public confidence in leadership.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Liberia<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Liberia. Rodney Sieh, Managing Editor of FrontPageAfrica, is calling for a national reckoning with Liberia\u2019s past, warning that the country continues to repeat governance failures that once plunged it into conflict. Speaking in an interview on OKAY FM with broadcaster Clarence Jackson, Sieh stressed the need for reconciliation, accountability, and a break from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":88949,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[234],"class_list":["post-88950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-liberia"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Rodney Sieh Calls for Apology on Leaders&#039; Murders - Liberia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Rodney Sieh, Managing Editor of FrontPageAfrica, is calling for a national reckoning with Liberia\u2019s past, warning that t ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/rodney-sieh-calls-for-apology-on-leaders-murders\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rodney Sieh Calls for Apology on Leaders&#039; 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