BIG DIVISION TO UNDERMINE NEW OLM BOARD?

Enter content here

BIG DIVISION TO UNDERMINE NEW OLM BOARD?
By PN Reporter
Ramsey, MN/ What should have been a traditionally smooth election

left the newly-elected Board of Directors of OLM deeply divided. Confirmed reports indicate that true partisanship took over the interest of an already polarized Liberian community in Minnesota. An observer said that the new board does not represent the unity and political diversity of our community.

According to a statement read over the phone by Marie Y. Hayes, outgoing Chairman of the Board of Directors, the current Board of Directors organized a full session to elect the leadership of the new Board of Directors of OLM. The current board members that participated in the session included: Mrs. Marie Hayes, Mr. Abdullah Kiatamba, Mr. Harris Meh, and Mrs. Georgette Gray.

In revealing the election results, Mrs. Hayes said that the process, which later elected three Kerper Dwanyen supporters as Chair, Co-Chair and Secretary, respectively, was marred by a protest boycott of two important members—Georgette Gray and Doris Parker. In the vote count, Arthur Zakama got three votes for Chair, Richard Parker, three votes for Co-Chair, and Henry Kesselly, three votes for Secretary.

Both Georgette Gray and Doris Parker argued that they did not participate in the process because it was a pure display of greed and partisanship, which they believed dealt a serious blow to community unity and collaboration. For her part, Mrs. Gray said," How can we work on a board that intends on making decision based purely on partisanship, while we sit and witness such a big disservice to our community. Mrs. Gray said that she is now considering whether or not her presence on the board is the best way to contribute to her community. She concluded by saying," This trend partisanship on a non-profit board sends a message loud and clear, that the future of our community is bleak, especially under the leadership of this kind of board".

For Miss Doris Parker, the partisan process was a complete mockery of everything professional. She said that in violation of the elections law, these three newly-elected board members ran a partisan campaign, violated major guidelines, and engaged in campaigning on the very day of elections, yet the Elections Commission went ahead and ignored all of those blatant violations.

According to the OLM Elections Guidelines, Section 1: 4:3, "Aspirants or candidate for the Board of Directors who are running as independent candidates shall submit all requirements as a separate entity." But she said contrary to that five loyalists of Kerper Dwanyen ran a partisan campaign in contravention of the elections guidelines.

Miss Parker was quick to point out that, "What happened tonight is just a continuation and an outcome of a pattern that went unpunished. In a very serious tone, Miss Parker noted," People who are Kerper Dwanyen loyalists openly cheated to be elected. This board will be a rubber-stamp board and it will not be independent. It will be controlled by Mr. Kerper Dwanyen. This board does not reflect unity in our community".

In the press interview, Mrs. Hayes said that appeals made by Kiatamba, Meh, and herself, to allow for the election of a broad-based leadership of the board were ignored by Arthur Zakama, Richard Parker, and Henry Kesselly. She said appeals made to the two ladies to participate were also ignored, as they wanted the three Kerper Dwanyen loyalists to change their partisan course as a precondition.

When contacted, Mr. Arthur Zakama, the newly-elected OLM Board Chair said that the process was a result of lobbying for votes and that the two ladies can do whatever they want. He said the two ladies were welcomed to do the same. Mr. Zakama said he will do everything in his power to reach out and to include his other colleagues in the decision making process. He said he supports a proposal from Mr. Wynfred Russell for a mini all Liberian Community conference to help heal the wounds and bring about peace and unity in our community.

Political observers our reporters spoke to said, "the winners take all politics" will not help our community but is a recipe for failure and continuous division in our community. They said this is not inclusiveness or a demonstration of goodwill that is necessary for healing the wounds and bringing about peace and harmony.
This is a clear indication that this board will be a rubber stamp one and will be dictated to by Mr. Dwanyen, one observer said. He further stated that this will hurt not only that board but the entire community. Another observer said, with this pattern, the community has a long way to find peace and harmony.