Liberia History & Information

Here’s a little bit of history. It’s the text of original resolution declared in Baltimore in 2001:

Originating from the Annual Convention of the Political Action Committee of the United People’s Party, Convened in the City of Baltimore, State of Maryland, United States of America, on September 22, 2001

The Political Action Committee of the United People’s Party in the United States met in the State of Maryland for its annual convention on September 22, 2001, to review some of the most crucial political issues confronting both the committee and the party.

Prominent during the deliberations were the issues of merger between the United People’s Party (UPP) and the National Patriotic Party (NPP), reinvigorating the UPP to become more sensitive to the needs of Party executives, as well as the internal rift amongst members of the Party’s executive committee.

After critical analysis and review of the issues above, the convention of the Political Action Committee decided on the following conclusions constituting the resolutions of the convention:

Whereas, the United People’s Party, drawing from its traditional role as a grassroots organization committed to the proposition of being the organ for the defenseless majority in bringing their concerns to the fore of the Liberian political agenda;

Whereas, members of the United People’s Party have always advocated hard work as basis for political strength and that the Party must negotiate only from such position of strength;

Whereas, the issue of the proposed political merger with the NPP or any party for that matter was never a part of the mandate given to the Party’s executive committee at its last congress, which could form the foundation for the consideration of a merger;

Whereas, from all indications the promises and platform of the National Patriotic Party have been grossly violated, unfulfilled, misapplied, abrogated, and ostensibly contrary to the doctrine of the United People’s Party;

Whereas, the Party must refrain from any political undertaking contrary to the fundamental objectives of the UPP, which include, among other things, respect for the rule of law, financial accountability, transparency, security for all, protection of human rights and above all, the guarantee of freedom of speech, expression and assembly of all citizens;

Whereas, certain unscrupulous UPP partisans are nurturing an atmosphere of instability and public ridicule amongst members of the Party’s executives as evidenced by the recent public condemnation of UPP national chairman by the vice national chairman with the participation and approbation of the Party’s former chairman, Gabriel Baccus Matthews;

Whereas, any partisan of the UPP desirous to pursue a contrary political agenda from that of the UPP is at liberty to leave the UPP for other political institutions, and not to undermine the UPP from within to merge with the National Patriotic Party to preserve their current political portfolios at the expense of the Party’s future and the aspirations of its members; and

Whereas, in pursuance of its democratic tradition, the Political Action Committee elected a new corps of officers charged with the responsibility to steer the direction of the Committee for the next two years.

IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED:

1. That the Political Action Committee categorically reaffirms its unconditional support to and for the Wesley Johnson Administration and would knock on all doors, seek every assistance, oppose any foe, and persuade any individual to ensure the reelection of Wesley Momo Johnson and his corps of officers for a second term of office.   

2. That the Political Action Committee is strongly convinced that given the necessary political support and financial assistance, Wesley Johnson will deliver to UPP partisans their legitimate dividends for their work over the years without necessarily depending on a merger which will only benefit the minute minority within the United People’s Party.   

3. That pursuant to our institutional principles, which give every partisan the opportunity to make political choices, the Political Action Committee urges G. Baccus Matthews, Frederick Bass Golokeh, Blamo Nelson and their likes to exercise their constitutional liberties by declaring publicly their membership in the National Patriotic Party or any other political party, where they feel better able to make contributions “in the cause of the people” and not to nurture acrimony within UPP.   

4. That the Political Action Committee hereby rejects any attempt in any shape or form to merge with the NPP, given that the NPP has failed to deliver the political bacon which it promised the Liberian people during the 1997 general elections, but opted to inflict madness, anarchy, chaos, banditry and regional instability thereby making Liberia a pariah nation.   

5. That the Political Action Committee is calling on the UPP executive committee to explore every opportunity by invoking the component of the Party’s constitution, which empowers the Party’s executive committee to expel with immediacy any partisan guilty of usurping executive powers clearly assigned to executive party officials, as in the case with Gabriel Baccus Matthews and the Edmond Ponpon release.   

6. That the Political Action Committee has elected Dr. Marcus S. G. Dahn of Brookings, South Dakota as its new chairman; Rufus Darkortey of Cleveland, Ohio, vice chairman; J. Nagbe Sloh of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, secretary-general; and George Tobey of Bristol, Pennsylvania, treasurer. Done in Committee Room this 22nd day of September, A.D. 2001, City of Baltimore, State of Maryland, United States of America.  

Y. Wloti Hne, II
Convention Chairman,
Political Action Committee,
United People’s Party