On Wednesday, April 24, on the Renaissance Communications Truth FM nighttime radio talk show, Nimba County Senator Prince Y. Johnson was heard saying among many things that the leader of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), Mr. Alexander B. Cummings, surreptitiously met with a Nimba lawmaker in the bush to concoct plans against President George Manneh Weah.
Senator Johnson, who prides himself to be the ‘godfather’ of the county further issued a warning to folks in the ANC, telling them to consult with him (Prince Johnson) before they and their political leader, Mr. Cummings, can organize their political events in the county — Nimba.
These utterances of the “Honorable” Senator are a throwback into our ugly past when 250,000 mostly innocent people were butchered by warlords in a senseless civil war.
During the war, this Senator was one of the warlords, who openly, knowingly, willingly and joyfully butchered innocent Liberians and foreign nationals. The international community is still awaiting the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Recommendations by the Liberian Government?
The TRC’s report calls for the establishment of a war crimes court for Liberia. The TRC names 250 people as those who committed crimes against humanity or economic crimes and gives different levels of punishment. ‘General’ Senator Prince Johnson is one of those names recommended for punishment by the TRC.
Senator Johnson’s remarks on the Truth FM nighttime program go against every tenet of the current democratic process and the peace the nation has enjoyed for the past 15 years. Not only that Mr. Johnson is posing as owner of Nimba County, but also attempts to sow seeds of discord by saying that some politicians are planning to harm the President.
This is the kind of behavior that led to the war, when people lied on others to the powers of the day for their own selfish gains.
This senator is glaringly on record of people who harm presidents.
When rebel leader Charles Taylor launched his rebel incursion in December 1989, General Johnson was one of those ‘commandos’ with Taylor when they crossed over into Liberia from La Côte d’Ivoire. Few months into the war, Johnson splintered from Taylor soon after and formed his own rebel group, the Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL). In September of 1990, he captured former President Samuel Kanyon Doe. There are gruesome videos of how he tortured and killed the Liberian leader.
The remarks of Senator Johnson also come in the wake of threats uttered by former warring rebel ‘generals’ just days ago against another opposition politician, Representative Yekeh Kolubah.
This climate of intimidation by former warlords should claim the attention of all Liberians and the international community which spent millions and made the ultimate sacrifices of their sons and daughters to bring peace to Liberia.
President Weah has the responsibility to maintain peace giving his background as Liberia’s Peace Ambassador. He must not allow people who thrive on violence to derail the peace.
Senator Johnson needs to be reminded that he is one amongst many legislators, who represent Nimba County on Capitol Hill and nothing in the Constitution says that a senator owns a county. Those days are gone!
Senator Johnson enjoys the same right as any other citizen and cannot lay claim on a county as his own.
“During a normal time like this where there is no election, if you want to hold a convention in Nimba, you’re free to do so, but notify the leaders of the county – we must be notified. We’re the political leaders of the people. The administrative head of the county from the Executive must also be notified. But you cannot take an opposition political party leader who is in coalition with other parties that are attacking this government and giving the government three months, they’re supporting Yekeh Kolubah, to my county, our county,” Senator Johnson said on the “What’s Your View.”
Liberia is now at peace and the security of all citizens is in the hand of the state.
Members of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) are poised to gather in Ganta City, Nimba County for the Party’s National Convention on Saturday, May 4, 2019. Delegates will come from every part of Liberia to attend this year’s highly-awaited National Convention, under the theme: “The Alternative Liberia Deserves”.
At the Convention, a number of critical and pressing landmark national decisions will be made, while key positions within the party will be filled by new but influential party heavy-weights. Meanwhile, ahead of this highly-pitched convention, Mr. Cummings, Political Leader of the ANC, has met with a cross-section of media practitioners and held discussions of mutual interests regarding key national issues, including the state of the economy.
The leadership of the Senate must call Senator Johnson to order and let him refrain from issuing threats that could jeopardize our peace and democratic process.
We call on ECOWAS and the International Community to sound an alarm of caution to our political leaders who want to take this country back into the days when Liberia was known only for its warlords, child soldiers and refugees.
We want to thank the ANC, which has proven to be a matured political party for feeling it not necessary to dignify Senator Prince Johnson’s Mephistophelian comments with an official reply. Go to Ganta City, Nimba County and assemble your partisans peacefully. No part of this nation belongs to anyone not even the President of the day. The Constitution gives every Liberian the right to assemble and discuss their issues on any part of the territory. The Senator has again shown his arrogance and how he’s is an evil incarnate.