The main opposition, Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) is alarmed by the fire incident at the Capitol and calls on the Government to conduct a speedy and impartial investigation.
CDC strongly condemns attempts by the Government to falsely accuse individuals of complicity in the fire incident when no serious investigation has yet been conducted.
In this vein the party thus rejects and condemns a rushed arrest order issued against Montserrado District nine Representative Frank Saah Foko in deviously alleged connection with the tire incident.
Such baseless arrest order can only be termed a politically motivated witch-hunt to cover up apparent involvement or complicity by elements within the Government.
“This feigned rush to arrest Representative Foko is an indication that the Government believes the incident was an act of arson.
How the Government has reached this conclusion is unknown, since the Minister of Justice just granted an interview today that the Government would launch an investigation.
It would seem between the timing of the Minister’s interview at the Capitol and his arrival at his office, the Government determined that the fire was caused by arson, and it imagined Rep Foko a person of interest,” the party said in a statement release last night.
The truth is that the government understands fully that the public is aware that the Capitol premises have been adequately manned by the Liberia National Police and other security institutions, with the LNP in the last several days, even flogging CDC lawmakers at the very premises.
The reality is that Government is now embarrassed that the public may hold it responsible for the arson given this overwhelming security presence, and as such has now resorted to the framing, and scapegoating of political opponents.
It is important to note that in the last 48 to 72 hours, security at the Capitol had been heightened, owing to the announcement of the Citizens’ Peaceful March on the Capitol, scheduled for
December 17, 2024.
Amid the bloody and violent suppression of the peaceful march, security vigilance was reportedly even more intense over and above recent LNP security routines at the premises. Any breach of this massive security dragnet and cordon would have been virtually impossible without LNP or other national security outfits knowing about such a breach.
Publicly dogged by this inescapable reality, the Government has now been shamed into framing patriotic and law-abiding citizens who have absolutely no motive or reason to commit arson.
“We are also aware that with pressure mounting on the Government from them international community on the flagrant disregard and disrespect for the Supreme Court opinion in the current legislative impasse, Unity Party desperadoes are capable of concocting devious and diabolical schemes to deflect public pressure from their egregious rule of law violations,”.
With such clear motive and amid heightened security, a serious investigation is now publicly demanded to establish the honest truth and facts in this matter.
As a matter of fact, the CDC calls on the international community to provide technical support in this investigation. No amount of scapegoating or accustomed witch-hunting of political opponents will succeed.
The CDC reassures Liberians and our international partners of our full and unconditional faith in the pursuit of life, liberty, and constitutional rule, and calls upon all Liberians to remain law-abiding in the exercise of fundamental democratic rights to free speech, peaceful assembly, and peaceful public protest.
These rights shall not be allowed to perish under the lawlessness we are now experiencing and witnessing under the Unity Party.
