PHOTO: Speaker Dr. Bhofal Chambers
Anthony Boakai – OPEN LETTER TO
Dr. Bhofal Chambers
C/o Department of Mass Communication
African Methodist Episcopal University (AMEU)
34 Camp Johnson Road
Monrovia, Liberia
June 30, 2022
Dr. Bhofal Chambers
Speaker of the House of Representatives
54th National Legislature
Capitol Building, Monrovia, Liberia
Dear Honorable Speaker:
Ref: Little Things That Matter
I convey my compliments to you and through you to the Chairman and members of House Committee on Elections and Inauguration for the form and manner in which this August Body, under your dynamic leadership is steering the affairs of the Liberian Nation.
As you may be aware Mr. Speaker, since the Liberian civil war that began in December 1989 and ended in August 2003, the Government and the good People of the United States of America (USA), through the US bilateral assistance to the government and the people of Liberia, has been pumping millions of U.S. dollars into diverse development and peace-building programs in Liberia such as strengthening democracy, good governance, maintenance of peace, civic- voters education in our post-conflict country for which the Liberian people are immensely thankful.
Permit me Mr. Speaker to re-state emphatically that respect for, and the firm adherence to the rule of law by both the government and people of the United States is the strong foundation of the greatness of that western country which is also a leader of democratic tenets so admired by nations worldwide including Liberia.
In part of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia, titled: ‘Making Democracy Work in Liberia’, a renowned American diplomat and Lawyer, William Wagner asserts that election is the power of the people guaranteed by Article 1 of the 1986 constitution, to select officials through secret ballots, to exercise this power on their behalf. The constitution, he continues, holds those elected to represent the people’s will accountable to the people and requires that they govern according to the law.
As you may also be are aware Mr. Speaker, the mid-term/special and regular elections through which the people have a real opportunity to choose their representatives freely are acknowledged to be the cornerstones of democracy (free, fair, transparent and credible elections, adherence to provisions of International Law and best practices, Inter-Parliamentary Union 1994, Guy S. Goodwin Gill, Foreword).
The Liberian government, on the other hand, is duty bound to conduct free, fair and transparent local and national elections that ensure that the authority to govern the state shall be based on the free and popular will of the Liberian people via the ballot box.
This brings us to the recent assertions of Mr. Mohammed Ali (Mo Ali), National Secretary General of the former ruling Unity Party (UP), who on March 30, 2022, alarmed in a letter to the Board of Commissioners of the National Elections Commission (NEC). Mr. Ali’s letter was formally addressed to NEC Chairperson, Madam Davidetta Browne Lansanah, highlighting claims bordering on the professional qualification and experience of one Alvin Teage Jalloh, who he said, is an Attorney-At-Law and current Head of NEC Legal Department. The UP secretary general further disclosed that Jalloh does not meet the criteria to hold such crucial position at the NEC.
Mo Ali cited page 90 of the printed version of the Elections Laws and Regulations of Liberia Sub-Chapter B: Legal Section Established Sec. 2.14 concerning Qualification as his reliance. He further called on the NEC to redeem herself by revisiting the undeserved appointment of Alvin Jalloh to said crucial position to the NEC. He stressed that the appointment of Jallaoh to the position is causing enormous embarrassment for the NEC.
Interestingly, a week later, NEC Boss, Madam Brown Lansanah, admitted on April 4th edition of the OK FM morning magazine, the ‘OK Morning Rush’ that instead of a Counselor-At-Law, Alvin Jalloh, an Attorney-At-Law, is coordinating the NEC’s Legal Department.
However, she did not confirm or dismiss Ali’s allegations against Jallah but insisted that Jalloh is coordinating the affairs of the NEC Legal department. This means Jalloh is working under her leadership at the NEC, a situation which, Ali and others strongly believe is a gross violation of the NEC elections laws quoted above.
Honorable Speaker, considering the need to ensure continuity of our nascent democracy, and in line with your oversight responsibilities as people’s deputies, I am calling on you Mr. Speaker and the Chairman of the House’s committee on Elections and Inauguration, Hon. Matthew Zarzar to cite the NEC Chairperson, Madam Browne Lansanah, for the purpose of asking her to give reasons, if any, as it relates to the criteria used by the NEC to hire the services of Attorney-At-Law, Alvin Teage Jalloh, to coordinate the affairs of the Legal Department of the NEC, for which he is said to be incapable to occupy.
As the country approaches the much-heralded 2023 general and presidential elections, Mr. Speaker, the need to safeguard the pending electoral process through the adherence to every provision of Elections laws and other constitutional provisions cannot be overemphasized.
Moreover, if the red-flag being raised by the UP, a major political party in Liberia about the alleged incompetence of Attorney Jalloh for said critical NEC portfolio is ignored or swept under the carpets, I am afraid, that we, as a nation, may run into unimaginable trouble sooner than later as the 2023 elections fast approach.
This is why I think that the chairperson of NEC, the head of the Liberia’s elections, and other members of the Board of Commissioners of NEC, should be judiciously protecting, defending and upholding elections laws instead of either breaching or bridging her reputation and that of the entire NEC into public disrepute.
In OK FM Clarence Jackson’s asked in words: “Madam Chairperson, what do you want to be remembered for? the right or wrong reasons, I preferred the former;. Little Things That Matter
It may also interest you to note Mr. Speaker that many keen observers are of the view that this is the NEC Boss second time taking what appears to be a unilateral decision at NEC that has the potential to create unnecessary political tension in the country.
If such practice is allowed to geminate, based on apparent ill-advised decisions, it may provoke other elections stakeholders, rival parties to engage in unnecessary skirmishes (God forbid), during which innocent women and children are always among the first casualties.
As a child rights advocate, I am very much concerned about the latest development at NEC. The first one, according to the August 17, 2020 edition of the Daily Observer Newspaper Editorial Caption: “Gloomier by the Day? Chairperson Lansanah is playing with fire and she Must Beware!” The Editorial highlighted the standup between Madam Browne and the NEC staffers’ suggestion to conduct 2020 ‘Stationery Voters Roll Update (VR) which she overruled and insisted that the VR Update be conducted by ‘Mobile Teams around the country.
I also pleaded with her in my open letter addressed to her to consider her staffers’ salient suggestion, as a means of ensuring that every eligible voter had the opportunity to have registered, which appeared in the Friday, September 4, 2020 edition of the New Dawn Newspaper and the Tuesday, September 8, 2020 edition of the Heritage Newspaper. But she defiantly ignored the concerns raised by the Daily Observer Newspaper Editorial and other cogent pieces of advice given by other well-meaning Liberians as she, in an apparent superior move, went ahead with the latter without any remorse of conscience.
In my candid opinion, this kind of situation is not healthy for a public figure like Madam Lansanah.
As head of Liberia’s electoral body, the NEC Chairperson, Mrs. Davidetta Browne Lansanah ought to carefully work with registered political parties, civil society and pro-democracy groups among others in conformity with election laws in order to avoid pre, during and post-election disputes in the country which might lead to catastrophic consequences.
In closing, I implore you Mr. Speaker and Hon. Zarzar to ensure that the NEC remains on the side of the law in the performance of its duties because this is indeed the right and appropriate thing to do in the best interest of the country. In the words of healthcare workers, “prevention is better than cure!” Little Things That Matter
Thank you Sir for your understanding, I look forward to hearing from you in not too distant future.
Truly yours,
Anthony L.M. Boakai, Sr.
Instructor
Department of Mass Communication
AME University
E-mail: boakaianthony60@gmail.com