Monrovia – Though three men of the Acting Vital Statistic Mary Broh were arrested and charged and are currently on bail, Sheik Kouyateh has prayed the magisterial court to cite Madam Broh for a conference.

The communication in possession of FPA shows that Broh and Kouyateh are expected to appear to the stipendiary magistrate of the Monrovia City Court, Kennedy Peabody.

“Acting upon the order of his honor Kennedy Peabody, Stipendiary Magistrate Monrovia City Court, Temple of Justice you are cited to attend a conference to be held at his temple of justice chambers on Friday, the 18th day of August at 10AM.”

The communication furthered: The conference however is predicated upon a complaint brought against you by Mr. Sheik A Kouyateh by his legal counsel, Gongloe & Associates Law firm in connection with the incident of August 10, 2017, when Mr. Kouyateh was allegedly beaten at the birth certificate center on the capitol bye pass upon your order.”

The conference is geared toward amicably resolving the issue.

It can be recalled Kouyateh accused Madam Mary Broh, of attacking him and labeling him a “Mandingo Dog”.

He said he had gone to check on his brother whom he left at the center to pick up his Birth Certificate at 9:30am when the incident occurred. 

The Editor,

“Power concedes nothing without demand; it never has and it never will”–Frederick Douglas.

“There comes a time in life when one must take a stand that is neither safe, nor popular, nor politics but you take it because it is right”– Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Here in America, let a white government official call any black person a “Nigger” and see what happens to that official.

He/she will resign immediately or be fired by the Mayor, Governor or President. Blacks and others will protest until hell freezes over. You don’t insult the dignity of a race/tribe and get away with it.

Free speech has moral “red lines” that cannot be crossed.

When you insult a fellow citizen, a Mandingo Liberian by allegedly calling him a “Mandingo Dog”, there is no justification whatsoever for such immoral behavior by an official of our government.

Thus, Mary Broh needs to resign now or be fired from her position by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

We call on all good Liberians, the Christian community, politicians and presidential and legislative candidates to weigh in and demand that Mary Broh be fired from her job. It is the right thing to do.

What Mary Broh is accused of insulting a fellow Liberian is no different from what tribal/native Liberians endured for over 150 years under the ruling minority Americo-Liberians/Congau would insult and referred to tribal Liberians as ” country asses,” even to this day.

A recent example was in January 1998 when former Senator and now a presidential candidate, Congau Charles Walker Brumskine referred to a sitting native Senator Bedell Fahn of Margibi County as a “country fool/ass,” according to an official letter of complaint dated February 3, 1998 written by Senator Fain to his fellow lawmakers.

This arrogance and contempt for natives by the Congau resurfaced yet again in this 2017 presidential campaign when Mr. Brumskine rained insults of “nonsense” on native presidential candidate Joseph Boakai, ironically accusing the well-respected Mr. Boakai of “encouraging the Native versus Congau divide.”

A case of pot calling a tea kettle black.

And it is this same arrogance that perhaps has led the likes of Madame Broh to call a native Liberian by his tribe as a “Mandingo Dog”, obviously encouraged by Broh’s close friendship with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

But our Mandingo brothers and sisters must organize and use their votes as a political weapon in this election for candidates who remain silent and are supported by President if she refuses to fire Madame Broh.

Madam Broh has a history of unlawful behavior and recklessness because of her friendship with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

As Mayor of Monrovia, Broh reportedly slapped a pregnant woman who was also an aide to a sitting House of Representatives member and got away with the crime.

Madam Broh reportedly ordered the public beating of a Liberian journalist and other citizens in public view.

As Mayor, Broh, without court order or approval, Broh destroyed the homes and businesses of citizens in the name of city beautification. And it is this jungle justice behavior without consequences that led her to call another Liberian a “Mandingo Dog.”

But President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf who is Mary Broh’s boss was married to a Mandingo man, a marriage that produced four sons. President Sirleaf seems to value her friendship with Broh over Broh’ s insult of the entire Mandingo tribe.

