MONROVIA – Cllr. Tiawan Gongloe, who accompanied FrontPageAfrica’s Managing Editor, Mr. Rodney Sieh, to the conference called by Associate Justice Joseph Nagbe over a traffic fracas on Thursday said the amendment to the vehicle and traffic law which gave the Associate Justice the right to use the third lane needs to be looked into as it may create more chaos in the traffic.
Report by Lennart Dodoo, [email protected]
Cllr. Gongloe told reporters at the Temple of Justice after the conference that it was his first time seeing the amended law which was brought up by Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa, the House Judiciary Committee Chairman.
Cllr. Gongloe said, “I don’t like it but I’m not a legislator but I believe that it has the tendency to create a situation where more Liberian citizens would be considered first-class citizens and will create more chaos in the traffic.”
Cllr. Gongloe who is the president of the Liberia National Bar Association said Justice Nagbe’s citation was not in any way intended to intimidate the press neither was Mr. Sieh’s action meant to disrespect the Justice or injure the reputation of the Supreme Court’s Associate Justice.
“He was only acting because of the unruly behavior of a lot of people in the traffic who take the other side of the road – sometimes they take the third lane,” Cllr. Gongloe said.
The human right lawyer said the matter has been resolved and there would be no further action from either party on the matter.
“I don’t like it but I’m not a legislator but I believe that it has the tendency to create a situation where more Liberian citizens would be considered first-class citizens and will create more chaos in the traffic.”
– Cllr. Tiawan Gongloe
Also present at the conference on Thursday were the president of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), Mr. Charles Coffey, Montserrad County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon, Representatives of Okay FM who were also cited for the reporting the story on the saga.
The incident on Monday when the vehicle, JUD 4, carrying Associate Justice Nagbe in its attempt to evade traffic on the Bushrod Island came head on with Mr. Sieh who was heading to Vai Town for an interview.
“I wasn’t sure who’s vehicle it was at first – it was later I confirmed with a court staffer that it belonged to Associate Justice Nagbe,” Mr. Sieh said.
The Vai Town road is one of the busiest traffic routes in Monrovia. It has become even more compounded now because of an ongoing renovation work due to the dilapidated condition of the road.
The Vai Town route was built as a four-lane road, two lanes going toward the Freeport of Monrovia and two opposite lanes, on the other side heading toward downtown Monrovia. More importantly, the road is divided by a center divide which is there to ensure that those on either side of the road stay in their respective lanes and do not cross over in the ongoing traffic in the other lane.