Montsarrado County District Number 8 Representative, Acarous Moses Gray caused havoc in Central Monrovia Yesterday, when he led thugs on the main campus of the University of Liberia to “face up to campus-based student political party-Student Unification Party (SUP).
The ruling party ideologue’s motivation was to allegedly stop SUP’s activists who have been naming and shaming suspected corrupt public officials in the ruling CDC Government.
SUP has been booing and embarrassing the officials who have been named in corruption practices and stopping them from using the sanctity of the university.
Though the SUP victims have not been found guilty in a court of law, the students believed the procrastination by the CDC government to prosecute or punish the accused prompted their actions.
SUP says the University of Liberia which is considered the light in the darkness in the country, should be a no-go area for suspected corrupt officials.
A few weeks ago, an aide to the Minister of Finance was booed and shamed by the students. Aloysius Howe is linked to several cases of corruption in the country.
Last month, former Solicitor General Sayma Cephus was jeered and disgraced by the students. Cephus is among three government officials sanctioned by the U.S. government for corruption and was forced to resign.
Representative Acarous Gray’s action yesterday to lead thugs on the University campus was his own remedy to stop SUPists from attacking government officials on a mere allegation of corruption, said one of his supporters.
He and his supporters of gangsters and some party supporters trekked from his home on 9th Street to the University’s main campus, blocking traffic and causing chaos.
As he was moving with his troops to meet the SUPists on the University campus, people ran for safety, while others ran to various school campuses to collect their children; market kiosks were shut in some areas as the young Liberian lawmaker led his troop to battle in the university campus.
As he was marching, his supporters called him “the General”; while opposing SUP loyalists awaited him on the campus. There was pandemonium-students, professors and other visitors ran in different directions.
Gray had said he was going on the campus to dine with his supporters. But what did he gain by what he did yesterday? His disruptive action prompted university authorities to shut down regular academic activities. There were no entertainment businesses on the campus as well, all that was obtained was chaos and injuries to innocent people.
On his Facebook page today, Representative Gray wrote: “Good that my visit at the University of Liberia has sparked a national conversation and this could bring an end to years of chaos.”
But is this a realistic analysis of the chaos he caused yesterday? One SUPists told Smart News today, “it is only a stupid general that declares war he knows he cannot win.”
He said the Lawmaker has started a war in support of corrupt public officials, but SUP will end it by extending its campaign of naming and shaming corrupt officials to the communities”.
The student who begged not to be named said “This is a fight between good and evil and nothing will deter them from crushing public thieves”.
The students stated that by his action, the Liberian lawmaker had bastardized the roles of lawmakers in the country.
