Monrovia – The Opposition Liberty Party has endorsed a planned peaceful assembly organized by the Council of Patriots, seeking to bring the George Manneh Weah-led government to book on a number of governance lapses.
In a statement Sunday, the LP said the facts and evidence are well-documented and irrefutable to the effect that Liberia is currently experiencing widespread corruption and gross incompetence in the public sector, clampdown on press freedom, increased wave of lawlessness and impunity, and many other forms of socioeconomic vices that gave rise to national conflict. “Even CDCians through their Chairman continue to bemoan what they believe is the president’s alleged complicity regarding these situations,” the statement averred.
“We endorse the January 6, 2020 Peaceful Assembly organized by the COP to protest the current wave of bad governance in our country and call on all our supporters turning out for the protest to remain peaceful and law-abiding We hope that this protest sends a strong message to President Weah about the unhappiness of Liberians and marks a turning point in the way our country is being badly run by the CDC-led government.”
Opposition Liberty Party
Emphasizing its respect for the rule of law and good governance, the LP says it takes cognizance of the rights of Liberians to peacefully assemble and petition their government as enshrined in Article 17 of the 1986 Constitution of our country and interpose absolutely no objections to same. “The rights of the people to freely assemble and petition their government is a universally accepted and fundamental principle of Democracy that must be protected at all times. This is even more compelling considering that the history of our country is replete with just how devastating the consequences can be when a government attempts to trample on or curb the exercise of this fundamental right of the people.”
The LP noted that the unwillingness of the government to give account of 16 Billion New Liberian Banknotes it said went missing and 25 million USD intended to stabilize the exchange rate between local currency and the USD, the overnight accumulation of wealth by President Weah and some members of his government, the unauthorized use of donors’ money, the arbitrary and violent shutdown of Roots FM and refusal to grant Punch FM Operational License, the shielding of perpetrators of Electoral Violence in Montserrado County Districts 13 and 15, widespread poverty, delay in the payment of salaries to government employees, are sufficient justifications for a peaceful protest by the people of Liberia.
Said the LP: “We endorse the January 6, 2020 Peaceful Assembly organized by the COP to protest the current wave of bad governance in our country and call on all our supporters turning out for the protest to remain peaceful and law-abiding We hope that this protest sends a strong message to President Weah about the unhappiness of Liberians and marks a turning point in the way our country is being badly run by the CDC-led government.”
While appreciating International Partners and the Inter-Religious Council of Liberia for having successfully mediated between the COP and the GOL to de-escalate the growing wave of tension that characterized negotiations over the practicability of holding a peaceful assembly on December 30, 2019, LP said it is a constitutional right for Liberians to organize in a peaceful assembly. “Though the protest is expected to be peaceful, notwithstanding we urge the Government of Liberia to live up to one of its foremost constitutional responsibilities of providing security for Liberians, exercise due restraint, show respect for human rights, and watch out for unscrupulous political zealots who might be bent on causing trouble during the protest. We urge the COP to replicate its June 7, 2019 show of leadership to ensure that protesters remain peaceful.”
The party’s comments just days after its political leader, Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence declared the pending protest as a democratic exercise guaranteed and protected by the constitution, and ought not to be threatened by charges of treason.
“Protesters and the government share in the responsibility to ensure that the protest assembly is peaceful,” the Senator said.
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