MONROVIA – Senator Prince Johnson’s Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR) has termed the United States Embassy press statement Wednesday as a travesty of justice and accused the embassy of being a hypocrite.
In reaction to Senator Johnson’s ascendency as chairman of the Senate committee on Defense and Intelligence, the US embassy branded the Nimba County senator as a “notorious warlord whose gross human rights violations during the country’s fourteen-year civil wars are well documented”.
The embassy, in a press statement, wondered why the Liberian Senate would see it fit to elevate Senator Johnson to a leadership role – particularly in the area in which he has done Liberia the most harm — creates doubts as to the seriousness of the Senate as a steward of Liberia’s defense and security.
“The U.S. government is proud of our longstanding partnership with the Ministry of National Defense and Armed Forces of Liberia which will continue — but we can have no relationship with Senator Johnson,” the Embassy said.
But the MDR in a reaction said the characterization of its political leader by the embassy as “notorious warlord” is an affront to the people of Nimba County in whose interests Senator Johnson was defending during the civil wars.
The party also slammed the US embassy for raising “unnecessary alarm” over the ascendency of Senator Johnson to such committee when he had served similar committee during the tenure of former president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and had a cordial relationship with former United States Ambassador to Liberia Linda Thomas Greenfield while serving on such committee.
“This is not the first time Senator Johnson has chaired this committee. In 2005, he chaired this committee and worked closely with former United States Ambassador to Liberia,” the release noted.
The election of Senator Johnson to chair the statutory committee in the Senate has generated debates in Liberia with many criticizing members of the Senate for allowing the Nimba County senator elected unopposed.
The Liberty Party, one of four political parties making up the opposition Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), has distanced itself from the eleventh-hour withdrawal from the race of its partisan and Lofa County Senator, Steve Zargo.
The party’s chairman, Musu Hassan Bility, on Wednesday termed the Lofa County senator’s decision to withdraw in the eleventh-hour, when he had already been assured of the slot by menbers of CPP, as a blow to the quest for the establishment of War and Economic Crimes Court.
Bility, in a press statement, said: “The Liberty Party is appalled by the eleventh-hour withdrawal of Senator Zargo from the race for the chairmanship of the Senate’s committee on National Defense and Security”.
“Senator Zargo’s unexpected withdrawal, which paved the way for the unchallenged election of Senator Johnson to the position is a disappointment to the CPP (opposition collaboratiing party) especially so since, prior to the election the CPP Legislative Caucus agreed to support Senator Zargo as chairman”.
Bility said the party sees the Lofa County senator’s action as downright push at the efforts of Liberians, both home and abroad for the establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court.
But Telia Urey, daughter of Benoni Urey, described as a witch-hunt assertion by Bility.
The daughter of the political leader of the All Liberian Party (ALP), another member party of CPP, took to social media Thursday to register her disgust with Bility, saying that the chairman of Liberty Party is targeting the party’s former chairman because of his support for Unity Party standard bearer Joseph Boakai.
She posted: “Musa Bility, please do not hide under War Crimes Court establishment to fight Senator Zargo for his support of Joseph Boakai over your preferred candidate, Alexander Cummings. You and your party don’t support the establishment of a War and Economic Crimes Court.”
“The glaring truth is that, Musa Hassan Bility is fighting Senator Steve Zargo because of Zargo’s support for Joseph Boakai over Bility’s candidate Cummings. Hiding under support for War Crimes Court to fight Zargo is such a shame and must be condemned”.
“I read the Liberty Party statement signed by Musa Bility against Senator Zargo and I must say that I am very disappointed by the level of deception by Bility and LP”.
Urey went as far as uploading a video of Bility where he’s heard speaking against the establishment of a War and Economic Crimes Court.
In the video uploaded by Urey, Bility said: The Americans, the Europeans, when their civil wars ended, they didn’t ask their people to go after the people that perpetrated the war… so why are they asking you to do it”
Urey said though she rejects the election of Senator Johnson as committee head and wants a speedy establishment of a War and Economic Crimes Court, but maintained that the insincerity within the ranks of the CPP needs to be seriously condemned and resisted.
“I will no longer sit quietly and allow our people to be deceived,” she said.