While the advent of Internet and its Information Communication Technology (ICT) accessories, including the social media, are hailed widely for easing the world’s information and communication problems, they also constitute a roaring demon wrecking intellectual sanity and civility. Many people take advantage of the leverage provided by the Internet to embark on vile scandal and mischief, almost with impunity. One Liberian, who is becoming notorious perverting this latter aspect of the ICT revolution is a former student activist at the University of Liberia, Martin Kollie. Almost regularly, Kollie who is based abroad, takes to the social media with barrages of trumped up allegations in the name of research and investigative advocacy against his perceived opponents, mainly government officials. He was at it again the other day, this time against Deputy Finance Minister Samora Wolokolie, against whom he spewed what a civil society organization in Monrovia describes as “lies and nonsense”. But, he is not having it easy, as a notable civil society organization is on his back firmly.
A civil society organization, the Alliance of Civil Society Organizations, has come out in defense of the Deputy Minister for Fiscal Affairs at the Ministry of Finance, Samora Wolokollie against allegations levied against him by a former student activist, Martin KN Kollie, claiming that Wolokollie had used public funds to undertake his personal property business.
The group believes that Martin is a paid agent who paddles ton of lies for his upkeep in self-imposed exile adding that some folks are buying into it especially in a society where lies are considered true.
The group said Minister Wolokollie is a Liberian success story, born, raised and schooled in Liberia and has been offering free services at various Universities as a lecturer.
“His contribution and devotion to nation building is unmatched but sadly this is a society that vilifies men who over the years have sacrificed for the motherland”, the group said.
The group further said from its own investigation gathered, the information spread in the public is far from reality adding that Martin Kollie’s Facebook post that Minister Wolokollie owned a property in Duport Road is false and an alarm only intended to damage the high reputation of Wolokollie.
“The Minister owns two properties in two separate locations, one on the GSA Road and Dixville both properties were acquired before Minister Wolokollie enter public service. Kollie is making his followers to believe that the Minister with chain of businesses and years of working in the private sector is unable to build a decent home for himself”, the group said.
CSO further asserted that the Minister is aware of criticism that comes with being in public office and he’s not worried because it’s the right like freedom of expression Wolokollie and others from the CDC over the years fought for but stressing it should be backed by truth telling.
“This Minister was never a beggar before entering public service; he won a Court case from the past corrupt government of over hundred thousand United States dollars,” the civil society group added: “You need to try harder. This Minister has fought and won several battles, this is nothing but child’s play from an attention-seeking toddler.”
The Alliance also stated that it is not a hidden secret that Min. Wolokolie worked for over twenty years in this country before entering public service, stressing that he is an esteemed Chartered Account, Certified Public Account, a Certified Fraud Examiner, a lawyer and the co-owner of an accounting and consulting firm (BICON), Inc. and that he owns several other businesses in Liberia.
According to the group, with the huge profile that Wolokolie possesses and his years of work experience and resources earned over the period, it is foolhardy for a Martin Kollie to doubt the ability and/or capacity of Wolokolie to own real estate properties.
“We like to state that Martin Kollie’s continuous attacks against Samora Wolokolie and other government officials is disdainful, unfounded, reckless and does not represent any iota of truth telling,” the release added.
To corroborate the claims of the group, a student activist, Augustine Ballah, also took swipe against Martin Kollie who he said cannot substantiate his claims against worthy citizens and surprised that the opposition will be using him to get at the ruling establishment.
“While the opposition is grasping to gain confidence from the public about the integrity of some of its staunched members that displayed zero attribute of integrity, they’ve chosen their usual route to go after strong members of the Coalition for Democratic Change,” he said.
Ballah opined that the need to fight corruption cannot be overemphasized but it shouldn’t be used as a political tool to attack few government officials and made claims that Wolokollie can be portrayed as corrupt as Martin Kollie trying to insinuate.
“You need to try harder, this Minister has fought and won several battles; your attack is nothing,” he said.
Political pundits are of the opinion that in Liberia, it is too common to wrongly tag people especially those serving in government, those from the opposition bloc loosely trumpet falsehood of corruption to buy into public sentiment.
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