Monrovia – The run up to the October general and Presidential elections is making strange bedfellows as some civil society organizations have begun pledging support to some political parties.
Report by Edwin Genoway – [email protected]
Over the weekend, the headquarters of the Movement for Economic Empowerment (MOVEE) witnessed the pledging of support from the Islamic Solidarity for Peace and Democracy.
The chairman of the group, in support of the candidacy of Dr. J. Mills Jones, Vannie Dudu, said they have taken the decision as part of their constitutional rights.
“We have conspicuously gathered here in defense of our constitutional right,” he said. “We gathered here to reaffirm our constitutional right and support as to who we believe as citizens can carry our nation forward both nationally and internationally.”
“As Liberians we do believe that the act of obstructing, barring, forbidding or prohibiting citizens the right to democratically decide who they want to lead them is unacceptable untraditional and unreligious,” he said.
Dudu noted that no matter how far Dr. Jones may be, they will gather en masse and to support the former governor of the CBL.
“What we are saying in simple terms is even if Dr. J. Mills Jones is on the moon we will move in the hundreds of thousands to get to his door. We will let the world to know, we will let the Liberian government to know, we will also let the detractors to know, that it is not Dr. J. Mills Jones they are trying to stop from running to become President of Liberia but that they are trying to stop the Liberian people from constitutionally deciding who they want to lead them,” he noted.
He noted that the only way the condition of Liberia and its people can be improved is by allowing the citizens to exercise their constitutional rights.
The founding national Chairman of MOVEE, D. Maxwell Kemayan welcomed his new supporters into the party and urged them be focused as the political process is ongoing.
Kemayan informed the group that the MOVEE is a party of all religions and no religion is more important than the other.
“Here at MOVEE there is nothing we call big fish. We are religiously tolerant and all of our members here are treated equally by the laws and constitution of the party,” he said.
Kemayan noted that Dr. Jones remains a force for the presidency, saying the strength of Dr. Jones is scaring away politicians into bringing out unnecessary information so as to confuse supporters of MOVEE.
“But to all of our supporters we ask that you be focused. Dr. Jones is still in the race and he has no plans of backing off to support anybody. It is the detractors that are spreading falsehood in the public about our political leader,” he said.
All of the officials of the Islamic Solidarity for Peace and Democracy were in attendance as members pledged support to Dr. Jones.
The chairman and Vice Chair of the Islamic Solidarity for Peace and Democracy, Mohammed M.J. Massaley, and Knowlden Williams were in attendance during the program.
The Islamic Solidarity for Peace and Democracy is an Islamic group in Liberia which is fighting against the establishment of a Christian state.