PHOTO: US-based Liberian Journalist, Moses Sandy
New Castle, Delaware—A US based Liberian journalist, Moses D. Sandy says Montserrado County District # 10 Representative Yekeh Kolubah is an unfit lawmaker and he must be expelled from the Legislature.
Rep. Kolubah’s district-10 is situated in the Congo Town/Sinkor suburb of the Liberian capital, Monrovia and it has a population of over 57,000 people.
Rep. Yekeh Kolubah in one of the House sessions
Rep. Kolubah was initially elected in 2017. In 2023, he won re-election. He is a former child soldier. During the ended Liberian civil war, he was one of several young combatants that formed part of the defunct National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) fighting force. He is also, a former commander of the Special Operation Division (SOD) of the Liberia National Police (LNP).
In a press release issued on April 15, 2024, Journalist Sandy said despite Mr. Kolubah’s longevity in the House of Representatives, he continues to underperform and misrepresent district-10 in the national legislature because he doesn’t know the statutory roles and responsibilities of a Legislator; representation, lawmaking, and oversight. Mr. Sandy, is former National President of the Association of Liberian Journalists in the Americas (ALJA).
He said besides Mr. Kolubah’s gross incompetence, he has no leadership skills. He said since 2018 when Mr. Kolubah was inducted as a lawmaker, he has proven to be a mere distraction and an embarrassment to Liberia, especially the people of district-10 in the national legislature. The US based Liberian Journalist said the Representative always come across as a clown and emotionally unstable.
He said Rep. Kolubah is unpopular at home and abroad for always presenting himself as crude and uncouth. Mr. Sandy declared, “Rep. Kolubah is temperamental, unable to sit still, focus, and complete tasks.” He added, “The Lawmaker is a sociopath, who consistently shows no regard for right and wrong, and ignores the rights and feelings of others”.
Journalist Sandy stressed, “The district-10 Lawmaker takes pride in routinely spewing invectives at senior officials of government, including former President George Weah and President Joseph Boakai, and their respective families in the media. He is also known for insulting private citizens, journalists, and others who disagree with him on national issues”. A week ago, Rep. Kolubah at a news held in Monrovia, publicly insulted and belittled President Boakai, his wife, and children following a Facebook post in which the Lawmaker was seen in some photos with a teenage girl. Then he accused President Boakai and the first family of being the instigators of the taking and publication of the photos.
The media guru said besides using invectives against others, who disagree with him, Rep. Kolubah is also, known for weird and impulsive behaviors. He said the Lawmaker is also known for routinely disrupting legislative sessions in the House of Representatives and failing to adhere to the House’s dress code and rules that govern the behaviors of members of that august body.
Mr. Sandy noted that Rep. Kolubah’s cited actions and behaviors demonstrated over the years have brought the image and sanctity of the House of Representatives and the national legislature as a whole into public disrepute. The ALJA National President emeritus proposed that, “If the House of Representative is to regain its lost image, then it is imperative that members and leaders of that august body act swiftly by expelling the Lawmaker, who has become a law unto himself. Liberia is a country of laws but not of men. As a result, we can’t afford to have a lawmaker that has gained bad reputation for shaming the country and its national leaders”.
Mr. Sandy said his call for the removal of Rep Kolubah from the legislature is in keeping with Article 38 of the 1986 revised Liberian constitution which states, “Each House shall adopt its own rules of procedure, enforce order and with the concurrence of two-thirds of the entire membership, may expel a member for cause….” He said the election of anyone to public office to serve is a privilege but not a right or blanket license to repeatedly shame and bully perceived enemies including women with impunity.
He said even though Rep. Kolubah consistently insulted former President and some key officials of the Liberian government for the last six years with no punitive action taken against him, that doesn’t imply that Liberians, especially members of the House of Representatives should allow him to continue with such maladaptive behavior in the current administration.
Meanwhile, Journalist Sandy is calling on the Liberian media for the imposition of a media blackout on Rep. Kolubah for his repeated use of foul languages in the public space. He said the Liberian media should stop attending news conferences and public events organized by the district-10 Lawmaker because he is not refined in addressing personal and national issues. He said, “Rep Kolubah is an unpolished public speaker and he has no filter when speaking to journalists in the country. As a result, journalists should stop granting him news interviews and unrestricted access to the media”.
He said the role of the media is to educate, inform. entertain, and enhance peace and unity, but not to promote and enable uncouth behaviors such as those persistently exhibited by Rep. Kolubah. Adding, “The Liberian media should stop pampering an emotionally disturbed man, who is fixated on gaining undue public relevance”.