MONROVIA – United States-based Liberian prelate, Prophet Amos W. Zor, says the decision taken by the Liberian government to exhume the remains of the late President Samuel Kanyon Doe and accord him a state funeral along with his wife, former First Lady Nancy Bonn Doe, marks a significant turning point in Liberia’s quest for genuine peace and reconciliation. As The Analyst reports, the outspoken Liberian cleric who delivered the funeral discourse for the two fallen statespersons asserted it is time to move on, reconcile and rebuild broken relationships.
A Liberian cleric who preached the funeral discourse of fallen strongman, ex-president Samuel K. Doe, and his wife Nancy B. Doe, has asserted that President Joseph Nyuma Boakai is on the right path to heal a broken nation beset by intractable conflicts which hold their main root in the April 12, 1980 couple.
Former President Doe’s state burial, Prophet Zor said, is the beginning of the closure to a bitter chapter in Liberia’s ugly past, which will be consummated when the Boakai government accords similar recognition to the late President William R. Tolbert, Jr. and 13 officials of his government who were summarily executed in 1980.
“I am a friend of the Tolbert’s; I am a friend of the Doe’s. The very moment our mother gave up her last breath, the first person I called to sympathize was Tolbert, and I was on the line and he did sympathize on the line of reconciliation. I was with him yesterday and we spoke in the car for a long time. So is the Doe family and myself. It is finished for her. Please Mr. President, I beseech you by the spirit of the Most High that you harken unto the voice of the Lord. I am not asking for position, I am not asking for offering. I reside in the United States.”
The US-based growled excited: “It is finished. In the Book of John, when Jesus was hanging on the cross and begged for water because he was thirsty, they gave him wine-like vinegar. He spat it out and cried, it is finished. And he beseeched His Father to pass the cup over him. When you want to get up there, you have to eat the bread of affliction and drink from the cup of affliction. Jesus said it is finished.”
Then he asked rhetorically, “But what is finished?”
And he answered: “The undermining of my position is finished. Tearing me apart and saying all sorts of things about me is finished. Family hatred is finished. I spoke with Madam Doe on her last breath but I did not say to the daughter when she was giving up her last breath. I can’t talk much about former president Doe or former President Tolbert. But with Nancy, I walked with her, I ate with her. I visited her in the hospital in London.”
Prelate Zor continued: “She was brought back into the country, one month two weeks later, she gave up the ghost. Before she passed, she said, ‘my son, I am tired’. She wanted to travel for treatment and she said, ‘my son I want to go and renew my passport’. When I was sick and no relative could visit me, it is finished. When no government could listen to my cry when I cried for my pension, it is finished. When I was sick and no one could come to take me to hospital. It is finished. Nancy is not fighting anybody again. It is finished. Nancy is not blind again. She can see. It is finished. Nancy is not sitting in a wheel chair. It is finished.”
Reconciliation in a deceitful society, abetted by the Church
Expounding further on the funeral discourse, Apostle Zor lamented the prevalence of deceitfulness in the Liberian society as a stumbling block to genuine reconciliation, noting that the church itself is infested with wickedness, a situation that hampers reconciliation and deliverance.
“Deceitfulness is in our hearts. We are hypocrites. Mr. President, it is only God that is guiding you. Even as you sit in your seat, they are setting another government for whoever that will be. But God has placed you there for a purpose and no man can move you.”
Apostle Zor, Founder of the Prayer Garden International, further noted in his parallelism style: “It is over for Liberia, it is finished. We don’t love one another. We don’t care for one another. We laugh with one another, eat with one another and kill one another. We hug one another, and after the hug it is sickness. We plan for one another, but we cannot carry these things in the grave. I wonder if Doe can carry his house in the grave. Why are we killing one another? Why are we deceiving ourselves? Even the church is full of witchcraft activities. You want to find the devil, come into the church and you will see that the devil is into the church. You don’t have to go to the Zoe Bush to find the devil. Ministers are tearing one another apart. People are killing one another for job. It is finished.”
Prioritize War & Economic Crimes Court
The prelate also stressed the importance of establishing the war and economic crimes court to end impunity, and called on President Boakai to hasten the process.
“Mr. President, you signed for the war crimes court. If reconciliation must be successful, the war crimes court must be established. That’s why God placed you there. We need the war crimes court. Don’t worry about ‘we are one, we are interrelated’. Listen to the Book of Esther. Modecai said to Esther, when you think that God has placed you in the palace for this tribe and you cannot do it, we will rise up another person that will bring deliverance to Israel, but your family will never be saved from the calamity,” he said.
Official Gazette, Tributes
The solemn program witnessed the reading of an official gazette by the Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, heralding the invaluable contributions of former President Samuel K. Doe and former First Lady Nancy B. Doe.
Following the reading of the official gazette, tributes were proffered by individuals from all walks of the Liberian society to honor the memory of the two most prominent Grand Gedeans.
National Legislature
Delivering a tribute on behalf of the National Legislature, House Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon hailed President Boakai for organizing the event which is not only a funeral program but a historical event. “Today we are able to actually identify the body of our former president, thanks to President Boakai. We want to focus on genuine reconciliation. We all miss the former president for so many things. We remember him for his endeavor to promote infrastructural growth. He was advised to introduce the coins which discouraged us from using the United States Dollars. But then, he was wrongly advised to eliminate the coins and introduce a single note. I want to thank President Boakai for initiating this event which tells us that we are ready to reconcile. The legislature is willing to work with the president to foster reconciliation. We have started something already. All those families that lost the auditors, we have started discussing with them to also find a handsome package for them as a means of reconciliation, Mr. President,” Speaker Koon disclosed.
The Judiciary
Speaking on behalf of the Liberian Judiciary, Grand Gedeh County Resident Judge His Honor George S. Wiles, Jr. of the 7th Judicial Circuit spoke of the invaluable contributions that former President Doe and his made to the Liberian society. “We gather here to honor the legacies of former president Samuel K. Doe and former First Lady Nancy Doe. Their contributions to our nation during the pivotal era of our history remain significant, shaping the course of Liberia’s journey. The legacy of former president Samuel K. Doe as a leader marked a transformative period characterized by progress, and his commitment to the nation was evident in his endeavors.
“Madam Nancy B. Doe played a vital role in supporting her husband and advocating for social causes. Her dedication to the welfare of women and children in Liberia left an indelible mark on our society. Together, Samuel and Nancy Doe embodied the spirit of leadership and service. Their lives should remind us of the complexities in governance and their enduring impact on our nation,” Judge Wiles said.
Final Repose
Following the funeral procession, the remains of former President Samuel Kanyon and former First Lady Nancy Bonn Doe were interred separately at former President Doe’s unfinished Presidential Compound in Zwedru City.
The burial of the two statespersons occasioned appropriate military courtesies, accompanied by the customary 21-gun salute for the fallen former President.
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