By Our Reporter
Just hours leading up the planned leadership election of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) uncertainty continues to hang over whether polling will actually take place in the central city of Gbarnga, Bong County today, Saturday, November 19, 2022.
One report on Friday even said that petition for a writ of injunction on the elective Congress was being filed by one of the presidential candidates, Julius Kanubah and his team to be served on the PUL President Charles Coffey by a court sheriff.
On the eve of the schedule election, which was planned to have concluding the PUL’s 2022 Congress, a prominent Liberian Journalist and former executive of the Union, Mr. Jonathan Paye-Layleh made a passionate plea for reason to prevail by suggesting that the election aspect be put “on hold”, until controversy over the cleaning of the voters roll is amicable resolved.
Journalists Paye-Layleh, a veteran BBC and Associated Press (AP) Liberia Correspondent at the weekend syndicated an open letter to the PUL authorities and the entire membership of the Journalists Union, which was established in 1964.
SEE BELOW:
“MY ADVICE TO PUL LEADERS AND MEMBERS ABOUT PLANNED ELECTIONS
Dear Colleagues
As one of the longest-serving members and an ex-executive of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), I am troubled by the ongoing election-related controversy in the Union as it goes to the poll, and therefore wish to, through this medium, call for some intervention and understanding that will get the matter amicable resolved in the interest of the oneness that has kept the body together over the years.
After doing some extensive consultations with the leadership of the Union, those tasked to conduct this year’s congress and the party that has issues with the process, I hereby appeal to the membership to place the electoral aspect of the congress ON HOLD until the concerns that have brought out the controversy are looked into, addressed and a final decision made.
Other aspects of the convention, including the report from the outgoing president, can go ahead and then a team of seasoned journalists (who necessarily do not hold positions in the Union or its auxiliaries) be set up to work with the outgoing president of the Union to expeditiously investigate the voter roll concerns the other party has, come out with a finding and then recommend to the national membership when the elections should be held.
This, in my opinion, is possible before the end of December 2022.
I would have given this advice long ago if I had been invited as a PUL stakeholder in finding a way around the controversy growing out of the concerns a party to the ongoing convention has.
Besides, I had wanted the appointed committee to which those concerns were directed to be given a chance to do their work void of interference.
But with elections set to happen on Saturday, November 19, and indications that the issues have not yet been fully resolved, I have to now make those points.
I have this morning spoken with the PUL President, the Convention Committee Chairperson and a representative of the aggrieved party, letting them know my position.
The Press Union of Liberia, as a leading civil society actor in the advocacy of fairness and transparency, should continue to be clearly and unambiguously exemplary and conduct itself in ways that it would have grounds to have positions in the event similar situations occur in future national and legislative elections.
We need to be seen as having our house in order, holding together and doing the right things to have reasons to speak out when things are going wrong in the greater society.
It’s costly organizing those conventions, and suspending certain aspects so abruptly hurts; but it is even more costly and hurtful if one process leaves us a divided union.
So,I suggest we give whichever side that has an issue the benefit of the doubt by looking into whatever concerns they have so that at the end of the day, we are convinced the right thing has been done.
Let me close by asking the party that is aggrieved to engage the outgoing president of the Union and the convention committee for discussions around those issues.”