The Association of Liberian Journalists in the Americas (ALJA) is encouraging the Liberian government to institute a probe into the reported disruption of the regular Sunday morning worship at the Christ Chapel of Faith Ministry of Nimba County Senator, Prince Johnson with immediate effect.
ALJA called on President Weah and the Coalition for Democratic Change government to muster the courage to arrest and prosecute those individuals who bear responsibility for the reckless and misguided action.
The Association said failure on the part of the Justice Ministry and the Liberia National Police to deal decisively with such blatant disregard for the rule of law and the infringement of the constitutionally protected right to freely worship by all Liberians could negatively impact the prevailing peace and security in the country
In a Press release issued by the National Secretary General, Akai Akasu Awuletey Glidden, on Tuesday, May 22, 2023, the Association said this brazen act of hooliganism carried out by the individuals who are reportedly members of the National Patriotic Party (NPP) and supporters of Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor, is deeply troubling; and such behavior has no place in Liberia’s current political dispensation.
ALJA quoted the report mentioning Peter Blidii, Jr, one of the leaders of the group as saying that their actions were precipitated by Senator Johnson’s decision to respond in kind to a prior criticism by Vice President Taylor against him.
The US-based Liberian Journalist Association said the actions by the reported NPP supporters was ill-advised and is reminiscent of the country’s dark past where the constitutionally- guaranteed rights of Liberians were flagrantly trampled upon by agents of the ruling regime.
The Association said a similar incident occurred in July of 2022 when members of the Student Unification Party (SUP) of the University of Liberia, who had gathered on the grounds of the US Embassy to engage in a peaceful protect against the government, were violently attacked by members of the CDC-Council Patriots and that during that incident, student Christopher Sivili of SUP was brutalized and tortured, in the visible presence of state security officers.
ALJA said government officials including Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor, in whose name the perpetrators claimed they were acting, should go beyond the issuance of a mere statement of condemnation and ensure that the individuals responsible are held accountable.
ALJA is a conglomeration of current and retired Liberian Journalists residing in the Americas. It is a 201c (3) non-profit organization. The Association was founded in 1998 to foster companionship amongst its members and their American counterparts.
Meanwhile, the Liberian People’s Party (LPP) has also condemned the unwarranted brutal attack on Senator Prince Yormie Johnson stating that it undermines the fragile peace in Liberia and clearly violates Article 14 of the Liberian Constitution which guarantees freedom of religion.
Article 14 provides, “All persons shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion and no person shall be hindered in the enjoyment thereof except as may be required by law to protect public safety, order, health, or morals or in the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.”
According to the political group, this action reminds Liberians of the brutal attacks by former President Charles Taylor’s Police Director, the late Joseph Tate when he launched an attack on the Dominion Christian Fellowship located or adjacent the Saint Catholic Hospital Junction on the Sinkor Old Road on the Tubman Boulevard in Monrovia.
“Such uncivilized and criminal conduct by the ruling party must be condemned by all Liberians. Liberians are entitled to peace of mind even in the face of the hardship being experienced by them as a result of the high-level of corruption that is being perpetrated by this government,” the statement noted.
The party is therefore calling upon the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union, the United Nations, the United States of America and the European Union to intervene immediately and stop the CDC from also meting violence against peaceful citizens as the country gets closer to the Presidential and Legislative elections.
It can be recalled that it was this same lack of respect for human rights and the rule of law that led Liberia to a fratricidal civil conflict stating that the world must not ignore this clear early warning sign of civil conflict by brutal attack on Senator Johnson and members of his congregation last Sunday, 21 May.
But at the same time, the party warned Johnson to be mindful with his public utterances which has the potential of derailing the peace and stability of the country whether before, during and after the electioneering period mainly from the Senator’s recent statement made against the people of the southeast that “power is not good” for them should equally be condemned by all well-meaning Liberians.
The party believed that such statement does not augur well as southeasterners are Liberians who cannot and should not be discriminated against in any form and manner whether it is doing electioneering processes or not by any political party for that matter.
LPP’s Presidential aspirant, Tiawan Saye Gongloe, speaking to the media from the United States yesterday on Truth FM Radio Station in Monrovia, said Johnson should be careful with his public statements as a leader because spoken words whether negative or positive once out of one mouth can never and ever be withdrawn.
He said Johnson’s statement against southeasters is detrimental; whosoever they are, they are God’s creation and Liberians therefore nobody should discriminate against them as by doing so is also an act of preaching divisive politics and that too must be condemned.
“Not only leaders but human beings made from the image of our Lord, do not discriminate against fellow human beings. Because leaders are there to unite people and not to divide them because one does not know what tomorrow will bring,” Gongloe noted.
The Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) also weighed in on terming it as a planned lawlessness and added, “This provocation, said to be masterminded by the ruling CDC, is an intentional violation of the Farmington Declaration, and further undermines trust in the irresponsible leadership of the Weah administration to conduct non-violent and credible elections in October.”
We also frown on the promise of Senator Prince Johnson, the pastor of the church whose service was disrupted, to mobilize five hundred plus civilians and ex-combatants in retaliation, as well as threats of “killing somebody” from someone claiming to be Senator Johnson’s bodyguard.
“These comments are triggering traumatizing reminders of the years of brutal wars and insecurity for the victims and families of the more than 250 thousand Liberians who were killed by warring factions. So-called leaders of our country ought to know better than to lend themselves to lawlessness, intimidation, violence, and threats of violence against political opponents. This is unacceptable,” the CPP blasted.
The CPP said Liberians do not need to be frightened into supporting any political candidate or party pointing out that the government, with a sworn duty to protect all citizens, cannot continue to orchestrate and conspire to undermine the rights of all citizens to live in peace and express their views.
“The continued abuse and exploitation of Liberian youth by so-called political leaders is unacceptable. Rather than providing the needed skillset, jobs, and empowerment for our young people, failed government officials and other individuals are using them to instigate violence and lawlessness in the society to cover up their failed stewardship of the country. We urge our young people to resist the temptation to be used by those who promised to make their lives better but have failed miserably to do so,” CPP said.
The opposition political party said Liberia will not be returned to its lawless and murderous past of factional wars, including between the NPFL and the INPFL.
The CPP also buttressed calls on ECOWAS and the global human rights community to put all perpetrators of violence on notice; with specific warnings that any use of violence in the upcoming election will be punished in strict accordance with international law and also called for a regional security support intervention with a mandate to protect civilians and ensure the safety of election workers who could be vulnerable to threats of violence and coercion.
