MONROVIA — Two persons have been severely injured as a result of a violent incident which characterized the first day in office of the embattled governor of the Borough of New Kru Town, Robert Teah.
By Obediah Johnson, [email protected]
Mr. Teah was appointed to the position by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai in April and subsequently confirmed by the Liberian Senate.
But there have been claims and counter-claims surrounding his appointment by the Liberian leader. Some elders of the Eight Nominating Districts have been claiming that the President’s action to appoint Mr. Teah to the position runs contrary to the 1916 Act which created the Borough.
According to them, the Act gives them the authority to select and nominate an individual for the Governorship. However, the Executive Mansion has consistently claimed that the new Local Governance Act of Liberia gives the President the right to nominate Governors to Boroughs.
Despite the hullabaloo surrounding his appointment, Mr. Teah was commissioned into office, along with several other Commissioners and Chiefs by the Superintendent of Montserrado County at a ceremony held at the Monrovia City Hall last Friday.
His first day in office on Monday, August 19 became unfavorable when a group of aggrieved elders from the Eight (8) Nominating Districts stormed the town hall to meet with him (Governor Teah).
According to eyewitnesses, the elders were reportedly prevented from seeing the Governor in large numbers by armed officers of the Liberia National Police (LNP) assigned there.
They were later requested by one of the officers that a representative should be selected among them to speak with the new Governor.
However, the situation turned violent when a group of young people who accompanied the elders disagreed and began throwing stones at the building housing the town hall and the office of Governor Teah.
The incident led to two persons, including a journalist working for OK FM 99.5 in Monrovia sustaining deep cuts on their heads.
The victims include journalist Morris Wleh Tee and one elder James Tumu. So far, no one has been arrested in connection with the incident.
“The young people who came with the elders were demanding that the police people open the door for them to enter and see the Governor; but because they were plenty, the police people said no. so, some of them went at the back of the building and people started throwing stones all over the building,” an eyewitness stated.
Speaking in an interview with FrontPage Africa shortly after the incident, Governor Teah questioned the rationale behind the elders and others opposing his preference.
He accused the former acting Governor of the Borough Wle Wle Koffa of hiring and inciting those he called “grona boys” [street boy] to throw stones while he was in office.
He bragged of collectively working with residents of the Borough, including Representative Dixon Seboe.
“But the President appoints someone; who should stop the President’s appointment? You just have to work with the person and I have been working with everybody including the women, elders and the youth. So whoever is behind this, I want to appeal to them for us to work together.”
“I am in my office as you can see; this is the town hall and the office of the Governor. I am not embarrassed that everybody is working with me. The over 80,000 inhabitants of the Borough are happy to see me and they are coming to congratulate me. So, I’m calling the few people that are out there to come and let’s work together.”
Governor Teah, however, expressed the hope that his appointment would not be opposed by his kinsmen and other residents of the Borough.
He disclosed that though the salary of a Governor is not sufficient, he accepted the appointment from the President to serve his people.
“I have worked in this Borough when I was not a Governor or Representative. This Governor Job is small for me; I just want to serve my people. I am willing to work with everybody and we will work with everybody. We want to say sorry to those who have been injured.”
“Those few people who think that when it is not them, it shouldn’t be anybody should calm down because I am in the interest of the people. By the President appointing me as Governor, it means that the Borough is safe and it has been rescued.”
