-But Assistant Supt. denies attempt to arrest the ANC local official
By Charles Gbayor,harlesmenlor@gmail.com
Harper, Liberia- Some citizens in the southeastern Maryland County are said to be planning a protest on June 12 (next Wednesday) against the failure to hold County Sitting for a protracted period.
The failure of Maryland County authorities to hold County Sitting for some three years has sparked contention and division. Locals have raised serious concerns and it has caused division in the ranks of local authorities as well as the County’s Legislative Caucus.
Assistant Superintendent for development, Mr. Robin Scott has refuted claims of making a sinister attempt to imprison Regional Coordinator of the opposition Alternative National Congress (ANC), Mr. Thomas Bedell.
The leader of the ANC and its defeated presidential candidate, Mr. Alexander Cummings hail from Maryland County.
Assistant Superintendent Scott terms the statement as being fake, false and childish, while indicating that it is meant to undermine his office and Assistance Development Superintendent Scott called on residents of Maryland to refrain from accusing government officials falsely.
The Aassistant Superintendent for Development, who recently acted as Superintendent, said he was instructed by a boss, Mr. George Prowd to hold a meeting with planners of the June 12 County Sitting protest, Head of civil society organizations, Youth groups of Maryland and Mr. Thomas Bedell.
Mr. Scott said the meeting was intended to find a way forward to handle the prevailing planned June 12 County sitting protest, which is being organized by a group under the banner, “Marylanders in progress for peace and reconciliation”. But he claimed that Mr. Bedell refused to enter his office to sit for the meeting.
The Development Superintendent however challenged the ANC Regional Coordinator, Mr. Bedell to provide evidence regarding his allegation, while stating that his meeting with Civil Society Actors, Community Based Organization, Youth groups and planners of the June 12 protest, which Mr. Bedell refused to attend. According to him the Maryland County official, that meeting was fruitful.
On May 29 2019, the opposition ANC Coordinator in the County, Mr. Thomas Bedell and social Justice Advocate posted a statement on his official Facebook page accusing Assistant Superintendent Scott of launching “terroristic attempt” to imprison him.
Mr. Scott is said to have used a family member of Bedell to trap him in the Development Superintendent’s office to find fault on him.
“I turned down his invite, did he stops there no! He orders the Liberia National Police Department in the County to launch a dragnet of arrest of Citizens on grounds that ( only he alone knows who)dispatched of fifty thousand United States Dollars to Maryland to be distributed to support the June 7 planned protest for that protest to be decentralized,” the Maryland County Assistant Superintendent said.
But the Police informed him that it has orders from the Liberian Government that all demonstration and demonstrators must be protected and not arrested, unless they commit an offense warranting arrest.
“In 2016, the Current Superintendent, Superintendent George A. Prowd and I suffered the same fate of political persecution in the hands of another Superintendent and was immediately relieved of his post as Lord Mayor and I was relieved of my post where I served my County and Country Pro bono.”
Mr. Scott was also accused of saying that Mr. Thomas Bedell got 50K United States Dollars from the organizers to invited and paid people to be a part of the Protest on June 7 of this year..
The ANC’s Regional Coordinator Southeastern counties said Assistant Superintendent Scott “was doing his best to tie me down into something sinister to have grounds to arrest me, I have prepared my mat, tooth brush and toothpaste ready and prepared to go to prison for being a social justice advocate in defense of all peoples be he a Liberian or not.”