We must not sugar-coat this grave hurt and insensitivity Broh has brought to the Mandingo community.

Today, it is the Mandingo; tomorrow it could be you and your tribe. A wrong is a wrong is a wrong.

We condemn in the strongest terms the deplorable action of a government official and the conspicuous silence of President Sirleaf. Let the protests begin.

Jerry Wetter Wion, Washington, DC, USA
lanswion515@gmail.com

Monrovia – Mr. Sheikh Al moustapha Kuyateh, a former Senatorial Candidate in the 2014 Montserrado County Senatorial race has accused Madam Mary Broh, the temporary head of the Bureau of Vital Statistics in Liberia of attacking him and labeling a “Mandingo Dog”.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf recently ordered Broh, the Director-General of the General Services Agency (GSA), to temporarily take charge of the Bureau of Vital Statistics at the Ministry of Health so as to restore order, cleanliness and systems.

The President observed during a surprise visit at the bureau in June, that important documents were haphazardly scattered on the floor with no proper filing system

The visit followed numerous complaints regarding operations at the department.

But Mr. Kuyateh told FrontPageAfrica that this was not case when he showed up there last Thursday.

He said he had gone to check on his brother whom he left at the center to pick up his Birth Certificate at 9:30am when the incident occurred. 

“I got to him around 2:45PM. We waited up to 4:15pm without receiving a document that should have been given by 9:30am. “

“When I asked one of  Madam Broh’s staffers as per the delay, he told me to contact Madam Broh. 

Mr. Kuyateh went on to explain that when he put up his hands for permission to speak with Madam Broh, she allowed me to come forward but just as he approached her, she asked, “what is the problem?” 

Mr. Kuyateh explained that he informed Madam Broh that he and his brother had been waiting in line along with other people since morning to pick up his cousin’s birth certificate and was curious about the delay. 

“We had been there since 9:30am and it was 4pm without the Birth Certificate. But as I started to explain, she started chanting and later turn to me and said: “Oh my God! How can I respond to a Mandingo dog like you.” 

Mr. Kuyateh said Madam Broh went on to say: “I don’t know how these foreigners take themselves to be. A Guinean telling me what to do.” 

“She continued insulting me until Chief Kiazolu told her to stop and she angrily said that she’ll leave.

This was when everyone started begging her to stay and I was told to leave. As I was leaving, she followed me with more insults and called me bastard, Mandingo dog from Guinea.”  

Mr. Kuyateh said that when he responded to her that he was no dog as she was labeling him, but a proud Mandingo from Liberia, Madam Broh angrily rushed to him, questioning what gave him the right to respond to her.

“It was during that time she tried to slap me. When I blocked her hands, she ordered her bodyguards to drag me.” 

Mr. Kuyateh said one of the guards held his two hands behind him while Madam Broh had her hands on his neck as another guy hit him under his eyes.

“They tried to undress me naked that led my clothes to be torn and there’s a video recording of the incident.”

Mr. Kuyateh said his brother then called the police and Deputy Police Chief Abraham Kromah appeared.

“He saw me and asked people at the scene and later went to Madam Broh and he later came back to me and said that he’s sorry but he cannot do anything.

It was due to that that I asked him to please drop me at the police headquarters where he was going.”

Mr. Kuyateh explained that it was there when madam Broh bodyguard destroyed the evidence by taking away the memory card out of his camera and smashing the Ipad of a journalist who was on the scene.

When contacted, Police Spokesperson Mr. Sam Collins said that Mr. Kuyateh had filed a complaint against the two GSA staffers but not Madam Broh.

“We have a complaint here but not against Mary Broh,” Mr. Collins said.

Madam Broh is no stranger to controversy.

