Monrovia – The Political leader of the All Liberian party (ALP), Mr. Benoni W. Urey says the Sirleaf-led government has the worst democratic credentials than any government in Liberia’s history. He said under the Sirleaf government, Liberians have no real avenue to seek redress when their rights are trampled upon.
According to statement issued by the party, the ALP in a news interview accused the executive branch of the Liberian government, commanded by President Ellen Sirleaf of using state resources to suppress and clamp down on the people, while at the same time usurping the functions of the legislative and judicial branches of government.
He described the Sirleaf government as a sad character in Liberia’s history, and called on Liberians to democratically and legally rise-up for their rights within the confines of the law.
The ALP political leader said his ambition for the presidency is beyond personal agenda, and asked what he calls the real Liberian political opposition to collaborate to end the Unity Party hegemony, saying President Sirleaf has created a new type of Liberian monarchy where she controls all the three branches of government.
Mr. Urey cited the continued flagrant constitutional violations by the Sirleaf government with impunity, and urged the international community to take note of this troubling development that has the potential to derail the democratic gains the country has made over the years.
He particularly made reference to the illegal removal of the House Speaker Alex Tyler by some lawmakers at the behest of President Sirleaf as a sad period for the country.
The ALP political leader noted that those who were calling on Speaker Tyler to recuse himself must now ask themselves whether or not it was morally correct or legal to have removed the Speaker outside the legally established procedures for the removal of the Speaker who had sought and was granted an excuse by the House of Representatives to seek medical treatment abroad.
The ALP political leader said it is despicable for President Sirleaf to be ignoring the chronic economic plight of the country, while pursuing her personal agenda of promoting a grandiose image abroad as Africa’s first female President and falsely portraying the harsh conditions in Liberia.
Mr. Urey said the economic conditions in Liberia are so grim that grandmothers, pregnant women and under aged children are selling cold water, banana and peanuts in the streets, directly opposite the Presidential quarters of Madam Sirleaf, while many children and their parents are unable to afford tuition to attend school or afford a daily meal. He wondered why the Sirleaf government remains non-chalant about the plight of the Liberian people as if it was a crime to have elected her to power.
The ALP political leader is calling for a national conversation to urgently address the grim economic reality and the worsening state of poverty in Liberia before they slip into crisis, advising national and international stakeholders of Liberia to take note of the unfolding events in Liberia at the moment, while reflecting on events of the past.