(LINA) – “I understand that they have good intentions, but again, when you put a group of protesters in the streets it’s difficult to control their actions because you don’t know what their intensions are. There are people looking for opportunities to do bad things and you, the organizer(s) might not know,” Unity Party Representative, Jay Nagbe Sloh, says of the planned June 7 protest.
In an interview with the Liberia News Agency, the lawmaker said if protests are not properly guided or done within the confines of the law, it could turn chaotic and scare away investors, as he made hindsight on the effects of the 1979 “Rice Riot”.
The Sinoe County Representative made known his intension to make would-be organizers of any anti-government protest redirect their action in a way any such move will not result into violence.
He prefers the organizers of the planned June 7 protest to assemble peacefully to the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex where they can possibly deliver a written communication outlining their grievances possibly to a relevant official of government.
The District #2 Representative of Sinoe County, also chair of the so-called “Independent Legislative Caucus” bloc at the lower House, said he could to speak with President George Weah to be present when the rally is called at the stadium but with ‘civility’, so that the Liberian leader himself can respond to the concerns, if need be.
The law provides that persons wishing to protest must first obtain a permit from the Ministry of Justice, and to do so under the eyes of the Liberia National Police whose job will be to provide security.
In further comments, Rep. Sloh recalled that planners of the 1979 protest had basically intended to carry on a peaceful sit-in, but the situation soon spiralled out of control to the dismay of other citizens and the international community.
Judging from such history, the Sinoe lawmaker cautioned planners of future protests to remember how far the country has come from the years of devastation and bitterness, and act in ways that will preserve the peace Liberia is now enjoying. LINA
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