Liberia: The UL Campus Debacle: What Did Acarus Gray’s Trip There Achieve?
I followed Monday’s riot on the UL campus live through our local television stations. To say the action of Representative Acarous Gray was dumb will be an insult to dumb people, because I am sure even dumb people know better.
When you are in leadership, you get praised for things that go right, but you are condemned when things go wrong. I can understand Gray’s frustration with students booing members of his party, but the question to ask is: what did his trip achieve?
For a few hours, he held a spotlight on the UL campus, but this was achieved through stone throwing and other acts of violence. Eventually, he had to leave the campus. Will this stop the students from booing others who they perceive as corrupt? Of course not! The entire fiasco only showed Gray and, through him, the CDC government, as violent thugs who are incapable of using their brains to solve a conflict.
Were there other options available to the government to avoid this mess? Here are a few:
1. Using his office as a representative, Gray and the House could summon the UL President to explain reasons why the current hostile atmosphere continues to prevail under his management. They could then threaten to hold the UL president in contempt if he doesn’t bring the situation under control.
2. The Director of Police could have intervened since it was already clear from the previous day that Gray’s presence on the UL campus would have led to violence.
3. The Minister of Justice (head of the security sector) could have intervened since it was already clear from the previous day that Gray’s presence on the UL campus would have led to violence.
4. The Administration of the University of Liberia could have suspended classes and closed the campus since it was already clear from the previous day that Gray’s presence on the UL campus would have led to violence.
5. The Board of Trustees of University of Liberia could have suspended classes and closed the campus since it was already clear from the previous day that Gray’s presence on the UL campus would have led to violence.
6. The President of Liberia, who carries the designation as Visitor to the University, could have intervened since it was already clear from the previous day that Gray’s presence on the UL campus would have led to violence.
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Who benefits from the actions of that day? Certainly not the government! Gray’s actions won’t get the next serious investor jumping on the plane to Liberia (and I don’t mean criminals who go in just to loot the country). His actions will certainly be reported in the US next Human Rights report accusing the government of using violence on peaceful students. Gray’s actions also exacerbate the already increasing tension that surrounds the election season.
The UL students are not responsible for maintaining peace in Liberia. The government is! Gray and people of his ilk need to understand that, when faced with an issue, the first question must always be, who benefits from my actions? Please stop this foolish bravado, because the last time we went through this kind of mess, we graduated to a civil war. A hint to the wise (assuming there is a minuscule amount of wisdom somewhere) is sufficient.
James Sengbay
Concerned Liberian.