Dr. Daniel E. Cassell (with hands folded) and others at the Benson Street Mosque.
The Political Leader of the People’s Liberation Party (PLP), Daniel E. Cassell, has termed as a “sheer intolerance and dictatorship” the failure of the Coalition-led government to allow his helicopter land in the country.
Dr. Cassell noted that though the current state of governance in Liberia is horrifying, appalling, disgusting, and shameful, the CDC led-administration continues to exhibit a high level of repressiveness against him and his political party.
He noted that corruption is being institutionalized as a norm in the governing system of the country. He made the comments over the weekend at a thanksgiving service held at the Benson Street Mosque in Monrovia.
Dr. Cassell observed that in the wake of reports of looting and plundering at various ministries and state enterprises on a daily basis, President Weah has “sadly proven not to have the political will to act accordingly.”
He maintained that the cost of living is extremely hard and citizens have no jobs to earn income emphasizing, “No foreign direct investment and it seems the regime doesn’t have the wherewithal to mobilize investments into the country.” Dr. Cassell alleged that in the pinch and despair of all of these ills in the Liberian society, the Weah led-government continues to unravel its repressive tendency with him being the latest victim with specific reference to his helicopter that has been unlawfully denied a landing permit into Liberia.
“It beats my imagination that a government will deny its citizen the right to bring into his country an aircraft that has met all requirements in keeping with aviation standards, laws, and regulations, but why? Is it because a citizen holds different political views from the incumbent President and his followers; which should be no basis for infringing on his fundamental rights? “My dear people, this is sheer intolerance and a tendency of dictatorship that must be resisted by all including the Mosques and Churches in Liberia. What this government is doing to me and others is just how dictatorship crept and saddled Liberia and we all know what happened to Liberia in 1989,” he said regretfully.
He emphasized that his decision to hold different political views from those of the incumbent President and his followers should be no basis for infringing on his fundamental rights. Dr. Cassell pointed out that the high level of intolerance being exhibited by the Weah led-administration should not be given credence by the Muslim and Christian communities.
According to him, the government continues to intimidate and muscle its political opponents instead of concentrating on addressing the mountainous challenges confronting the nation and its people. Adding, Dr. Cassell indicated that despite the numerous challenges and absurd harassment of him and his political party from government, the PLP remains a “political force for good.”
“We are here to stay and work with the masses in the search of a new Liberia that gives genuine hope to its people and not few of its people, but a new Liberia that puts socio-economic dignity on the lives of our people; a new Liberia where good governance is the order of governance and stealing of public resources is no longer permitted in government,” he maintained.
He added that the PLP envisages a Liberia that chooses faith over fear, peace and tranquility over disunity, malice, and instability and a one that chooses love over hate and optimism over pessimism. Recently, the PLP and the government, through the Liberia Civil Aviation Authority (LCAA) got in rigmarole, making claims and counterclaims over a Bell 430 helicopter owned by Dr. Cassell. The party claims that its Political Leader and Vision Bearer through his company, Kwenyan and Associates, met all legal requirements and was given a permit by the LCAA for the helicopter to land in the country, but said permit was surreptitiously revoked for unknown reasons barely a day after it attempted landing in the country. The party took the matter to the Supreme Court on claims that the constitutional rights of Dr. Cassell are being violated making specific reference to Articles 11, 17 and 22 of the 1986 Liberian Constitution. Article 11(a) of the Liberian Constitution states that: “all persons are born equally free and independent and have certain natural, inherent and inalienable rights, among which are the rights of enjoying and defending life and liberty, of pursuing and maintaining the security of the person and of acquiring, possessing and protecting property, subject to such qualifications as provided for in this Constitution”.
Article 17 (a) notes that “all persons, at all times, in an orderly and peaceable manner, shall have the right to assemble and consult upon the common good to instruct their represent to instruct their representatives, to petition the government or other functionaries for the redress of grievances and to associate fully with others or refuse to associate in political parties, trade unions and other organizations.”
Article 22 (a) states that: “Every person shall have the right to own property alone as well as in association with others; provided that only Liberian citizens shall have the right to own real property within the Republic”.
But the government has since denied the claims, citing that the issuance of a permit for an over flight and landing right of the helicopter is being reviewed. “LCAA notes that at no time did Kwenyan & Associates Group of Company request for landing permit to the LCAA for which, they filed a Writ of Prohibition. The Group’s application for an Air Service License is still being reviewed by the LCAA in keeping with the Liberia Civil Aviation and relevant international Regulations and is pending the fulfillment of all the requirements,” a release issued by the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT) stated.