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On
plan to appoint Madam Mary Broh as Mayor of the City
of Monrovia
Monday,
August 13, 2007
By
Mulbah K. Morlu, Jr,
Ladies
and gentlemen;
We congratulate the
Liberian people, the international community and the
various United Nations’ systems for the appreciable
successes made in the direction of the total
democratization of Liberia, a necessary component
required to move us away from the painful past in
pursuit of a lasting culture of peace.
In this regard, we believe
the 2005 ‘general and presidential elections’, was
a critical factor, which successful holding bears
testimony to the prevalence of relative peace and
stability in our country today.
In furtherance, we are of
the conviction that the Liberian people and the
international community, understand that that ‘general
and presidential elections’ cannot be a complete
success story except a defined democratic mechanism is
put in place for the holding of a free, fair and
transparent municipal and chieftaincy elections as
called for by law.
We also believe the
constitutionality of these elections as stated supra,
was a major energy source leading to the holding of
the October, 2006 Buchanan Forum themed the
“Consultative Roundtable Conference on the Holding
of Chieftaincy and Municipal Elections…”
It is our view that these
(2 days) Buchanan Forums on “Municipal and
Chieftaincy Elections” and their subsequent
resolutions reached, offer the best practical road map
for the holding of elections. Most interestingly,
that a Special Joint Stakeholder Collaborative
Committee (SJSCC)) was set up to delimitate and
demarcate intra controversial chiefdoms and
municipalities, deserves profound commendations.
And that said committee is
now holding consultative meetings with local chiefs
and opinion leaders with intent to correcting any
technical or legal deficiency in the legal statues of
chiefdoms/municipalities is a well injected dose which
is sure to revive the arteries of our nurturing
democracy.
Interestingly, having
carefully investigated political details emanating
from the office of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, we
have solid grounds to believe that there are plans to
have Madam Mary Broh, Director of Passports at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, appointed as Mayor of
Monrovia.
This alleged strategy,
if instituted, will not only violate “count one”
of the Buchanan Resolution which concludes that
“…those currently holding chieftaincy and
municipal positions must remain in office until their
successors are duly elected and inducted into
office…”, but equally runs diametrical to the
Constitution of the Republic of Liberia, which makes
it clear that the appointing power of the president
does not extend to positions which, by law, are
subject to elections.
Besides, though Madam Broh,
a very close friend of President Sirleaf, enjoys presidential
favors, it is unfathomable that her appointment as
Mayor will be contemplated in view of the fact that,
amongst other things, her chaired Broad Street Road
Beautification project operated in sharp contrast to
the policies of the then-Contract and Monopoly
Commission.
Finally, we wish to sound
an early warning that any plan to appoint Madam Mary
Broh, or any other person as Mayor of the Municipality
of Monrovia will be unconstitutional, thereby
undermining the timely holding of planned elections.
Consequently, we will vehemently oppose such political
tactics and call on the designers to disengage and
lend their support to the timely holding of municipal
and chieftaincy elections as called for by the
constitution of the Republic.
Mulbah Morlu
Jr., is Chairman, Alliance of Rights Group for the
promotion of Peace and Democracy in Liberia. He can be reached at godsprince2001@yahoo.com.
Cell: 00231-6626209. He resides in Monrovia and
Accra.
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