War of Words- Calling It A Quit Now

What appears to be a war of words is ongoing between Senator Y. Johnson of Nimba County and former Chairman James Fromoyan of the National Elections Commission. The current row is the result of a so-called confession made by Sen. Johnson regarding what some are now considering, an electoral fraud in the Nimba Legislative election in October 2011.

At the core of the Senator’s so-called confession are Representatives Garrison Yealu, Samuel Korgai and Worleah Dunah in favor of whom results were allegedly manipulated against their competitors in the Nimba Legislative election in 2011. PYJ, as he’s popularly referred to, claimed that the results, manipulated by the Fromayan-led National Elections Commission in favor of his partisans and kinsmen, were influenced by him, through President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s instrumentality.

But in reaction to the Senator’s claims, former Chairman Fromayan denied ever receiving instructions from President Sirleaf or any other government officials in any manner and form while heading the Commission, rubbishing him as belonging to a “psychiatric home and not the Liberian Senate, which is meant for sound-minded people”.

“It is a pity that such a character could be elected to public office; as time goes on, Prince Y. Johnson’s mental instability will continue to manifest itself,” the former NEC Chairman noted. But in a counter-attack on Wednesday, the Nimba County Senior senator said Fromayan should be the one seeking help from psychiatrists, because, according to him, Fromayan knew the Senate was for sound-minded people, yet still he went ahead to certify and qualified him to contest the senatorial seat in Nimba County, which he won.

“He and I, who needs to go to psychiatric home?  Since he knew that I was crazy, and he certified me to contest as senator, I won my seat. He (Fromayan) also cleared me again to contest as a presidential candidate and I came 3rd among 16 political parties in Liberia. Why didn’t he tell Liberians at the time that this man is crazy and needs to go to psychiatric home.”

Senator Johnson’s so-called confession also received harsh reactions from the representative to whom he made reference, as well as the opposition Congress for Democratic Change. PYJ may have gone ‘over-board’ in terms of  the timeliness and  unrefined nature of his expressions, regarding his so-called confession, which some may believe, but such behavior may not have also warranted the emotionally-charge reaction and reference made by former NEC chairman James M. Fromoyan.

A simple clarification negating the Senator’s claims would have better done him the justice he (Fromoyan) needed, but not the emotional route he chose- route that has given some a different impression about a man about whom they had another (positive) view.

With such inflated emotions publicly exercised by the former elections commission Chairman and the Senator’s counter-reaction, the situation may just degenerate further into an unfortunate situation to include the worst that should not be within public domain. Such may also result to the issue of the integrity/credibility of not only both Fromoyan and Johnson, but also the Executive Mansion and National Elections Commission about whom the Congress for Democratic Change and a few others are already apprehensive.

Therefore, if there should be any way forward by those aggrieved by PYJ’s so-called confession in Nimba County- whether legal or intellectual, other than what’s happening now, that path should be chosen to save the face of our country.