In September 2009, Muslim residents in Monrovia expressed concern over the Special Presidential Task Force to clean the city streets after an incident at the Benson Street mosque created an inconvenience for worshipers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

In 2011 and 2012, Broh was involved in the destruction of public market places, physical altercations with Senate staff members and heated verbal exchanges with legislators and journalists.

In February 2013, she came to the aid of another embattled Montserrado County Superintendent, Grace Kpaan, whom security officials apprehended as a result of bribery allegations she made against Representative Edward Forh (CDC-district #16 Montserrado County).

Broh was cited with obstruction of justice when she intervened in Kpaan’s arrest and both were suspended by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

Under pressure, Broh submitted her resignation to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, effective February 28, 2013. 

Monrovia – Senator Jewel Howard Taylor of Bong Country has written Plenary of the Senate requesting the body to put halt to the ongoing demolition of the Palm Grove Cemetery in central Monrovia.

Report by Henry Karmo – henrykarmo@frontpageafricaonline.com

The famous and historic commentary is being demolished by a special Presidential Task Force headed by acting director of the General Service Agency.

But Senator Taylor in a communication said, the Palm Grove Cemetery was established by law for the permanent hosting and the final resting place for people she described as most “distinguished citizens, respected patriot and ordinary citizens”.

“As we speak, the National Cemetery is being demolished without considering the psychological and social impact on families and the State”

“It is my understanding that the fenced wall, paid for as grant by the World Bank, has been demolished by the Presidential Task Force,” Senator Taylor said.

“It will interest you to know that some of our most prominent citizen and national leaders; to include President Joseph Jenkins Roberts, President Arthur Barclay, President William T. Tolbert and Hillary Teage, amongstthose buried at the Palm Grove Cemetery.”

The Bong County Senator believes the culture and tradition of Liberia bear witness to the fact that burial sites across the nation remain in spite of community needs, growth and development.

 “This train of thought to remove our love ones from their final resting places should not be accepted, but instead designated burial places should remain as such, which shows our collective National respect for the dead,” she said.

Taylor cautioned that attempt by Government officials to sit idly while the sacredness of burial is being destroyed, is an injustice to the people.

“As disquieting and potentially explosive as his matter is, I cannot recall it. “

“This August Body has been referenced accordingly, and further more am sure that communities of families of love ones whose remains are buried at the cemetery are apparently as uninformed and appalled upon learning that there is a plan to remove the dead from their final resting places,” she said.

The Bong lawmaker cautioned the emotion of her colleagues that the cemetery is not a national facility, but one that draws the emotional interest of host of people from across the length and breadth of all of 15 political subdivisions.

“To this effect, the Liberian Senate, and by extension, the Legislature, cognizant of its duty of representation as constituent actors of the people must seize the moment to make the necessary inquiry and bring this matter to a logical conclusion,” the Bong County Senator suggested.

“Distinguished colleagues, it is in this regard that I wish to bring this to your attention and request plenary to invite the head of the special Presidential Task Force, to provide detail reasons for the planned destruction and removal of remains at the National Cemetery.”

The high concrete walls surrounding the Palm Grove Cemetery in Central Monrovia were crushed by Mary Broh – head of a special Presidential Task Force designated to clean-up  Monrovia.

“The fence will be rough iron fence. It will be no longer a concrete fence you can’t see through and it will be managed by MCC,” Broh said.

“When you’re coming, you’ll pay; but that is an option – it doesn’t mean that it should happen because Mary Broh says so. This place has been desecrated for years; that’s why we are in it.”

According to Madam Broh, the move will pave way for the construction of a modern cemetery where the dead would be given the honor they deserve.

Broh told reporters during the demolition that the fence would be replaced with rough iron gates, and that the cemetery would be restructured.

Palm Grove Cemetery has been a hideout for criminals and drug addicts in Central Monrovia.

Graves and tombs are often been broken into by criminals who take away valuables buried with the dead. Human remains are also targeted to serve odd purposes, including being used as pipe to take in drugs.