Monrovia – Mr. Alexander Benedict Cummings, the Political Leader of the opposition political party — Alternative National Congress (ANC), is urging the Liberian Government to apply the law evenhandedly to everyone who it thinks might have gone against the law of the state.
While the ANC political leader has again called on the government as he did during the “illegal prolonged detention of the University students,” to refrain from repeating the past where governments misused the law to arrest and detain its critics, he stressed that the days of political prisoners should be long gone and Liberia should not continue to repeat the mistakes of the past.
Mr. Cummings spoke with FrontPageAfrica Friday, June 21, few hours after his party chairman, Senator Daniel F. Naatehn, had addressed the press on similar issue.
Cummings indicated that in order to uphold the rule of law, justice must be seen to be fair and not partisan or impartial.
“ANC and its partisans are law abiding and will continue to respect and uphold the law and are willing to defend themselves against any allegations but will not tolerate any attempt by the government to muzzle and intimidate its partisans,” he emphasized.
He assured his partisans, including Representative Yekeh Kolubah and all Liberians, who might be having the law applied onto them unlawfully, that the party and the opposition collaboration are committed to providing the best legal representation in any politically-motivated case(s).
The ANC Political Leader also called on the government to exert the same energy and effort into investigating and arresting “a certain ruling party lawmaker, who is also accused of ordering the flogging of a local businessman.”
Meanwhile, the ANC Chairman, Senator Naatehn, addressing a press conference Friday, called on the Judiciary to refrain from all “political activities” and save its already “mutilated image” it has judging from the impeachment of former Associate Justice Kabinah Ja’neh.
According to the Senator, the Judiciary’s independence is dying due to “political maneuvering intended to appease the Executive.”
He and the party’s Political Leader’s statements come on the heels of recent indictment against Montserrado County Electoral District #10 Representative Yekeh Y. Kolubah.
Rep. Kolubah and four others were recently indicted in connection with the alleged flogging and torturing of a resident of the district identified as Emmanuel Freeman. According to some residents of the district, Freeman is a notorious criminal whose reputation, one added, “goes with him everywhere.”
On June 18, 2019, the Grand Jury of Montserrrado County formally indicted the five men, including the ANC partisan, Rep. Kolubah, on charges of aggravated assault, criminal attempt to commit murder, kidnapping, criminal facilitation and criminal solicitation.
Those indicted alongside Kolubah were Oliver Konneh, Abu K. Mohammed, Johnson Kpor and Mohammed A. Kaba. They were on Tuesday arraigned before the Criminal Court “A” upon the order of Resident Judge Roosevelt Willie where the indictment was served them.
The ANC Chairman, who is also a senator of Gbarpolu County, asserted that the Judiciary is being subjected to the Executive Branch of government, stressing that this is a dangerous sign for the nation’s democratic process.
“It is important to state in clear terms that ANC will no longer tolerate the sequential abrogation of our laws and legal processes that should define the Judiciary as an independent branch of government,” Chairman Naatehn emphasized.
“As a registered political party, we see it a responsibility to protect our democracy, especially when those in whose hands we entrust power have proven to be incapable and reckless in their conduct,” he said.
The Gbarpolu Sen. pointed out that inasmuch as the party appreciates the full exercise of the rule of laws for the purpose of instituting order, it will not dare coward into submission to its unjust use that in essence, is intended to witch-hunt those involved with the broad exposure of the government’s insensitivity and act of recklessness in addressing the poverty and inequality gap that place the citizens at odds with counterparts in the sub-region.
He maintained that ANC will continue to frown on the harassment or bogus indictment against Rep. Kolubah.
The ANC Chairman also called into the question the operation of the Liberia National Police in the whole saga.
“The ANC recalls more than two instances where the Liberia National Police has conducted herself outside its professional scope, especially dealing with issues involving Rep. Kolubah,” the Gbarpolu Senator indicated.
“It has become a tradition,” Senator Naatehn said “the LNP creates unending harassment for Rep. Kolubah and usually terrifies his family through the illegal presence at his residence to affect an arrest on him.”
Sen. Naatehn furthered that the party has observed that the Liberia National Police (LNP) is bent on using the laws in ways that it only affect those that disagree with the President politically.
“The case with former Senator of Margibi County, Roland Kayne, is a perfect reliance to this assertion; and similarly with the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tokpa Mulbah, was also indicted on allegation of ordering his security to beat on a fellow, the court followed the same procedure to have him turned over for investigation. Unfortunately today, our court seems to have developed amnesia and have forgotten the very precedent it set as a procedure by which a member of the legislature can be turned over to the Judiciary for subsequent trial. Yesterday, this was the procedure, today, it has changed,” Naathen jibed the court.
However, H. Moses Carter, the Liberian National Police spokesman, has consistently maintained that the police has and will continue to conduct its activities in line with the laws of the land.