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Post-election
fever grips Liberian Community
in New York City
Friday,
April 28, 2006
By
Tamba D. Aghailas
In
early April, the Liberian
Community Association of
Staten Island gave green
light to the two competing
parties, Liberians for
Action and Progress (LAP)
and Liberians United for
Transparency and
Accountability (LUTA), to
begin their respective
campaigns.
The
two-week long campaign was
intended to woo voters in
electing a new team to lead
the association for the next
two years. Staten Island is
a popular borough for
Liberians in the United
States. Park Hill alone
hosts more than four
thousand Liberians,
according to recent
estimates.
It
has been over a year since I
moved from the Borough of
Brooklyn to Staten Island,
located across the Hudson
River from Manhattan. My
decision was based on
economic reasons and a
desire to live in a
community where I could
interact with fellow
Liberians.
The
presidential election was
held on Saturday April 22,
2006. The incumbent, Billy
Curtis of LAP ran against
Jumah Brumskine of LUTA.
Eleven other candidates also
ran for a seat on the
seven-member Board of
Directors. It was a long day
for Liberians on Staten
Island and for those around
the United States who have
closely been following the
event.
[photo] Billy
Curtis [left] and James Weah
The
voting began around 10 a.m.
under the auspices of the
Election Commission headed
by Luciah Hineh. I did not
cast my vote in the morning
hours because of my hectic
college studies and
schedule. I had to attend a
Saturday session from 9a.m.
to 1p.m. When the class
ended, I literally stormed
out of the room down three
flights of stairs for the
nearby subway at Times
Square. Not even the pouring
rain could hold me for
another minute.
Meanwhile,
things heated up on Staten
Island. According to a
reliable source on Park
Hill, the presidential
contenders were seen on and
around the voting premises
convincing voters to vote
their party into
office.
I
came out of the subway
station and ran up two
flights of stairs headed for
the next boat, which was
scheduled at 3:30 p.m. As I
traveled on the Staten
Island Ferry, my interest in
monitoring the much talked
about election baffled me. I
couldn’t understand the
strange feelings. Somehow, I
felt I wanted to watch this
election, a parallel to the
just-ended November 2005
Liberian run-off elections.
I just wanted to be part of
the Liberian initiative.
The
vote counting began around
8:30 p.m. Mrs. Hineh, head
of the elections commission
explained to observes how
the counting was to be done.
Mr. Emmanuel Sengbeh who ran
for a seat on the board
objected to the process
citing irregularities. Rev.
Nyeaye of the Christ
Memorial Church intervened
when the room erupted into
confusion. Concerns were
addressed and the counting
kicked off.
Peter
Garlie and James Weah asked
that I represent them as an
observer during the counting
of the ballots. I was
thrilled and I closely
monitored the process with
great interest.
Two
piles of papers separating
the ballots for LUTA and LAP
were accumulated overtime,
as adrenaline increased
among representatives of the
two parties in the room and
those waiting in the
corridors of 160 Park Hill,
where the counting was
taking place.
I
watched men and women in a
room 7ft wide and 14ft long
being emotionally tortured.
At half way through, some
faces look depressed; the
adrenaline was back at its
lowest level. Dreams were
being shattered for those
who had high hopes for
change. For others, it was a
dream come true as their
candidate took the lead.
Chairlady
Hineh of the Election
Commission chanted “LUTA;
LAP, – LAP,” more than
three hundred times while
separating the ballots. At
one or several times, she
said “LAP” but placed
the ballot papers on
LUTA’s pile drawing
instant rebuttals from party
observers. When that
happened, she immediately
placed the respective
ballots on the pile of
LAP.
As
the ballot counting neared
its end, some LAP party
members whose candidates were
obviously in the lead were
joyful when their candidates
literally came back to life.
Madam Curtis, Chairlady of
LAP and wife of the
incumbent laughed nervously
as she shook hands with Mr.
Gbargaye, her husband's
running mate.
At
around 11p.m., Election
Commission Chairlady, Hineh
declared LAP as the winner
of the most contested
election in the Liberian
Community on Staten Island.
LAP won 67% (210), while
LUTA managed to garner 30%
(92). 3.5% (11) ballots were
invalid ballots. This is
considered a landslide in a
democracy.
Of
the 745 total registered
voters, 42% (313) were able
to cast their ballots.
Several voters were turned
away because they lacked
proper identification
documentation, a key
requirement to vote. Others
were not allowed to vote due
to their late arrival at the
voting site. The voting room
was closed by 8p.m.
Among
the eleven candidates who
contested seats for the
board, seven were elected.
they are:
Esther
Brown (209 votes), Rufus
Akoi (178), Josephine Tucker
(173), Florence Momolu
(170), Esther Sharpe (164),
Sarah Tuly (134), and Peter
Garlie (130)
James
Weah, Emmanuel Sengbeh,
Eunis Martin, and Rufus
Kerme failed in their bid.
LUTA’s representatives,
Mr. Sengbeh and Jacob staged
a protest and requested a
review of the ballots. Their
request was granted and the
two men rumbled through the
pile of ballots on the table
as the rest of the group
watched. When it all ended,
the people of Staten Island
had spoken.
When
he addressed the
representatives, Rev. Nyeaye
asked them if they are
“satisfied with the
process through which the
elections were held?”
Jacob for his part said,
“I reserve my comments
until I can meet with my
colleagues.” Visibly
frustrated over the results,
Mr. Sengbeh could not manage
a word. He has been a
strong advocate for change
and an outspoken board
member in the past.
Rev.
Nyeaye further stressed that
though there were initial
complains about the election
process, which he said was
resolved through the
Liberian Ministerial
Alliance, he prayed with
each party to accept the
results of the voters so as
to move the community
forward.
The
challenges were enormous,
especially in terms of
mobilization, some members
observed. Decker Lincoln, a
member of the community
noted that “all in all,
the process was worthwhile.
Asked if he will do this
again if asked. “Never,”
he remarked..
Meanwhile,
we learned through a
reliable source that LUTA is
planning to challenge the
election results. Mrs.
Brumskine, LUTA’s
presidential candidate
couldn’t be reached for
comments. Stay tuned!
Tamba
D. Aghailas is
a freelance writer and human
rights activist. His
articles have been
published on several
online newspapers,
including TheLiberianTimes.
He can be reached at aghailas@yahoo.com
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