April 22, 2024
We, the Concerned Citizens of Grand Gedeh County in the Diaspora, are deeply disappointed by the confirmation of Mr. Alex Chersia Grant by the Liberian Senate as Superintendent of Grand Gedeh County. The confirmation and subsequent appointment of Mr. Grant is undoubtedly a contradiction of His Excellency President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s pledge to nominate and appoint men and women of integrity in his administration.
Mr. Grant was confirmed and subsequently appointed in spite the overwhelming and easily verifiable evidence provided to the President and the Liberian Senate documenting his lack of moral authority and integrity, perversive allegations in the County of his complicity in various dubious activities, and his polarizing history. Mr. Grant even confirmed his lack of integrity during his confirmation hearing when he denied, under oath, being expelled from the University of Liberia because of his fraudulent academic record, something which was common knowledge to many of the Senators who confirmed him. All of these should disqualify anyone from holding a leadership position in a serious democracy where track record and performance count for something. But in spite all of this the President’s letter appointing him actually said Mr. Grant was being appointed based on his “ability, integrity and wealth of experience.” A truly sad day not just for the people of Grand Gedeh County but also for the future of democracy and governance in Liberia.
We summarize below the efforts that we, Concerned Citizens of Grand Gedeh County in the Diaspora, and the Grand Gedeh County Elders in Monrovia, the Grand Gedeh County Traditional Council and many young Grand Gedeans in Monrovia and the County, made to advise the President, the Liberian Senate and other relevant government officials that Mr. Grant was the wrong choice to serve as Superintendent of Grand Gedeh County:
1. On Friday, February 23, 2024, we, Concerned Citizens of Grand Gedeh County residing in the Diaspora, sent a petition to his Excellency, the President of the Republic of Liberia, respectfully pleading with him to withdraw the nomination of Mr. Alex Chersia Grant as superintendent of Grand Gedeh County. That petition contained easily verifiable, objective and grave reasons why we thought (and still believe) that Mr. Grant was not suitable to be the County’s Superintendent.
When it became apparent the President was disinclined to give the petition a hearing, we communicated with the Liberian Senate requesting it not to confirm Mr. Grant. We provided the Senate with the same easily verifiable evidence which served as basis for our petition to the President. The information went to the Senate Pro Tempore, leader of the Senate; the Vice President, Jeremiah Kpan Koung; and each member of the Senate Committee on Internal Affairs, which is responsible for vetting local government officials for confirmation, including its chairman and Co-chairman Senators Prince Y. Johnson and Edwin Melvin Snowe, respectively. We also provided the information to the Internal Affairs Minister, Honorable Francis Nyumalin, and the Chairman of the Unity Party, Reverend Dr. Luther Tarpher. The petition was also published verbatim in the February 26, 2024, edition of the Daily Observer Newspaper.
2. On March 12, 2024, the Grand Gedeh County Elders Council in Monrovia, representing Grand Gedeh County Elders from the different sections of the County residing in Monrovia, held a press conference in Monrovia during which they echoed our sentiments and concerns, and again pleaded with the President to withdraw Mr. Grant’s nomination. The press conference was carried live on ELTV and we again provided the video of the telecast to the senate leadership, members of the Senate Committee on Internal Affairs, the Minister of Internal Affairs, and the Chairman of the Unity Party, in case they missed the telecast.
3. Again, on April 5, 2024, the Grand Gedeh County Traditional Elders Council, representing the traditional Elders of the different sections of the County, held a press conference in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County during which they pleaded again with the President to withdraw Mr. Grant’s nomination. The Elder from the Tchien Section summarized the position of the Elders when he said, “…We don’t want Chersia Grant today, tomorrow, and hereafter…” We again provided the video of that press conference to the Senate leadership, the Vice President, members of the Senate Committee on Internal Affairs, the Internal Affairs Minister, and the Chairman of the Unity Party.
In one of our communications to the Minister of Internal Affairs, himself an Elder from Lofa County, we reminded him of the place that Elders hold in the Liberian society; when they speak, the matter is settled. We told him, therefore, that to ignore the wishes of the Elders of Grand Gedeh County will not only be an insult to the county but also a violation of a long-held tradition. As the President’s point man to ensure the smooth running of local government, we were hopeful that he would convey this concern to the President, who himself is also a traditional Elder. As things have turned out, we realize that we were gravely mistaken.
We cannot decipher a rational explanation for Mr. Grant’s confirmation, in view of the overwhelming information provided to the President and the Liberian Senate, and the passionate pleas of the people of the County and their Elders. Grant’s track record, which is public information, clearly disqualifies him. Sadly, all this information and effort were simply ignored. While the President was given appointing powers by the Liberian constitution, the exercise of that power in a democracy requires that it be circumscribed by certain considerations, not just evidence of the appointee’s ability and loyalty but also evidence of his/her integrity and moral authority, and, in the case of a Superintendent, commitment to the welfare of the people he/she is to serve as expressed by their wishes.
We believe the President and the Liberian Senate rewarded bad behavior and blatant disregard for honesty and integrity. They may have just created a powder keg in Grand Gedeh County, and they must bear full responsibility if it explodes. But this issue is much bigger than the superintendency of Grand Gedeh County. The confirmation of Mr. Grant in the face of incontrovertible information about his unsuitability for the County’s leadership is a statement to the country that, as in time past, Liberia’s leaders, including the President, continue to decouple qualifications for leadership completely from everything that undergirds effective leadership, including moral authority, integrity, honesty, laudable performance history, and respect for the wishes of the people. Moreover, the decision confirms that Liberia’s historical governance model, which enables Liberian governing authority in Monrovia to simply impose its decisions upon the people of the hinterland, with complete disregard to their wishes and needs, is as much alive today as it was in yesteryears, all the rhetoric about a new Liberia notwithstanding.
We, the Concerned Grand Gedeh Citizens in the Diaspora, will not allow this practice that has been so detrimental to the wellbeing of our people, but also to all Liberians and our democracy, to continue to go unquestioned. We are, therefore, calling on Grand Gedeans everywhere and our Elders to join us in continuing to peacefully petition the Government to now replace Mr. Grant, for we believe that his track record disqualifies him to serve as Superintendent of Grand Gedeh County, his confirmation notwithstanding. His superintendency of Grand Gedeh County would be a powder keg waiting to explode.
We wish to thank Senator Thomas Yaya Nimely, Chairman of the Grand Gedeh County Legislative Caucus, and the other eight senators who voted against Mr. Grant’s confirmation. They demonstrated that one’s track record and history count for something in a democracy, and that is a good thing for Liberia’s fledgling democracy.
Signed:
William G. Nyanue
Chairman, Concerned Grand Gedeh Citizens in the Diaspora
