Liberia: Ex ULAA 2-Terms SG Blames General Assembly Disruption on ‘Past’ Board Members
A former two-term National Secretary General of the Union of Liberian Associations in the Americas (ULAA), Mr. Arthur Weah Doe, has laid the blame squarely at the feet of the “past” board members for the disruption that led to the abrupt, unsuccessful ending of the General Assembly (GA) of that august body of Liberian diasporas.
ULAA was scheduled to go to election on September 16, 2023 in Philadelphia, during its 49th GA. Unfortunately, the GA didn’t go as planned. It ended abruptly and unsuccessfully in a disruption that nearly became violent.
In his charge against the ‘past’ board members, the former two-term National SG stated, “The disruptions were orchestrated by the then Chairman, Secretary, et al. of the then Board leadership. The scenes of bantering against a sitting President of the Union, where business was supposed to have taken place in the interest of this Grand Old Union, were unprecedented, and those scenes should have no place at ULAA’s GA or any of its member chapters. Footage of those scenes (Ay God) reminded me of the US January 6th indecent, callous, bantering, and an act of homegrown terrorism. OMG!!! The then leadership of the Board played a major role in planning, designing, developing, strategizing, etc., to stop the General Assembly from holding.”
He went further to say that Mr. Alfred Sieh and James Barclay, who are “then leadership of the Board, unintelligently and unprofessionally removed a sitting Chairman of the Elections Commission without due process and probable cause. They did so to satisfy their candidate, who himself was involved in their orchestrated intent to cause havoc. They did so pointedly by sending their men, mostly from Iowa in the polling station as they yelled, ‘Come outside! Bring your damned ass outside! Let this crooked chairman come outside, etc,’ referring to the Chairman of the Elections Committee, as the then Board leadership looked on and did nothing to stop their men and the nightmare, thereby brewing tension like a fume of a chemical beer.”
The GA, which is the highest decision-making body of the ULAA, was stalled by the alleged actions of the men and women of the then leadership of the Board.
Doe narrated that one of the issues on the ULAA President’s desk during the GA, involved three of the Union’s member organizations — LAMA, LAI & FOLAO — which was part of the President’s State of the Union presentation.
“These issues were unresolved prior to the GA, and as the Presiding Officer, the President is protected by the Constitution to bring same to the GA. Unfortunately, after the GA was called to order and seconded, the learned and knowledgeable President of the Union, H. E. J. Shiwoh Kamara, brought before the Assembly whether the three member organizations, LAMA of Georgia, LAI of Iowa and FOLAO of Ohio, should be seated based on some crises in their chapters from some members who claimed they were disenfranchised. Again, footage of those scenes (Ay God) reminded me of the US January 6th indecent, callous, bantering, and an act of homegrown terrorism. OMG!!! The then leadership of the Board played a major role in planning, designing, developing, strategizing, etc., to stop the General Assembly from holding,” Doe added.
“Now, why am I putting it squarely on the leadership of the board? My reason is that the then leadership of the Board, who was openly supporting a candidate in the race, did not hide their intentions based on calculated pieces of historical facts leading to the GA.
“Alfred Sieh and all of the officers of the board leadership were elected in 2021 in Ohio at the Union 47th GA.
“Alfred Sieh and all of the officers of the Board leadership tenure expired on September 16, 2023, making it TWO Consecutive Years of the board’s leadership.
“Alfred Sieh and all of the officers of the Board leadership knowingly chose to illegally circumvent the Board’s Rule to perpetuate themselves in power by bypassing 9.1, which calls for the holding of elections at the GA.”
According to Doe, the then leadership of the Board erred, adding, “We MUST demand an apology. The act of disruption of ULAA GA by the then-board leadership must be investigated, and those found liable must receive appropriate punishment.”
The accused have yet to comment.