Monrovia – The Liberty Party (LP) has reaffirmed its dedication to the democratic principles laid down by its founding father, the late Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine, during celebrations marking the party’s 20th anniversary over the weekend.

By Jaheim T. Tumu | jaheim.tumu@frontpageafricaonline.com 

Held at the party’s national headquarters in Monrovia, the event brought together partisans, supporters, and top party officials. Highlights included the unveiling of Brumskine’s portrait and the dedication of a memorial hall in his honor.

LP Political Leader and Senate Pro Tempore, Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, described Brumskine as a mentor and a symbol of justice, vowing to uphold his ideals.

“We are grateful for the legacy he left behind, and we remain committed to upholding the values he instilled in this party — good governance, justice, and opportunity for all,” Karnga-Lawrence said.

Brumskine was known for his strong advocacy for the rule of law and the welfare of Liberians, particularly during the administrations of former Presidents Charles Taylor and Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

As part of the commemoration, the party also unveiled two new facilities, including he Eugene Fallah Kpaka Conference Room and the Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence Secretariat Office, recognizing influential figures in the party’s history.

Another major feature of the celebration was the launch of the NKL Youth Dialogue Platform, aimed at enhancing political education and youth leadership development within the party and beyond.

A Women’s Queen Contest, themed by birth month, was also held to promote female political participation and strengthen intra-party unity.

Founding members of the party were honored for their service, while a membership booth was set up to register new members and reengage current ones.

LP Chairperson Representative Rugie Berry, along with other senior officials including Senator Abraham Darius Dillon, echoed their support for preserving Brumskine’s legacy and building a more inclusive political future.

The week-long celebration will continue with town hall meetings, media engagements, and a legacy symposium, all reinforcing the party’s enduring commitment to its founding democratic ideals.

Monrovia – Cllr. Charlyne Brumskine-Dennis, daughter of the late founder of the Liberty Party (LP), presented a reconciliation symbol to the party’s Political Leader and Senate Pro-Tempore, Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, during the LP’s International Women’s Day program at its headquarters in Congo Town, Monrovia.

By Willie Tokpah

The moving gesture, which brought attendees, including Senators Abraham Darius Dillon and National Executive Committee members, to tears, symbolized the LP’s commitment to healing past divisions within the party.

The reconciliation emblem depicted images of the late Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine, LP’s founder, alongside National Chairperson Representative Rugie Yatu Barry and current Political Leader, Madam Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence.

The LP has been overcoming internal struggles since the January 2021 convention in Gbarnga, Bong County, which sparked conflicts over constitutional and procedural disagreements with the National Elections Commission (NEC). 

This led to a split, with one faction led by former National Chairman Representative Musa Hassan Bility and another by Political Leader Karnga-Lawrence, who supported the Unity Party in the 2023 elections.

Cllr. Brumskine-Dennis, who aligned with the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) and served as running mate to Alexander Benedict Cummings of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), addressed the gathering with a message of reconciliation. She expressed her regret over past conflicts and praised Karnga-Lawrence’s leadership.

“Madam Political Leader, my big sister, you are a strong woman. I have learned so much from you, and we can never return to that dark path again,” Cllr. Brumskine-Dennis said. She emphasized the importance of learning from disputes and disappointments, using them as stepping stones for success, particularly for women in leadership.

Karnga-Lawrence expressed heartfelt gratitude for the gesture and announced plans to launch a youth and women’s mentoring program to encourage the development of future leaders. 

She also recognized the support of male allies in promoting women’s political participation and emphasized the party’s progress in overcoming internal divisions.

National Chairperson Representative Rugie Yatu Barry also introduced plans for a vocational training center aimed at empowering women economically. Barry stressed the importance of breaking barriers limiting access to resources, education, and mentorship, stating, “Women are not just participants in national development; they are leaders, innovators, and nation-builders.”

The Liberty Party’s recent initiatives highlight their renewed focus on unity, women’s empowerment, and leadership development, signaling a new chapter of political reconciliation in Liberia.

NEW CASTLE, Delaware – The Political Leader of the opposition Liberty Party (LP), Senator Nyonblee Karngar-Lawrence, says the National Elections Commission (NEC) of Liberia is not independent; and it has no integrity.

By Moses D. Sandy, mds66.sandy@aol.com, Contributor

As a result, Senator Karngar-Lawrence says, the Liberty Party has no confidence in the Commission’s leadership. The Senator represents Grand Bassa County in the Liberian senate. She said the LP does not trust the Commission; and the Party’s leadership has resolved not to work with the Commission.

Liberty Party is the second biggest opposition political party in Liberia, but the Party is currently embroiled in an internal conflict which started in 2021 due to reported alternations of some provisions of its constitution by Chairman Musa Bility and some LP executives. Since then, the Party remains divided between two factions with each headed by Chairman Bility and the Political Leader.

The Grand Bassa County Senator said the current NEC headed by Chairperson Davidetta Browne-Lansanah is compromised; and it has lost its independence. She spoke recently when she granted an exclusive podcast interview to The Issues Room, a Liberian owned social media platform based in the United States of America (USA). The LP Political Leader declared, “The NEC is an integrity institution; and its mandate is to ensure that elections conducted in Liberia are free, fair, transparent, and peaceful in upholding the fledgling Liberian democracy.” However, she said the Davidetta Browne- Lansanah led Commission has fallen short in meeting these expectations.

She said Liberia’s next general and presidential elections are scheduled for 2023; and the NEC is charged with the responsibility of conducting the elections, “but when you at this point already have an election commission that is showing that it is compromised, that’s worrisome.”

