Monrovia – The Montserrado County Student Union (MONSU) has condemned the planned December 30 “Weah Step-Down” protest by the Council of patriot (COP).
Addressing a news conference on Wednesday at the Barnes Foundation School in Lakpazee, Sinkor, the president of MONSU, Ibrahim M. Baldee termed the protest as “an unconstitutional sound of potential disturbance” by some Liberians.
“With history on our side as students, we have read about violent removal of sitting presidents in Liberia and around Africa which has been marred by violence and bloodshed with students paying the harshest prices,” Baldee said.
“MONSU as an auxiliary of the Liberian National Student Union categorically condemns the unrealistic thirst of despotic politicians to ruin our hard-earned peace. We believed that this undemocratic act has the proclivity to take our country to the dark days of our history.”
Meanwhile , MONSU is specifically calling on Senator Darius Dillon of Montserrado County to distance himself from the planned protest.
The students claim Dillon was elected by the popular mandate of the people of Montserrado and not on the basis of a “step down” of his predecessor.
“May peace be unto the ashes of the late Senator Geraldine Doe Sherriff; had it not been for the untimely demise of her, Senator Dillion would have waited for an election instead of calling for a “step down” of a sitting democratically elected official,” said Baldee.
Liberia’s Justice Ministry recently warned organizers of the December 30 “Weah Step Down” campaign that the plan is “unconstitutional and bespeaks treason.
In a December 2, 2019 letter addressed to the Council of Patriots, Minister Frank Musah Dean cited several Constitutional provisions, arguing that the planned protest is in violation of the law.
The COP is credited for organizing the largest mass protest against the Weah-led government on June 7, 2019. That protest dubbed Save The State called on the government to take several actions including curbing corruption and fixing the economy.