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Monrovia – Amid what multiple observers are terming government’s staged hurdles being placed in the way of the hosting of the planned June 7th “Save The State” protest, which organizers say will be peaceful, the Economic Freedom Fighters of Liberia (EFFL), has announced that it will be a part of the pending protest action, but not without preconditions.
Announcing Wednesday, at its Du Port Road offices, EFFL’s position to be a part of the protest action, Commander-In-Chief Emmanuel Gonquoi, said following consultations with international organizations and stakeholders in Liberia, his group has officially endorsed the protest, rescinding a previous decision of the Central Revolutionary Council (CRC) of the EFFL, which had earlier said the group would not be a part of the pending protest.
CIC Gonquoi however, announced that EFFL will participate in the pending protest based on few conditions including not being a part of the “Save The State” protest to prematurely alter the country’s nascent democracy, stating “that we will do nothing to subvert the gains we have made in terms of maintaining the peace of our country, because doing so will only injure the very poor people that we are speaking for.”
“Therefore, the Economic Freedom Fighters of Liberia wishes to inform the general public and the international body that as of today, we will do everything in the trenches. We will do everything across Montserrado to raise the expected numbers to show to the world that Liberia is on the path of bad governance, and that there is a need for us to show to our friendly governments and international organizations that we are prepared to change the status quo,” CIC Gonquoi said.
He also stated as a matter of precondition, that the EFFL, though will be a part of the protesters, it would not work cooperatively with some forerunners of the June 7th protest action on the ground that they are corrupt.
Responding to a question from this writer as to whether he’s not bothered to associate with people with shady reputations, CIC Gonquoi, who named Bomi County Senator Sando Johnson, as one of those with ‘checkered character’ on the June 7th protest team, said though these individuals lack the credibility to talk about protest, but the EFFL will not compromise the general interest of Liberians on the basis of those he referred to as few criminal personalities.
Senator Johnson could not be reached immediately for response.
“For them it can be told that even [by] the fact that we have endorsed the protest, that we will be working assiduously to mobilize the people to turn out. They can be assured of our missile. We will turn some of our missiles to [on] them. Because few years ago, they were in government celebrating the looting of our state. They were in government when we criticized some of the decisions taken by [the] previous government, [and] they were calling us hooligans. How come today, that some of them are beginning now to talk about protest when in the past, protest was never accepted by them.” He said.
CIC Gonquoi continued: “So they can be assured that in as much that we are going to work together, in ensuring a massive turn out come June 7th, we will not hesitate to expose them and to take fundamental issues with them, and to criticize them for their previous history – they can be assured of that.”
Howbeit, the Weah-led government may not grant the protesters a permit they have earlier requested to stage the June 7th protest, as Justice Minister Cllr. Frank Musa Dean has written back to organizers of the protest informing them that without legal documents, they would not be allowed to go ahead with the “Save The State” protest.
Multiple observers have begun raising eyebrows over what they term government’s selective action over the legality of protest organizers, when, late last year, several Liberians staged a street protest under the banner “Bring Back Our Money.”
PUNCH Online Service is told by multiple sources that at the time, organizers of that “Bring Back Our Money” protest requested for permit and was granted same by the Ministry of Justice and state security were provided for the marchers.
There has not been any official response from organizers of the June 7th protest regarding government’s decision to halt their planned protest on legal grounds.
