Impeachable but reliable source privy to the recent reconciliatory talk organized by the American people funded USAID and its implementing partner, Internews, aimed at amicably resolving the crisis that has engulfed members of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) for months ongoing, claim that it has failed, due to what sources term ‘personal egos’ which brought together the Daniel Nyankonah and Julius Kanubah factions that have been at each other’s throats since the ended Gbarnga elections, organized by the Charles Cuffey administration, which hundreds of members both from the Julius’ faction and other non-factions did not attend, referring to the process as fraudulent!
According to a close source who took part in this meeting, held at the Internews offices in Fiamah, Sinkor, a suburb of Monrovia, in June, the direct representative of USAID, which is one of the major financial supportive arms of activities of the Press union of Liberia categorically asked the two factions how they felt about the current state of affairs at the Union. Accordingly, the USAID representative indicated that the Union should be the arm organizing debates amongst political parties and conducting training for journalists for the pending October elections. To the amazement of USAID/Internews, nothing of such has been conducted as the electioneering periods are fast approaching! Accordingly, with the prevailing situations, USAID can’t in anyway disburse funding to the Union with such grave inner conflicts to which resolutions are not in sight!
My source also indicated that the Daniel faction, represented by Himself and Akoi Baysah, was categorically clear in stating that it was the Julius faction who took them to court to seek redress on the Charles Cuffey-led elections. And as far as they are concerned, the Union did as per the Union’s constitution which called for Congress leading to elections at the end of any given administration. So based on that constitutional provision, the Union proceeded to Gbarnga, Bong County to honor it. Daniel said that the Union was indebted to her landlord for the past one calendar year and needed to pay at once!
The Julius faction, which was represented by Wilmot Zarbay, Campaign Chair, and himself, said that the entire process leading to the Gbarnga convention was fraudulent from the membership to the convention committees in which there were no proper voter’s rolls published! They also questioned the funding raised by the Cuffey-led administration leading to the convention from, quote unquote, 1,300 plus memberships on their voter’s rolls which took them to Gbarnga.
The Kanubah faction said that, according to the constitution of the Union, the tenure of the Cuffey-led administration was over and all activities they are involved with are illegal.
They said they were willing to work with the committee set up by Charles Cuffey involving former veterans of the Union, headed by Prof. Weade Borley, to intervene in those disputes in finding an amicable solution.
However, the conference took another dimension, with USAID and Internews proffering alternatives to the resolutions on the ongoing conflicts; 1. There should be reelections, 2. A technical secretary should be appointed to run the affairs of the Union in the interim, while the Union searched for a lasting understanding, as done to the Female Journalists Association (FJAL) and the Association of Liberian community radio ALICOR; and 3.Those who ran in the Gbarnga elections unopposed should be inducted in the interim to spearhead the affairs of the Union.
Accordingly, my source said that the Julius side of the Union had some grievances, especially with the recognition of the party of the Gbarnga election, precisely the Secretary and Assistant Secretary, which went unopposed! But, the USAID /Internews mediators convinced the Julius group to see reasons since it was a deadlock within the leadership of the Union! Notwithstanding, the rest of the two proposals was agreed to by the Julius faction, to be taken back to their membership for proper redress.
With the Nyankonah side of the group, according to my source, Daniel was on mobile conversation with his side at the ongoing meeting of which they indicated they did not agree to any outcome of the discussion and didn’t even want the Americans to be part of the PUL politics! The two factions were told by the peace broker that, with discussion, the legal advisor on Media activities at Internews will draft a document as a final resolution for the perusal of the two parties, leading to a lasting resolution within the Union that has been torn apart, which has rendered activities of the Union dormant. My source also said that the communication was emailed to both parties, drafted by the legal advisor to Internews for their approval. My source said the teams are yet to respond to those proposals!
Writes: Joe Noutoua Wandah
Full member of the PUL
