Monrovia – Mourning supporters of the late Alhaji G.V. Kromah has praised the fallen Liberian statesman for the passion he had in ‘liberating’ not only members of Mandingo and the Islamic Community but the entire country at large.
The late Kromah died on January 18, 2022, at his residence in Sophie Community, Congo Town.
He was a Liberian journalist, writer, politician, and former warlord and leader of the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (ULIMO) faction during the Liberian Civil War.
When the former Liberian statesman died, many people went on the social media to express their dislikes and their likes of the fallen statesman.
Some termed him as a former warlord who has caused the lives of many Liberians during the civil war while others saw him as a hero and a liberator who fought in the best interest of his country.
During the funeral service of the late Kromah at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS), tears could not cease from the faces of relatives and supporters as they paid their last respect to the man who they say was a “united revolutionary”.
According to many, the late Kromah was a moderate Muslim. He was a member of the Mandingo ethnic group and hailed from Tusu Town, Quardu Gboni District, Lofa County. He also obtained his High School diplomat St. Patrick’s High School in 1973.
Representative Mariamu B. Fofana of Lofa County and the late Kromah hailed from the same Tusu Town in Quardu Gboni District, Lofa County.
Speaking on behalf of the Legislature, Representative Fofana told the mourning gathering that despite the late Professor Kromah means many things to different people, for them, the Muslim people, especially from the Tusu Town in Quardu Gboni District in Lofa County, he was a father figure to every one of them.
“Alhaji G.V. Kromah and I came from the same town. Some people called him a journalist, others called him a professor, a Minister and other things but to us from the Tusu town in Quardu Gboni District in Lofa County, Alhaji G.V. Kromah was simply a loving and caring father,” she said.
Representative Fofana added: “He has inspired us from the Islamic community. He will always call me and say my direct Representative and I will call him our Pa.”
She continued: “He will say, Mariamu Fofana, I want for you and other people to walk in the streets of Monrovia and Liberia as proud Mandingo Muslims. That is what Alhaji Kromah was all about. He said never let yourself succumb to the perspective of other people – the way they think about you, the way they judge you. Be proud, stand up tall, and walk with dignity and contribute your quotas to the building of this nation.”
According to the Lofa County District #4 Representative, through the effort of the late Kromah, Muslims, especially the women of today, despite their dress code, feel proud when they move across the country.
“Prior to him (the late Kromah) encouraging us, our people used to hide their faces, change their names when they were traveling around this country,” she said.
Representative Fofana added: “Alhaji G.V. Kromah told us to stand up. He was a United Revolutionary. He was pushed into what he felt was right to liberate not only the Mandingo and the Muslim but to liberate the entire Liberia – he was a true hero.”
His Commitment to Country was not for Personal Gain
Representing President George Weah at the event, Liberian Foreign Minister Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah eulogized fallen former Vice Chairman of the Council of State, Republic of Liberia for his diligent service and commitment to duty and loyalty to the state.
Minister Kemayah said Prof. Kromah rendered public service as a national duty, noting that his works were dedicated to make Liberia, the country he loves, a better nation.
The Dean of the Cabinet said the late Kromah was a brilliant and intelligent statesman who was always willing to serve, stating that the late Kromah’s services to the land of his birth knew no boundaries.
Minister Kemayah added: “The late Kromah services to his nation were not to gain any personal favors or promote any party’s interests.”
“His commitment and dedication to the country was simply to push the frontiers of human development to achieve national goals”. The Liberian Chief Diplomat told the mourning gathering at the ATS on Wednesday, January 19, 2022,” Minister Kemayah said.
Liberty Party Chairman Musa Bility Terms Alhaji Kromah as a Hero
Musa Bility, the Chairman of the Liberty Party speaking at the event said despite the late Kromah was a friend to many Liberians he was also a father to the Muslim Community.
“Alhaji G.V. Kromah was our hero. He was the one who paved the way for people like me to stand in the position I am standing today. He brought hope when we were hopeless, we will remain forever proud of him. He will be remembered for starting a long journey. We will forever be grateful to him until we have Liberia that be comprised of every Liberian,” Mr. Bility said.
ALCOP Will Success in 2023 Election
Also, the Chairman of the All Liberian Coalition Party, the party he founded and served as Standard-bearer the 1997 and the 2005 General and Presidential Election Ansu Dulleh praised his former Standard-bearer for his role he played in the body politics of Liberia.
According to him, the late Kromah spirit will not rest until an ALCOP government success in the upcoming General and Presidential Elections.
“ALCOP is about to succeed because of what Professor Kromah started over the years. As a party, we will not talk long, we will not have many press conferences but with the submarines of our partisans, we will take victory very soon in 2023,” ALCOP Chairman Dulley declared.
The late Kromah was a Special Assistant to the Vice-President and later Assistant Information Minister during the regime of President William Tolbert before becoming Director General of the Liberia Broadcasting System in 1982 and Minister of Information in 1984 under President Samuel Doe.
He was also recorded for denying the government’s crackdown leading to some deaths at the University of Liberia in 1984. He went into exile in June 1990; months after the civil war began in Liberia.
He later co-founded the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy (ULIMO) , a resistance armed group that forced Charles Taylor to a negotiating table that eventually brought a tangible political solution to the Liberian conflict.
ULIMO split into two factions in 1994, with Kromah leading one faction known as ULIMO-K. Its power base was in northwestern Liberia, in and around Lofa County.
After the war ended, Kromah contested the 19 July 1997 presidential election representing the All Liberia Coalition Party (ALCOP). He placed third, winning 4.02% of the vote.
Kromah ran again as the party’s presidential candidate in the 11 October 2005 elections in which he was again defeated, receiving 2.8% of the vote.