Brumskine fights back

The political leader of opposition Liberty Party or LP, Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine has launched an attack against ruling Unity Party or UP standard bearer Vice President Joseph N. Boakai and those he considers as surrogates.

Reading an 11 page document on Thursday, 16 March in Monrovia, Cllr. Brumskine claimed that while he was in the United States, he heard from surrogates of other presidential aspirants, including surrogates of Vice President Boakai alleging that the LP was being supported by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

Cllr. Brumskine says the LP has decided not to respond to such claims, knowing that it was designed to distract from the important issue of who is most prepared to lead Liberia.

But Cllr. Brumskine says he is constrained to respond to the accusation against his party on grounds that it has been reiterated by Vice President Boakai. He said in his statement that for the 2017/2018 fiscal year, the government has proposed to give the office of VP Boakai US$2,394,287; while for the current fiscal year 2016-2017, the government gave VP Boakai office US$2, 193759, and fiscal year 2015-2016, the government gave the VP office US$2,313,094.

He claims that VP Boakai allegedly received US$1,828,091 in 2014-2015, while Ebola was raging and killing people in Lofa; and that the VP has over the last three years received US$8,729,231.

Cllr. Brumskine further alleges that VP Boakai received nearly US$9 million from the 2014 fiscal budget, while the total spending on health institutions in Lofa for the same three year period was only US$3,406,881.

Cllr. Brumskine says claims that the LP was supported by President Sirleaf was totally false, adding that there was no iota of truth to the insinuation of the Vice President. The LP political leader has argued that President Sirleaf has not given his party any support in cash or kind, though he says it appears that the LP is better financed now than it was in 2011.

Cllr. Brumskine says the party’s support base has been broadened, making it to have a great leadership and a clear vision of how it intends to develop Liberia. LP has demanded Vice President Boakai to come out and tell Liberians where President Sirleaf is supposed to get the money from to finance his (Boakai’s).

The LP says it is watching to see whether the Government of Liberia will finance the UP’s presidential campaign. “We hope that is not your intention. This is a different election Mr. Vice President, this election is about the heart and soul of our country”, Cllr. Brumskine warned. He further warned those seeking political offices to stop trying to bring division to the country again, suggesting that the peace that the country enjoys today was kept by Liberians since 2003.
E.J. Nathaniel Daybor–Editing by Winston W. Parley