-But ALJA wants Tarplah Davies’ nomination withdrawn
-Rep. Acarious Gray says Tarplah has “no criminal record”
The Liberian Presidency has hit back at critics who say the man President George Weah nominated as Deputy Minister of Defense for operation, Tarplah Davies’ nomination should be revoked due to a threat he made to “kill” anti government protesters few days before the nomination was made.
Mr. Davies, who is said to be a former United States soldier, vowed in a recent video podcast on Faccebook to stand in defense of the Weah government in the face of any anti government protest, which he alleged is only intended to loot his and others’properties, destablize the country and remove the CDC government.
“The President feels that Mr. Davies is competent and is qualified with all of the credentials to serve in such position and if Liberians do not want Mr. David to serve in the position, it should go through the Liberian Senate. The president will not withdraw that nomination,” the Deputy Press Secretary Smith Toby said.
The Deputy Presidential Press Secretary told the Executive Mansion press corps on Tuesday, October 22, 2019 that Davis’ nomination will not be withdrawn and that he will be facing Senate confirmation, because he did his Facebook podcast in his private capacity before his presidential preferment.
Also coming in Defense of Tarplah Davis is Montserrado County District #8 Representative, Acarious Gray who is also top executive of the ruling CDC party, who has vowed in a Facebook post to “jealously” defend the Deputy Defense Minister designate who he claims has “no criminal record”.
Mr. Toby said the Liberian Presidency wondered why there was so much public outcry over Davis’ Social Media post, when there have been numerous other equally threatening posts by anti government elements, although he claimed the Executive Mansion was not justifying what the Deputy Defense Minister designate had said.
President Weah’s Deputy Spokesman said: “Liberians do not go after those individuals to question their loyalty or sincerity to the state, so when Mr. Davies spoke, he spoke on his podcast as a citizen who was not appointed in government. If Mr. David is appointed and his qualification be questioned, then Mr. Davies will have to rethink. We are hearing all of the outcries, but if this outcry was about his qualification or potential, then the President will have a second thought.”
Meanwhile, the Association of Liberian Journalist in the Americas (ALJA) is calling on President George Weah to withdraw the nomination of Mr. Tarplah Davies, alias, Zoely Zoe, as Deputy Minister for Operations at the Ministry of National Defense.
In a release issued on Tuesday, October 22, 2019, ALJA says the Liberian Military is a professional institution whose members are expected to perform their duties in a nonpartisan manner in accordance with democratic values and human rights.
The Association says while President Weah has the appointing power, those appointed to the Ministry of Defense should not espouse views that run contrary to the values of the military. ALJA argued that the appointment of people by the President to high ranking positions at various state security agencies like the Defense Ministry must be based on professionalism, but not their loyalty to the Presidency or the ruling party.
The Association further maintained Mr. Tarplah lacks the moral and the professional pedigrees required for the position of Deputy Minister for Operation at the Defense Ministry. ALJA says Mr. Tarplah’s recent social media posts calling for violence and death against Liberians make him unfit for the position to which he was appointed.
The Association quoting a recent Facebook post which has now gone viral said, the Deputy Defense Minister for Operation-designate simply referred to as Zoely Zoe, then threatened to kill would be participants of the December 30, 2019, street protest being planned by Liberia’s controversial talk show host, Henry Costa, against the government of President Weah.
ALJA says it finds Mr. Davis’ comments to be troubling and inimical to Liberia’s peace and stability. Also, the Association asserts Mr. Davis’s presence in the Military if confirmed could compromise that institution’s independence.
ALJA says it is hypocritical for the government to criticize the use of “inflammatory and hateful” messages by journalists and talk show hosts while rewarding supporters of the government who engage in similar rhetoric with high profile appointments in government.
Meanwhile, the Liberian based diaspora organization says that in withdrawing Mr. Davis’ nomination, President Weah would be sending a powerful message that his government is opposed to inflammatory rhetoric from all sides of the political spectrum.
ALJA notes the President’s move in rescinding the nomination would also deter others who use social media to spew hate messages that have the propensity of undermining Liberia’s peace and stability.
At the same time, the Association is urging the Liberian Senate to exercise its constitutional oversight by rejecting Mr. Davis’ nomination should President Weah decides to follow through on the appointment.
Recently, the Association warned against persistent and inflammatory rhetoric on either side of the political divide noting that they can often be counterproductive and create an unnecessary hostile environment. The organization stressed that freedom of speech comes along with social and ethical responsibilities.
ALJA is a conglomeration of current and retired Liberian journalists residing in the Americas. It is a 501c (3) non-profit organization. The Association was founded in 1998 with the objectives of fostering companionship amongst its members and their American counterparts. Additionally, ALJA is committed to advancing press freedom through media capacity building and the fostering of good governance in Liberia through media advocacy