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Monrovia – Liberia’s fastest growing political movement, the Economic Freedom Fighters of Liberia (EFFL), has withdrawn its support from the popular Council of Patriots (CoP), which recently staged Liberia’s largest street protest ever.
At a press conference Tuesday, EFFL National Secretary General, Ernest Moibah, Jr. said his group was exposing and distancing itself from what he calls unwholesome scheming for financial gains and self-seeking purposes rather than genuinely fostering the people’s interest that it has uncovered on the part of some individuals within the hierarchy of the CoP.
These individuals, whose names Moibah fell short of disclosing, according to the EFFL, are poised to exploit the current governance quagmire the country is faced with, at the hands of government actors the EFFL described as being unprepared and politically ill-equipped leaders aimlessly wandering in the corridor of state power.
The EFFL which gave several reasons why it withdrew from the CoP, said although it agreed to have endorsed the 7 June protest, mobilized and provided security for members and leaders of the EFFL, protesters and even leaders of CoP, the group was letting Liberians and the world know that following the June 7, 2019 street protest, the leadership of the CoP has been involved in the act of giving conflicting financial reports.
“We state here without stupor that identifying the facts out of the public outcry of alleged financial impropriety, the COP has not substantially and evidentially so too, befittingly cleared the airwaves as it relates to the speculations of financial malpractices but have rather elected to unilaterally decide on another protest day,” Moibah said.
He continued: “Now therefore, Liberia’s fast growing ideological, revolutionary and political institution, the uncompromising Economic Freedom Fighters of Liberia remained unwavering to its founding manifesto as an institution that speaks against ills in the society ranging from the violation of our laws and any form of corruption, no matter who is involved, hereby, with immediate effect withdraws its support to the COP…”
The EFFL says in line with its ideology which Moibah said is principally and selflessly grounded on seeking the interests of all Liberians, it was withdrawing its support from the CoP for among several reasons, CoP’s failure to appropriately exonerate itself from allegations of financial malpractices; CoP leadership’s disrespect and wanton disregard for Liberians’ popular will, when the leadership failed to have presented the group’s petition to the Government of Liberia’s representatives present at the protest site that day or to the ECOWAS Ambassador and his team that turned out to monitor the 7 June protest; self-glorification and popularity seeking within CoP’s leadership; and CoP leadership’s betrayal of Montserrado County District-10 lawmaker, Representative Yekeh Kolubah.
The EFFL also cited the failure of the current CoP leadership to step down, as agreed in a general meeting of the group, as another reason prompting the withdrawal of its support from the “Save the State” protest organizers.
The EFFL is of the belief that for failing thus far to have by now transparently clear itself of tons of allegations of corruption brought against it by multiple accusers from several quarters of the society, noting that in the EFFL’s estimation, over two weeks since the protest was staged, it is now more than enough time, for the CoP leadership to have made public a comprehensive and a proper financial report.
“Instead, what we have seen is a questionable report out of which oozes half-truths and smells with corruption as well,” EFFL said.
Moibah said by not presenting the petition on the day of the protest, an act deemed disrespectful and considered a wanton disregard to the popular will of several Liberians, EFFL believes such move on the part of the CoP’s leadership is not only disrespectful but anti-peace, and that it has the propensity to send forth a message of undermining the country’s fragile peace.
The EFFL says there are some individuals with CoP’s leadership who think it’s because of their popularity that the Liberian people gathered on 7 June, noting that such individuals are of the mindset that without their involvement the protest would have been a failure – “hence, they see themselves as not being answerable to anyone, as regards issues of transparency, accountability and fair play.”
But the EFFL said it wants the word to go forth that it is absolutely no single individual’s popularity that made Liberians to come out in their droves on 7 June.
Rather, EFFL stated that as a matter of fact, the people assembled to register their dissatisfaction over bad governance and economic stagnation as a result of national leaders who are misfits and corrupt.
“The people assembled because they are being confronted with excruciating economic paralysis, wanton violation of our country’s organic law, the 1986 Constitution, the increase in injustices in the country and deliberate efforts being exerted by the power-that-be in frantically working under the cover of darkness and even at times in broad day light to silence critical voices in the country.”
“The people assembled on June 7th because media practitioners and institutions deemed critical of this retired footballer’s administration are being gagged by the regime of the day.”
“The people assembled because the government is infringing on the people’s freedom of speech and the freedom of the press, by jamming frequencies of radio stations, while denying others operation license, but at the same time issuing licenses and broadcast permits to other institutions that are government-friendly, and are prepared to dance to the rhyme of the autocratic drum-beats of a government headed by an emerging dictator in President George Manneh Weah.”
Additionally, EFFL said it has withdrawn its support from the CoP because it finds it inconceivably scaring, how the CoP leadership would have so cruelly omitted from the petition statement, issues concerning the matter of life and death of one of its founding members, Representative Yekeh Kolubah of Montserrado County District #10.
EFFL calls Rep Kolubah a man who has and continues to advocate for social justice, and has stood up to the Weah-led government in its wicked desire to entrench bad governance, to the point where he is a classic victim of witch-hunt by the very government he is a part of, but yet is standing up against.
“We find this not amusing and non-condonable at all, when some elements within the COP leadership, in their quest for naked popularity, would harbor the belief that flagging Representative Kolubah’s issues of Dictator George Weah’s politically motivated court case, following series of state-sponsored attacks, including police harassment and illegal search and barricade of Honorable Kolubah’s residence, would put him above them, and would therefore diminish the popularity that they are desperately seeking, as leverage to nurture their selfish political ambition.”
“What sheer selfishness and very evil machination and ungrateful backstabbing of a selfless man genuinely standing up for the good of the Liberian people.”
Moibah emphasized that it is for what it termed deceit and hypocrisy from men it says are in disguise as patriots but who are in reality schemers looking to take advantage of the people, that EFFL withdrew its support from the CoP.
The EFFL concluded by signing a caveat that its withdrawal from the CoP should in no way be construed as those it calls bad apples within the CoP being winners.
“We therefore call on them to stop, else, we will from this point on, continue to expose their shady dealings, and even place a dent in the way of their political ambition for the future,” Moibah said.
