By Olando Testimony Zeongar
MONROVIA – A former member of the Legislature, Ambassador Rufus Neufville, has accused President George Weah of violating the Liberian constitution, over his recent dismissal action against Cllr. Cooper W. Kruah, as Minister of Post and Telecommunications.
The Executive Mansion announced Monday that President Weah had fired his Minister of Post and Telecommunications and replaced him with Nimba County former lawmaker in the House of Representatives, Atty. Worlea-Saywah Dunah.
But, Neufville is of the belief that if the President’s action was necessitated by reports that Kruah attended a function organized by the main opposition Unity Party, then according to the former lawmaker, the Liberian leader is in violation of Article 18 of the Liberian constitution.
According to reports, ruling party influential lawmaker, Montserrado County District #8 Representative Acarous Moses Gray and some unidentified members of the CDC, demanded Kruah’s dismissal after it was established that he attended the UP’s vice presidential running-mate pronouncement ceremony last weekend.
Following the UP ceremony, Rep Gray took to Facebook, among others, calling Kruah names and labeling him a traitor and a dangerous sellout, who he said should have no room in the Weah-led government.
Howbeit, Neufville opined that by Rep Gray allegedly leading a team of CDCians and putting President Weah under pressure to have with immediate effect, dismissed Cllr. Kruah from the position of Minister of Post and Telecommunications, is very disingenuous and evil.
He argued that the dismissed minister is protected under Article 18 of the Liberian constitution, to affiliate with any political party of his choice in the country, while at the same time enjoying employment opportunities.
According to the 1986 Constitution of Liberia, “All Liberian citizens shall have equal opportunity for work and employment regardless of sex, creed, religion, ethnic background, place of origin or political affiliation, and all shall be entitled to equal pay for equal work”
Neufville pointing out that while under Article 56 of the 1986 Constitution, the President has the right to dismiss at pleasure, further argued that when the reason for such dismissal action is based on somebody not being in the ruling party, then such decision for dismissal can be challenged on constitutional grounds, because according to him it undermines Article 18, which gives all Liberians the right to participate in the democracy of the country.
However, he inferred that the violation of the Constitution is one of President Weah’s biggest problems, indicating that should the Liberian leader, who is seeking reelection fail to win the 10 October presidential election, he intends to later meet with him and tell him the reason for him not being reelected is because as president, he had a small circle of bad advisers, who Neufville described as a greedy few, who according to him, are people who see President Weah as an opportunity to enrich themselves and so are bent on ill-advising the Liberian chief executive.
He recalled that during the regime of former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, scores of opposition figures, including George Weah, then leader of the main opposition political party, the CDC; as well as stalwarts of the CDC, such as Nathaniel McGill and current Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah, were all appointed to government jobs by Madam Sirleaf, while still carrying out their party’s duties, neither being harassed nor dismissed.
“George Weah himself was appointed by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf while he was a leader of a major opposition party in this country – the CDC, as Peace Ambassador. Nathaniel McGill was appointed by Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf as Assistant Minister at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Samuel Tweah was appointed by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, as a Special Financial Analyst assigned with Minister Amara Konneh at the Ministry of Finance. I can go on and name a long list,” said Neuville, who stated that even casket-toting members of the opposition bloc were appointed into the Sirleaf-led government.
He asserted that Under Article 5 of the Liberian constitution, the President is supposed to engender national unity, reconciliation and oneness, adding, “once you become president, you are papa now for everybody, regardless of the political party.”
He then lamented that with the likes of Rep Gray and few others whose names he did not disclosed, being in the ears of President Weah, such decision as to dismiss a government employee unconstitutionally would be prevalent.
“I am disappointed in President Weah that he will allow these immature guys to carry him up and down the pendulum – why do you want to dismiss Cooper Kruah,” Neufville wondered, indicating, “I want to tell the Liberian people today that if the CDC was a warring faction and Acarous Gray was the rebel commander on the Po River Bridge, that river would have been filled with the skulls of thousands of Liberians.”
“Cooper Kruah did nothing wrong by going to the JNB program,” said Neufville, who added that it was important to state that, informing President Weah that if he wanted to have dismissed Kruah because of Article 56; that he worked at the President’s pleasure, that’s fine – “but, if you have a requirement or a policy to dismiss people because they are not from your party, then the President is in flagrant violation of the organic law of the State.”
Meanwhile, Neufville is calling on members of the 54th Legislature to take seriously the latest alleged breach of the Constitution by President Weah, regarding the dismissal of Post and Telecommunications Minister Kruah.
He intoned that such breach is an impeachable offense that the lawmakers must not take lightly – he made these assertions recently, when he appeared as guest panelist on the widely followed Spoon Talk simulcasts on several radio and television stations owned and operated by the Spoon Network.
