PHOTO: Cllr. Gongloe
By Our Reporter
Prominent Liberian Lawyer, Cllr. Tiawan Gongloe has still not officially declared his intention to contest the 2023 presidential election, yet the “Team Gongloe” continues to step up their public mobilization.
“Not deterred by the rains and challenging roads, the gallant political movement – Team Gongloe – is on wheels. Its mission is to mobilize, rally and put in readiness more than two (2) million Liberians itchy to see their Country triumph and prosper, elect Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe as President of Liberia in 2023,” says a press release issued by the group this week.
Recently, Team Gongloe, which comprises some close associates of Cllr. Gongloe, was launched in Monrovia. But the respected Liberian Lawyer has not yet officially responded. Currently, Gongloe is President of the Liberian National Bar Association (LNBA), which is slated to go to election by November this year.
Neither he nor the group has said when the LNBA President will officially respond to the petition calling on him to contest the 2023 race.
Team Gongloe this week issued a press statement announcing a program to provide legal aid for people who can’t afford legal fees.
The Liberian lawyer served in the government of former President Ellen Johson Sirleaf first as Solicitor General of Liberia and later as Minister of Labour. But he resigned his cabinet post over a principal that the former Liberian leader took a decision to recall her entire cabinet shortly after compelling them to resign without Mrs. Sirleaf saying in public why.
“The Team petitions the Liberians to elect Tiawan as their President so that he transforms the Country by tightening the lose screws of public governance.
He will do so with an armor of incomparable attributes that place him at the head of queues of public servants – past and present. Simply put, Tiawan is a character of integrity, honesty, accountability and transparency. These he has demonstrated over the 33 years of his public service in human, political and democratic rights advocacy as well as in high-profile portfolios of Solicitor-General and Minister of Labor, respectively.
Reeling the Country with the crusade about the auspicious son, the fast-growing political movement only started in May and formally launched in July, 2021, stumbles on a variety of issues that partly pin Liberia down. Paramount of them is the problem of rule of law absence of which lends to arbitrary arrests, prolonged detentions and the harsh prison conditions inmates face. County-to-county, Team Gongloe notices it is the poor, needy or indigenes that mostly suffer the nips that stems from this problem in the Land.
During the weekend of August 27 to 28, Team Gongloe Chair, Cllr. Jimmy Saah Bombo came face-to-face with the problem when he assembled leaders of Grand Bassa County Union of Motorcyclists to tell them about the readiness of Cllr. Gongloe to lead and transform Liberia based on rule of law. According to him, the bike-riders’ leaders pledged the unflinching support of their collective particularly because as President of Liberia, Tiawan Saye Gongloe will ensure the law works for all.
Bombo intimated the union leaders cried for legal help so scores of their membership who are in jails across the County can have redress through the courts or some reprieve. He said they lamented that while the union does not condone indiscipline behaviors, it was disheartening its members languish in jails for minor or major offenses without speedy or trials. Knowing that knowledge is “power” nonetheless, Chair Bombo stated, the union administrators asked some mentoring be given them so they know their rights and those of others to help prevent them from coming in conflict with the law.
Vice Chair for Mobilization & Recruitment, Major Samukai and Youth Leader, Abednego Blay heard of the same problem during their rally of Bomi, Gbarpolu and Grand Cape Mount Counties, fortnight ago. Samukai hinted Western Region Motorcyclists Union President, Alexander Devine committing his membership to ensuring the attainment of the Team’s goal, said they wanted some legal awareness to keep them out of troubles that land them into jails without speedy or trials, at all,” Team Gongloe’s statement concluded.
###