Renowned law professor and one of the four presidential candidates in just-ended Liberia National Bar Association (LNBA) election, Dr. Jallah A. Barbu, has congratulated Cllr. Sylvester Rennie for emerging as the winner of the election.
Dr. Barbu indicated, “I have extended congratulations to my colleague, Cllr. Rennie, for winning the election. As soon as we had the opportunity to enter the hall and receive the result, I walked up to Cllr. Rennie, gave him a very warm handshake and congratulated him.”
Speaking to journalists over the weekend, Cllr. Barbu said he told the LNBA president-elect that he is willing to do whatever to help his administration.
He said, “I am hoping that I will be able to provide some suggestions to the leadership of the bar based on my platform, and will cooperate with them in terms of their decisions. For example, if the LNBA has a convention, I will attend the event and pay my fees; if the bar has a piece of task to do and it requires me to do it, once I have the time I will do it. My own idea of the bar is ‘one bar’, and not a divided one.”
The law professor intoned that he ran on a platform of leading responsibly, serving proficiently and engaging holistically. “My platform was meant to lift the bar from where it is currently to a higher height. Nevertheless, if I have the opportunity to share some of my ideas with the new administration, based on their request, I will be glad to do so,” he said.
Commenting on the conduit of the election, he said it was competitive, highly contentious and comparable to political parties going for national elections.
Dr. Barbu, who came as runner-up in the highly contested LNBA election, said even though he lost the election, he was feeling normal and fine.
“The members of the Bar made their decision, and where I to win I would still be under obligation to honor the decision of the LNBA,” he stated.
Dr. Barbu said, “As I often said, we as lawyers are opinion leaders of the country; we are pacesetters of our democracy and, as a result, what we do will be emulated in the larger society.”
Cllr. Barbu recalled that, as President of Lafe Bar, he elevated the bar to a high height. “During my administration for the first time in the history of the bar, there was a creation of a modern office. I also served as Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Law Reform Commission and successfully implemented several projects under the watchful eyes of the international community,” Cllr. Barbu noted.
The law professor disclosed that he is willing to serve as the next president of the bar. “In 2024 I will contest again for the presidency. This is not my first time contesting for a position in the bar. l contested before and served diligently as Secretary General. Whatever went wrong I still believe in making myself available more in the LNBA, and that’s why I am going to contest come 2024,” Cllr. Barbu said.