A prodemocracy group, Liberians for Democratic Advancement (LIDA), has described as false, misleading and baseless statements emanating from the campus-based Student Unification Party (SUP) that the President Pro-Tempore of the Liberian Senate, Albert Tugbe Chie, threatened and rained profanity at legislative staffers during their latest protest over salary cut. Recently, the Student Unification Party, in a press release alleged that “Pro Temp Chie threatened to flog, drag and if possible kill any staffer within the confines of the Capitol Building who will react in the tone of protest”.
But speaking in a counter-press release, the Liberians for Democratic Advancement, through its spokesperson, Jeremiah Paye, said it views SUP’s allegation against Senate Pro Temp Albert Chie as a concocted political tale and fabricated account being narrated, with the intent of muddling his laudable achievements. They further rendered SUP’s statement as an “unwarranted characterization of the President Pro-Tempore in a damming fashion, which has the proclivity to sow seeds of discord between him and staffers of the Liberian Senate”.
LIDA, in categorical terms, wondered why current leaders of the Student Unification Party would tend to delve into gravely maligning the creditable character of a statesman in Senate Pro Temp, Albert Tugbe Chie, when there are mounting clouds of lack of credibility, integrity and morality that have engulfed the vanguard party that needs redress. “It is unfortunate and ill-fated that the much revered voice of the masses in the Student Unification Party is fast becoming a surrogate of certain selfish ad greedy politicians, who are bent on attaining national leadership at its expense. It is mindboggling and greatly inconceivable for Pro Temp Chie to be unconcerned about the staffers’ and at the same dialogue with them,” LIDA said in a press release.
Political activist Jeremiah Paye stated, “Report from a specialized committee set up by Pro Tempore Chie to probe cuts of the Liberian dollars component of legislative staffers’ salaries shows that the cut was not sanctioned by him. Despite that, Pro Tempore Chie has made tremendous interventions in the staffers’ plight, evident by a series of meetings he had held with them aimed at ensuring that they receive the Liberian dollar component of their salaries. Pro Tempore Albert Tugbe Chie has demonstrated intelligence, respect for all and established cordial working relationship with his colleagues and staffers of the Senate; as such, he wouldn’t ‘stood low’ in engaging into war of words with legislative staffers, lest threatening to flog, drag or kill a staffer, as alleged by the Student Unification Party.”
Meanwhile, Paye concluded that, while Liberians for Democratic Advancement will not countenance any act that tends to deny any Liberian citizen his just benefits, “we will not also support the manufacturing of stories intended to mutilate the character of national leaders, like Pro Tempore Albert Tugbe Chie. Therefore, we call on the Student Unification Party to immediately abandon its act of character assassination against Pro Temp Chie.”