....Our attention is particularly drawn to the statement, “Anyone who stands in the way of John Morlu will be crushed. You and your family tried to do that and you are history.” For us, this statement is too hard to bear, too awful to endure, because it refreshes our painful memory and deepens the agony of our loss. Therefore, it is only appropriate that we allow the general Liberian public to judge the intents and purposes behind it... |
On behalf of the entire Moniba family (including children and siblings), I, Minita K. Moniba, widow of the late former Vice-President of Liberia, Dr. Harry F. Moniba, am honored to extend my sincerest gratitude to the Liberian National Union (LINU) for expressing grave concerns over a recent statement in which Bramiar Jones, a high-ranking official of the John Morlu Campaign, attempted to denigrate the memory of my late husband and downplay his pioneering roles at LINU.
We strongly believe that the party demonstrated a proactive leadership role by disassociating itself from the May 20, 2005 statement, issued and distributed on the Internet by the John Morlu Campaign. As you may be aware, Bramiar Jones, representing the John Morlu Campaign, insinuated that Presidential Aspirant John Morlu has done in three months what the late Dr. Harry Moniba, first Standard Bearer and founder of the party, “failed” to do as leader of LINU.
Our attention is particularly drawn to the statement, “Anyone who stands in the way of John Morlu will be crushed. You and your family tried to do that and you are history.” For us, this statement is too hard to bear, too awful to endure, because it refreshes our painful memory and deepens the agony of our loss. Therefore, it is only appropriate that we allow the general Liberian public to judge the intents and purposes behind it.
In his e-mail message also dated May 20, Campaign Advisor Jones further accused our family of supporting Edwin Selee over Morlu in the race for Standard Bearer of LINU. This allegation is obviously false and contrary to our position in this matter, which I, Mrs. Moniba, publicly stated on May 15, 2005 .
I made it clear then that my family and I were still grieving over the loss of our husband, father, uncle and brother and were not in the position to support any one candidate at the party or national level. Our position was simple: let the conscious partisans of LINU choose their leaders and Standard Bearer through the democratic process, and we will respect their choice of anyone who will carry on Dr. Moniba’s legacy of patriotism, peace, honesty, rule of law, and accountability in public service.
Moreover, our decision was consistent with Dr. Moniba’s vision of empowering the partisans, the custodians of authority and power, to ultimately determine the captains of their political ship. Thus, we opted to witness the historic expression of their will, as enshrined in LINU’s constitution and in accordance with the mandate of its convention. Are we being maliciously castigated for doing the honorable thing?
There is no denying that Dr. Moniba’s rise to prominence as a distinguished Liberian leader is traced to his personal integrity and his passionate devotion to Liberia and its precious people. He is a shining symbol of exemplary national leadership and we are proud to pay tribute to his outstanding service to Liberia . We are therefore convinced that no amount of arrogant posturing can overshadow his legacy, belittle his contribution, or blot out his outstanding record of public service.
We are also grateful to the Friends of Moniba, including former members of the Moniba for President 2005 Campaign Team, for courageously defending the cherished legacy of Dr. Harry Moniba and calling public attention to the hateful venoms unleashed on us. We are humbled by their unwavering and nonpartisan commitment to the great principles on which Dr. Moniba built his illustrious public service career. For this, we remain forever indebted.
For the record, we are disappointed and dismayed that John Morlu has not disassociated himself from the reckless attacks on us nor contacted our family to address the issue (almost five weeks--May 20, 2005 to present).
Finally, we view the expression of concern by LINU as a confirmation of our belief that these threatening and degrading utterances associated with the John Morlu Campaign do not necessarily represent the position of the party or the views of its rank-and-file members at home and abroad.
May God bless the works of our hands and transform Liberia into a more peaceful and prosperous nation!
For the Moniba Family :
Mrs. Minita K. Moniba (Widow)
Paul N. Moniba (Brother)
Esther Moniba (Sister-in-law)
Harry Moniba, Jr. (Son)
Paul L. Moniba (Son)
Alicia Moniba-Howard (Daughter)
Gladys Moniba (Daughter)
Clarence Moniba (Son)
Savili Ngovo (Niece)
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