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Unprecedented
and Frivolous
Sunday,
December 16, 2007
By Tewroh-Wehtoe Sungbeh
When out-going President, Susan Yancy Williams of the Liberian
Association of Metropolitan Atlanta (LAMA), ran for
president the second time in 2005, after over a decade
of being out of office for the same job she lost
November 11, 2007, she ran as a unifier, and vowed to
work very hard to give life to a community association
that was on the brink of extinction.
She seemed genuine and
well-intentioned when she declared her candidacy for
the job nobody other than Sue Yancy Williams sought
that day, and was given the non-paying symbolic
position to play president by a desperate group
looking for a leader – anybody they thought would
bring their community association back to prominence.
A
dejected Sue Yancy Williams awaits election results in
November
The community went along with the ambitious
Sue Yancy Williams whose only opponent was Sue Yancy
Williams. Like the 1990s, Ms. Williams also ran
unopposed in 2007, except that capable and competent
Liberians at the time were unified in their
determination to work hands-on with the inexperienced
Sue Yancy Williams, who was also willing to work with
them as they constantly prepared her for her political
debut to lead an explosive Liberian Community
Association of Georgia (LCAG).
However, Susan Yancy Williams’ decision
to serve her community the second time when nobody
else wanted to serve at that crucial time in the
history of the 31-year old organization won her
respect, admiration and new members. Ms. Williams
energized a once sleepy community once a giant among
Liberian organizations in the United States. She made
believers out of Liberians when she told them (the way
she knew best) about the plight of their association
and her determination to bring the association back
to life. As a result, Liberians, who lived in the
community during the association’s good ol’ days
including community-minded new transplants began to
take renewed interest in their community and what Sue
Williams was saying.
However, just as Sue Yancy Williams was
able to win the hearts of Liberians by reminding them
of the problems in their community, she also was
self-flagellating and drove them away by her rudeness
and incompetence. As such, Sue Yancy Williams became
Sue Yancy Williams' own worse enemy in 2007, and did
not disappoint.
Even though she had a big heart and love
for her community association, Ms. Williams was
unprepared for the job, was combative, inarticulate,
aloof, often confused and didn’t know what was
happening during the community’s regular monthly
meetings. Her combative and often uncompromising
nature led to the resignation of her vice president,
secretary and treasurer, the latter would later
challenge her for the presidency.
As a result, Sue Yancy Williams, who was
never elected by the people in 2005, was rejected by
the people in 2007, during an actual election dubbed
one of the best ever in the community in terms of the
enthusiasm shown by the Liberian people, record
attendance, most admired, organization preparedness
and the awesome political skills shown by her
opponent, who came out to win and won by a knock out,
which he did decisively.
After her stunning defeat in
November, the ‘unifier’ became a divider and a
bitter and grumpy litigant whose bruised ego got the
best of her, as she went all out of her way and
retained a lawyer to reverse the electoral decision
made by the Liberian community. As expected, Attorney
at Law Kenneth W. Sheppard, P.C. immediately wrote
LAMA a letter dated December 7, 2007, citing
“Improper Election Procedures,” and even flexed
his “authoritative muscles” by demanding that
“at this time, it is imperative that LAMA
immediately schedule and conduct new elections for all
officers.” Go to Home Page (Advertisements and
Letters to the Editor) section of The Liberian
Dialogue to read her lawyer's letter to LAMA.
“Please be aware that in the event that
new and proper election are not scheduled to occur
within 14 days of the date of this letter, Susan Yancy
Williams will have no choice other than to consider
instituting legal proceedings seeking a court ordered
injunction for the above recited redress.”
As if the damage hasn’t been done
already, Mr. Sheppard went even further: “In
addition” he writes, Ms. Williams will at that time
have no choice other than to seek the full amount of
her damages along with her attorney’s fees, costs,
expenses, and exemplary/bad-faith damages if
available.”
Which
improper election procedure is this guy talking about?
Did Sue Yancy Williams tell her lawyer that her
husband, Abraham M. Williams served as Co-Chair of the
Constitution Committee, and fully participated in the
deliberations that were later accepted and approved by
the body or the general assembly during its monthly
meeting in October prior to the elections? Did Ms.
Williams tell her lawyer she was also the presiding
officer during those deliberations when the
constitution was finally approved?
Did
Susan Yancy Williams tell her lawyer that her husband,
Abraham M. Williams, together with Robert G. Garguah
served on the Constitution Committee, and with the
blessings of the community members present approved in
October the suspension of (Article 4, Section I) of
the constitution, which calls for “only members in
good standing – those who have paid their dues and
attended at least 50 percent of general meetings –
will be eligible to vote in elections and matter of
importance to the organization?”
Those
are exactly the electoral guidelines the organization
has operated from since 1976, when it was founded.
However, because of the severe decline in membership,
poor attendance, and the obvious lack of interest in
the community association, members agreed unanimously
during the October meeting to bypass that part of the
constitution that calls for 50 percent attendance and
50 percent dues, and approved the proposal for new
members to pay only $20 for registration and dues,
which qualifies those Liberians to vote. The body was
also unanimous in its approval to bypass the 5-year
residency clause and reduced it to 2 years to be
eligible to run for office, all of which was done
“in the spirit of inclusion, to recruit new members
and to bring old members back to the community,"
as a member of the Liberian Ministerial Association
wisely stated.
Had the eligibility requirements not
relaxed or changed from 5 years to 2 years, the many
Liberians that were present at the September and
October meetings, who registered to become members
(including some of Ms. Williams’ new officers), who
positioned themselves to run for office would not have
been eligible to vote in November.
Did Mr. Williams’ and his wife not
present when the so-called “Ineligible voters”
registered in droves that Sunday by paying their
hard-earned money, over $300 collected during the
October meeting that paved the way for them to vote in
November? Why didn't Mr. and Mrs. Williams object to
the many suggestions made in favor of relaxing the
electoral guidelines?
Not all. During the actual elections, Ms.
Williams’ husband, Abraham Williams didn’t just
stand by pitifully and helplessly, crying over the
fate of his poor wife who was being 'picked' on and
did nothing about it. He was fully engaged in the
process and represented his wife during the counting
of the votes before the Commissioners and before the
entire Liberian Community, and accepted the electoral
verdict after his wife lost the elections. From all
indications, it seems the former president also
accepted the community’s electoral decision that it
was time to change course and take LAMA into a new
direction.
This is frivolous and a classless act that
ought to be challenged and fought with every available
fiber in our bones, with no apologies and with every
available resource at our disposal to combat this
unprecedented assault on innocent people.
This is also nonsense and should be seen
for what it is. Susan Yancy Williams and her advisors
ought to be ashamed of themselves for their obvious
lack of class.
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