The Senator said the Commission’s Chairperson is conflicted and she has integrity problem. She maintained, “The Chairperson is not independent.”

Touching on the LP internal crisis, the Grand Bassa County Senator said the crisis in the Liberty Party is being politicized; and she blamed the Chairperson and the NEC for exacerbating the conflict. The Senator said the conflict remains unresolved because of the failure of the NEC to respect rulings from the Supreme Court; and adhere to its own electoral laws and policies in dealing with the crisis. She accused the NEC Chairperson of being conflicted in the LP leadership crisis.

She accused Mrs. Browne-Lansanah of having a dual relationship with the Chairman of Liberty Party, Musa Bility. She recalled that in December of 2021 when the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) was prosecuting the Chairperson for acts of malfeasance at the Commission, it was Mr. Bility, who helped her in securing a bond. “That’s conflict of interest,” the LP Political Leader frowned.

Then the Chairperson was charged along with other accomplices of the NEC and forwarded to court for prosecution. She was indicted for conflict of interest after she admitted to presiding over an NEC’s bidding process that fraudulently awarded a contract to a Liberian business, Tuma Enterprise Incorporated. The monetary value of the contract is more than 182 thousand US dollars; and the company allegedly has a family tie to her.

According to the LACC, Chairperson Browne-Lansanah and the company’s Vice President for Operations, David Browne, are paternal half-siblings while Mr. Arnold Badio, owner, and incorporator of the company, is Mr. Browne’s maternal half-brother. Also, she was accused of violating Section 1.3.6 of the National Code of Conduct, which speaks against conflict of interest. However, in April of this year, the Judge of Criminal Court “C” at the Temple of Justice dismissed the criminal charges.

Meanwhile, the LP Political Leader says she will this Friday, October 21, 2022, lead a protest match in Monrovia against the NEC and its Chairperson Browne-Lansanah for the conflicted role they continue to play in the Party’s internal conflict. She said, “We will match to the offices of the US Embassy, European Union (EU), United Nations Peace Building Mission, and other international partners to tell them that the Liberty Party can’t work with the NEC because the Commission is compromised”. She emphasized, “It is time that the conflict in Liberty Party comes to an end”.

In a related development, Senator Karngar-Lawrence has described the Liberian Legislature as the most compromised branch of the government. She said the legislature is not independent. She claimed, “About 90 % or even more of the lawmakers in the legislature do not make independent decisions. They follow decisions made by the executive branch headed by the President”.

She said the inefficiency of the Liberian legislature is not unique to the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) administration. She stressed, “This is an age-old problem.” She attributed the problem to what she called an over powerful executive branch headed by the president.

She said the problem is further compounded by ignorance. The Grand Bassa County Senator declared, “Most Liberian lawmakers do not know the function of the legislature. They do not know their job duties and responsibilities.” She defined the fundamental roles of legislators as representation, oversight, and lawmaking. She said, “With effective oversight by lawmakers, we would help in making political changes in government, but unfortunately that’s not the case.”

She said there are people in the legislature, who are fixated only on championing the political agenda of the government or the ruling party. She furthered, “Those People are not interested in the wellbeing of the country or its people.” Senator Karngar-Lawrence is currently in the United States as a guest of the Association of Liberian Journalists in the Americas (ALJA). She arrived in the country early this month; and she was one of several eminent Liberians that attended and participated in the Association’s post crisis eighth annual convention activities held from September 29^th through October 2, 2022, in Worcester, Massachusetts.

On Saturday, October 1^st, she spoke at the convention’s general assembly. She delivered a paper on the theme, Challenges Facing Women Political Participation in Liberia. ALJA was revived in 2014 following 10 years of dormancy. The Association crumbled in 2004 due to internal rift amongst its members and former leaders.

ALJA is a conglomeration of current and retired Liberian journalists residing in the Americas. It is a 501c (3) non-profit organization. It was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1998 with the objectives of advancing press freedom through media capacity building. The Association is also, dedicated to fostering the principles of good governance in Liberia through media advocacy.

MONROVIA – The Unity Party standard bearer, Joseph Boakai, has distanced himself from the speculations that he is preferring Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence as his running mate.

Amb. Boakai in a press statement clarified that his presence in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County last weekend was solely the purpose of the fundraising rally organized by Sen. Karnga-Lawrence.

During the fundraising, several supporters of Sen. Karnga-Lawrence and Amb. Boakai were seen wearing paraphernalia bearing the images of both Nyonblee and Lawrence.

The former Secretary General of the Unity Party also posted to Facebook: “We are not ambivalent, we are not ambiguous and we know exactly where we stand. The T-Shirt tells where we stand and that’s on periodtt.”

However, Amb. Boakai says his presence was in support to the cordial relationship between the Unity Party and the Liberty Party.

The statement: “The Former Vice President just recently on August 28 was illustriously hosted by the Political Leader of the All Liberian Party, Hon. Benoni Urey at his home in Careysburg, Montserrado County along with his lovely wife Mrs. Kartumu Boakai, when they celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary.

“Because Ambassador Boakai is highly respected amongst equals and enjoys the confidence of his political allies, he never hesitates to responding favorable to their invitations be it political or social.”

The Unity Party indicated that a high level of intraparty and individual consideration and a wide range of consultation with prominent citizens, including traditional, religious, and civil society leaders, are being undertaken. 

“This process also includes personal reflection based on his experiences over his many years in public service.  So, at the appropriate time Ambassador Joseph Nyuma Boakai will rally the nation to inform the Liberian people of his choice as a running mate,” the Unity Party stated.