Leaders of Solidarity and Trust for a New Day have told the Ministry of Justice they will attend a November 7 roundtable on security and logistics only if the current leadership of the Liberia Council of Churches is excluded.
In a letter dated November 5 and sent to Col. Wilson Boe Coordinator of Joint Security at the Ministry of Justice, STAND chairman Mulbah Morlu accepted the ministry’s invitation to coordinate ahead of the planned December 17 “Lead or Leave” protest — but made clear the group will not sit at the same table as the present LCC leadership.
“We remain open and willing to engage constructively with the Ministry of Justice and the Liberia National Police at any time and venue of your convenience, provided that our above-stated condition is duly respected,” Morlu wrote.
The letter said STAND welcomed the ministry’s prior acknowledgment that the July 17 protest was peaceful and orderly and stressed that the movement is committed to non violence.
STAND outlined three grievances with the LCC leadership: alleged failure to remain neutral after President Joseph Boakai publicly criticized the July 17 protest; a pattern of bias toward the government; and an erosion of credibility after the Council honored a public official whose elevation to the Speakership the group said was tainted by corruption and political manipulation.
“Given these realities, it would be both impractical and inconsistent with our values to sit at the same table with individuals whose moral and institutional objectivity are deeply compromised,” the letter states.
The ministry had invited protest organizers to a pre event coordination meeting intended to address security and logistical arrangements for the December demonstration, which STAND and its partners describe as a peaceful demand for accountability and governance reforms.
STAND also said it is acting in collaboration with the December 17 Protest Organizing Committee and the broader WE THE PEOPLE consortium.
The development raises the prospect of contested arrangements for security planning ahead of the mass action. Effective coordination between organizers, the Liberia National Police and security authorities is typically viewed by officials as key to averting violence and ensuring public safety at large demonstrations.
The Ministry of Justice and the Liberia Council of Churches had not publicly responded to STAND’s letter by press time. STAND requested that the ministry confirm acceptance of its condition as a precondition for attending the November 7 meeting.
