STAND Flaunts Redline in Justice Ministry invite -Slams LCC Over Alleged Pro-Government Stance

MONROVIA – STAND confirms receipt of the Ministry of Justice’s invitation to a security roundtable ahead of the December 17 “Lead or Leave” Protest, affirming readiness for peaceful coordination.

However, the resistance movement says it will boycott the meeting if the current leadership of the Liberia Council of Churches (LCC) is included, describing them as “compromised regime collaborators” who have lost moral credibility through silence, bias, and unethical alliances with power.

STAND maintains its commitment to nonviolent democratic advocacy and insists that any engagement with external parties must uphold fairness, neutrality, and integrity as the Liberian people prepare to fearlessly demand accountability, justice, and good governance.

The group has expressed deep concerns over the current LCC leadership’s actions and silence on key issues, compromising their neutrality and moral authority.

It group said the LCC’s silence on President Boakai’s public ridicule of the July 17 protest and dismissal of citizens’ concerns is notable.

Furthermore, STAND insists, the LCC’s repeated alignment with government interests and tacit support for controversial figures raises questions about their impartiality, also pointing the Church’s decision to confer honors on a public official accused of corruption and manipulation has further eroded their credibility.

These concerns undermine the LCC’s moral standing and ability to effectively engage in critical issues affecting the nation, the group said.

Given these concerns, STAND “respectfully requests the Ministry of Justice to exclude the current LCC leadership from the roundtable discussion,” reaffirming that it remains open to constructive engagement with the Ministry and Liberia National Police, provided our condition is respected.

The official letter to the Ministry of Justice, from which this summary was drawn, is attached below.

Solidarity and Trust for a New Day (STAND)

Monrovia, Liberia

November 5, 2025

Col. Wilson W. Boe, Sr.

Coordinator, Joint Security

Ministry of Justice

Republic of Liberia

Monrovia, Liberia

Ref: Response to Invitation for Roundtable Discussion

Dear Col. Boe,

We extend our compliments and express profound appreciation to the Ministry of Justice for its letter dated November 3, 2025, acknowledging the peaceful and orderly conduct of our July 17, 2025 protest action. We are gratified that the Ministry recognizes that we are not a violent group, but a respectable body of patriotic citizens driven by an unyielding commitment to the peace, progress, and democratic renewal of our beloved country. We act, speak, and even protest out of love for Liberia, and we willingly give ourselves to be “burnt” in the service of its good and future.

In reference to your invitation for a roundtable discussion scheduled for Friday, November 7, 2025, to coordinate security and logistical arrangements ahead of the planned December 17, 2025 “Lead or Leave” Protest, we wish to confirm that STAND, in collaboration with the December 17 Protest Organizing Committee, accepts the invitation and remains open to constructive dialogue with the Ministry of Justice and the Liberia National Police.

However, we must respectfully make clear that we will be unable to attend the meeting if the current leadership of the Liberia Council of Churches (LCC) is in attendance. Our position is based on consistent observations and prior experiences that, in our considered judgment, compromise the Council’s neutrality and moral standing, casting its current leadership as more of regime collaborators than impartial clergy.

Please permit us to briefly outline the grounds for this position:

            1.         Failure to Exercise Neutrality: Despite their earlier assurance of impartiality, the LCC leadership failed to play any mediating or moral role following President Joseph Boakai’s public ridicule of the people’s July 17 protest. The Council remained conspicuously silent while government actors dismissed the legitimate concerns of citizens, contrary to its moral and civic duty to promote reconciliation and understanding.

            2.         Demonstrated Bias Toward the Regime: The LCC’s leadership has repeatedly aligned itself with government interests, including tacit support for controversial figures and institutions accused of undermining the integrity of governance.

            3.         Ethical Misjudgment and Loss of Credibility: Earlier this year, the Council’s decision to confer honors upon a public official whose rise to the Speakership was widely regarded as tainted by corruption and political manipulation further eroded its credibility and moral authority.

Given these realities, it would be both impractical and inconsistent with our values to sit at the same table with individuals whose moral and institutional objectivity are deeply compromised. We therefore respectfully request that the Ministry proceed with the roundtable discussion excluding the current leadership of the LCC, whose presence would undermine the sincerity and credibility of the engagement.

We remain open and willing to engage constructively with the Ministry of Justice and the Liberia National Police at any time and venue of your convenience, provided that our above-stated condition is duly respected. Kindly confirm your acceptance of this position as a precondition for our attendance.

We deeply appreciate your continued engagement and reaffirm our unwavering commitment to peaceful, nonviolent, and democratic advocacy as we advance toward the December 17 “Lead or Leave” Protest — a people’s call for accountability, justice, and responsible governance.

With highest regards,

Sincerely yours,

Mulbah K. Morlu, Jr.

Chairman

Solidarity and Trust for a New Day (STAND)

& WE THE PEOPLE Protest Consortium

“Lead or Leave – Enough is Enough.”

No Retreat, No Surrender.