MOVEE beats war drum
Opposition Movement for Economic Empowerment or MOVEE National Chairman Mr. Dee Maxwell Kemayah has sounded a war drum here that the October 10th elections will not be held if there are attempts to stop his party’s standard bearer, ex-governor Dr. Joseph Mills Jones from participating in the polls.
Mr. Kemayah’s threat came Monday, 6 March after Liberia’s Supreme Court ruled Friday, 3 March upholding a National Code of Conduct passed by the Legislature as being “legal and binding” for “all intents and purposes.”
The National Code of Conduct which surfaced from the Executive Branchin which Dr. Jones served for two terms as Central Bank Executive Governor before he retired, has strict instructions that “all officials appointed bythe president” shall not engage in political activities or quit theirappointed jobs two or three years prior to publicelections.
But Dr. Jones, whose position then as Executive Governor of the Central Bank,would have required him to resign three years before the date of elections, did not resign the post until his tenure ended.
However, following the Supreme Court’s decision, his party chair Mr.Kemayah called a press conference in Monrovia on Monday, 6 March at the party headquarters to warn that any attempt to stop his politicalleader from contesting the presidency in October, the Liberianpeople will not accept the decision.
Mr. Kemayah insisted that Dr. Jones will be on the ballot paper as apresidential candidate to contest in the October elections on groundsthat he has not violated, and will not violate any part of theConstitution of Liberia.
He called on officials and partisans of MOVEE to continue with theiractivities in their communities, districts and counties acrossLiberia.
“As a matter of fact, we want to let all of you our members,supporters and well- wishers know that this misinformation will notshake Dr. Jones and MOVEE. Dr. Jones is right now in the Southeasternpart of Liberia doing MOVEE’s work, where he is being well received,”he said.
After making threats against the elections, Mr. Kemayah later saidMOVEE believes in the conduct of peaceful, free, fair andtransparent elections.
He accused the media here of only spending time and effort to wronglydrawing Dr. Jones into the rulings of the Supreme Court when Dr. Joneshas not been involved with any case at the Supreme Court.
He also accused some unnamed politicians and their surrogates of allegedlytrying very hard to tie Dr. Jones into the Code of Conduct sinceits passage by the Legislature in 2014.
He concluded that the detractors were insinuating that the Political Leader and Standard Bearer of MOVEE will be stopped from contesting the Presidency in October.
By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor-Editing by Winston W. Parley
