STATEMENT OF CONDEMNATION
OF ROBERT SAYON MORRIS’ ACTION
IN RE:THE ROBERT SAYON MORRIS AND DR. MARIAH SETON EPISODE

On Friday, March 27, 2009, Liberians and others around the globe, who frequent Liberian listservs, opened their e-mails to read a horror communication from Mr. Robert Sayon Morris entitled, "Response to ‘Dr.’ Mariah Seton’s Nonsense!" Needless to say, all decent men, especially Liberian men, hung their heads in shame at the very ugly nature of the language used by Mr. Morris against a prominent woman in the Liberian community, Dr. Mariah Seton. Even disregarding her prominence, no woman deserves the kind of insults that Mr. Morris heaped upon Dr. Seton. The Liberian Group, Ltd. strongly condemns this despicable conduct of Mr. Morris.

We, therefore, take this opportunity to sincerely apologize to Dr. Seton and to all our mothers, grandmothers, sisters, daughters and wives, wherever they may be, even those who have not been directly exposed to this ugly episode. Mr. Morris’ and his supporters’ defense of his shameful tirade is that he was provoked into it by a Daniel Woods. We, in fact, read what Mr. Woods wrote and do agree that his statements against Mr. Morris were equally slimy and unacceptable. What befuddles us, however, is that Mr. Morris, without submitting any evidence that proves Mr.

Woods is indeed Dr. Seton, miraculous transforms Woods into Seton. While we do not dispute that certain contributors to the various listservs do write under fake names or pseudonyms, it is a fact that there are several instances where people have wrongly concluded that certain e-mail addresses were fake, which they again incorrectly attributed to others who are innocent of the fraud. One such incidence occurred during the course of this very week. A writer wrongly assigned an e-mail address that belongs to a very prolific contributor to the various Liberian listservs to a prominent journalist who moderates his own listserv. That writer was naturally corrected by the journalist and Mr. Garnett Y.K. Gbamokollie, a member of the Liberian Group, Ltd., also bolstered the journalist’s clarification.

So, it is quite easy, in the absence of clear and convincing evidence, for anyone to err when accusing another person of being behind a "fake" e-mail name or address. That could very well be the case of Mr. Morris’ speculation that Daniel Woods is Dr. Mariah Seton. In any event, until someone submits evidence that Mr. Woods and Dr. Seton are one and the same, we maintain the position that they are two separate and distinct persons and neither should be held liable for the action of the other. Let us, however, give the benefit of the doubt to Mr. Morris and agree that Mr. Woods is indeed Dr. Seton. Does that justify his use of such horrible language against a female, no matter what the provocation may be? Besides, Mr. Morris is no ordinary citizen.

We have learned that he has held many top positions in the Government of the Republic of Liberia, including the position of Assistant Minister of Information at the Ministry of Information and Cultural Affairs. He is also the owner and operator of a popular electronic media called "Liberian Media & Advertising Services", whose services The Liberian Group, Ltd. often uses to publicize notices of "Liberia Speaks". One would expect that someone with such vast experience in leadership and management would exercise some restraint in the face of any type of provocation. It is, therefore, a great shame and disappointment that someone so prominent in the Liberian community would allow his emotions to spiral out of control and spew out such venom against a female.

There is absolutely no justification for such conduct in any corner of the civilized world. All men born of a woman – and show me a man who is not – ought to and, in fact, should strongly condemn Mr. Morris’ action. It is abominable! We also vigorously condemn Mr. Morris’ despicable inclusion of Dr. Seton’s children among the targets of his attack. To especially make mockery of Dr. Seton’s ailing daughter is disgusting. Mr. Morris, do you not have a heart? What did Dr. Seton’s daughter and son do to you to drag them into your vicious attack upon their mother? For Christ’s sake, Mr. Morris, you owe not only Dr. Seton a public apology, but all women in the universe.

Your action as a man is repulsive and reflects poorly upon all men, especially Liberian men. Do not be misled by the flimsy excuses made by a misguided few in your favor. Someone wrote, for instance, that "some Liberian Men and Women . . . will curse at each other They do it in public and at home." Another Morris defender classifies "‘daniel woods’ (Name not real, I [the writer quoted] will not capitalize it)" as "a nobody". We fail to grasp the logic behind such justifications for the kind of language used by Mr. Morris.

In the case of Mr. Morris’ first defender referred to in this paragraph, she implies that because some Liberian men and women have been cursed at by other Liberians, even in public, use of vulgarity against women should be the acceptable norm. Ridiculous! As for his latter supporter quoted immediately above, if he really believes that Daniel Woods is a fake and "a nobody," why then would he support Mr. Morris’ giving legitimacy to a "fake", "a nobody" and an obvious coward by responding to him, especially in such vulgar language? We can only conclude that this reasoning is the equivalent of the old saying that when a supposedly-wise man runs naked after a crazy person who has stolen his pants, he, the so-called wise person, appears just as stupid as the crazy one. Thus, Mr. Morris, who "is nothing close to that" (the negative thoughts that the writer presumes the public now harbors about Mr. Morris), should never have stooped to the disgraceful level shown by Mr. Daniel Woods. Any "friend" of Mr. Morris who advises him otherwise grossly deceives and betrays him.

Mr. Morris, please do not give credence to the misleading justifications that some of your so-called friends have provided for your action in this matter. There is no question whatsoever that your behavior is horrible and no amount of explanation justifies it. It is wrong and completely unrepresentative of someone of your stature. The stellar personal and professional reputation that you have built over the years could very well be at serious risk. You need to act immediately and positively in order to remedy the damage. You could begin this redemptive process now by sincerely apologizing publicly, not only to Dr. Mariah Seton, but also to all women, especially to all our Liberian women. It is the right thing – in fact, it is the only right thing – to do.

Nyenpan Tarpehdoe Margaret N. Kromah,
DDS PRESIDENT CHAIR, BOARD OF DIRECTORS

James F. Tambah S. Mohammed Kromah
TREASURER DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC POLICY


Garnett Y.K. Gbamokollie
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY