Dr. Jones, party official fight for generator

Defeated opposition Movement for Economic Empowerment (MOVEE) presidential candidate Dr. Joseph Mills Jones, nicknamed “Poverty Doctor” by supporters is alleged to have entered into a serious standoff with a junior party official Jones James Roberts over a generator that allegedly resulted into fight between the latter and Dr. Jones’ securities.

The standoff involving Dr. Joseph Mills Jones and his MOVEE party Assistant National Secretary Jones James Roberts for party property is alleged to have ensued at MOVEE headquarters in Congo Town over the weekend.

The alleged fight over generator at MOVEE party headquarters is reported to have occurred when Dr. Jones ordered his guards to collect a generator from the party headquarters after alleged majority of partisans had pledged to support opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) in the runoff.

According to Roberts, he had called MOVEE Vice Chairman Dan Sayeh to inform him about the situation at party headquarters, and Sayeh allegedly gave instruction that he (Roberts) should not allow anyone to take anything from the party headquarters.

Roberts told journalists that his action to prevent the generator from leaving the compound triggered an attack on him by Dr. Jones’ securities.

According to the MOVEE official, Dr. Jones allegedly ordered his security to burst the generator house and take possession of a generator that powers the party headquarters, thus prompting the standoff between him and the first partisan.

“He came in with his security guards to collect the generator but I refused to allow them enter the power house. But while Dr. Jones and [I] were talking, the other security guard used rock to burst the lock on the generator house and he brought out the generator and attempted putting it in Dr. Jones’ car,” Roberts alleges.

He says he stood and prevented Dr. Jones’ securities from putting the generator in the car. In the process, Roberts alleges that he got wounded on his leg by the guards while tussling over the generator. He claims to have sustained pains in his back during the tussle over the generator with Dr. Jones and his securities.

Roberts says his decision to have prevented the security from taking away the machine was also based on instruction from the party’s Chair, Dee-Maxwell Kemaya. He notes that the generator does not belong to Dr. Jones, saying it was the party chairman Dee Maxwell Kemayan and his wife that bought and donated the machine to the party.

“He was not the one that bought the generator for the party, it was the party chairman and his wife that bought the machine and donated it to the party,” he claims.

Dr. Jones has refused to respond to the allegation levied against him by the party when he was contacted by this paper via mobile phone. he says he has better things to think about and he needs not to be bothered. Making official statement on behalf of the party, MOVEE Vice Chairman for Press and Propaganda, Mr. Robert Sammie says he is surprised to hear that Dr. Jones had gone to the party headquarters to collect the party’s property.

“There are procedures in getting things out of the party compound and there are people responsible for that, so it is disappointing to hear that Dr. Jones has gone to burglarize the headquarters of the party and take generator out,” he says.

There are claims of alleged internal wrangling between officials of MOVEE and their political leader Dr. Jones for a decision taken to pledge support to the CDC in the runoff election.

But Sammie denies that there is any internal wrangling within the party, saying if Dr. Jones had problem with the decision of party’s majority members, he would have made a public announcement expressing his disappointment.

“Everyone in the party was not pleased with the decision taken to go to the CDC, but we had no option because majority carry the day and we are in democratic era where decisions are made by majority,” he says. MOVEE obtained over 12-Thousand votes accounting for 0.8% of the total votes cast in the 10 October presidential polls.

By Ethel A. Tweh–Edited by Winston W. Parley