GGAA Press Release, Sharon Hill
On Tuesday, March 25, 2008, the Glay-Kaine Administration, through its General Secretary, acknowledged receipt of Mr. Seo Davis’ letter regarding the Gedeh Scholarship Program, and it released its response to the broad electronic/media.
In that letter of March 26, 2008, the Administration stated unequivocally that: “The Board of Directors of the Grand Gedeh association in the United States suspended the scholarship program and mandated the national administration to revamp the program.” Mr. Davis was also assured in that letter that the Administration would “work with Honorable Breeze to see how best to do this program.”
Then in an apparent attempt to buttress its claims, on Friday, March 28, 2008, the Glay-Kaine Administration followed up with yet another statement, which in essence, pontificated that “the Grand Gedeh Board made the decision to suspend the scholarship program.”
At about 9:00 AM on last Friday, March 28, 2008, we contacted the President via telephone and registered the Board’s resentment of the misrepresentation of the facts, in the matter of the Gedeh Scholarship Program.
To this end, the President was challenged to produce one scintilla of evidence to substantiate his administration’s claims that the “Board made the decision to suspend the scholarship program.” After some discussions, it became crystal clear that the President could not authenticate the Administration’s assertions with factual evidence.
It was also mutually resolved that the GGAA-Board, at no point in time, ordered the suspension of the Gedeh Scholarship Program. Consequently, the President agreed that a written statement from the Administration to set the record straight in the foregoing would be the proper course of action to take.
It was also in that spirit of understanding that the President indicated that his administration would issue a written statement within 72 hours (i.e. between 10:00 AM Friday, March 28, 2008 to 10:00 AM Monday, March 31, 2008). Unfortunately, today is Wednesday, April 02, 2008 and the Glay-Kaine Administration has yet to honor its pledge.
Given the foregoing, the National Board of Directors of the Grand Gedeh Association in the Americas, Inc. would like to exploit this medium to set the record straight in the matter of the Gedeh Scholarship Program.
We find this action, on the part of the Board, to be very necessary at this time because the Administration’s gross misrepresentation of the facts in the aforesaid has undoubtedly cast aspersion on the Board’s integrity, and thereby presented the unfortunate impression that the GGAA-Board is insensitive to the academic needs of our scholarship recipients. For the record, the Board would like to issue the following pronouncements:
On Sunday, December 2, 2007, the GGAA-Board approved a $76,000 budget for the Glay-Kaine Administration, wherein $22, 400 was allocated for education and training. This was the only time that the Board ever talked about the Gedeh Scholarship Program.
Nothing could be further from the truth than in the Glay-Kaine Administration’s intimation that the Board of Directors “suspended the GGAA scholarship program and mandated the national administration to revamp the program.”
When the Glay-Kaine Administration came to power at the end of May in 2007, the Administration made it clear that it would not continue with any of the administrative policies of the past two administrations (i.e. Nyanue-Gbortue 2001-2005; and Gbortue-Rue 2005-2007). Accordingly, the GGAA-Board has repeatedly implored the present administration to come up with its own set of administrative policies.
But unfortunately, ten months have already elapsed, and the Glay-Kaine Administration has yet to present an administrative policy for the GGAA-Board’s approval. But yet, the Administration would have the public to believe that the Board of Directors “suspended the GGAA scholarship program and mandated the national administration to revamp the program.”
In its response to Mr. Seo Davis, the Glay-Kaine Administration advised Mr. Davis to direct any future communication about the Gedeh Scholarship Program to Hon. Gaye Breeze, who is being consulted by the administration to serve in the capacity as Chairman of the Education committee.
For the record, the GGAA-Board wishes to inform the public that Hon. Charles Gaye Breeze has not been confirmed by the Board as Chairman of the Education committee, as such, the public is advised against engaging in any form of communication with Hon Breeze, in matters appertaining to the Gedeh scholarship program.
The GGAA Board also wishes to state emphatically that there is no element of truth to the Glay-Kaine Administration’s claims that “the Grand Gedeh Board of directors made the decision to suspend the scholarship program.”
This in the Board’s opinion is a clever ruse and a well calculated ploy to deflect criticism from the administration’s apparent inability to advance its administrative policies for the Board’s approval, since it assumed the helms of power a little over ten months ago. Let the word go out today that under our watch, the GGAA- Board will not be used as a scapegoat or poster boy for any of the Administration’s shortcomings.
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I am very much delighted to come accross this press release, though it was posted last year, but I did not have knowledge of it. I am delighted simply, my prayer has been the Grand Gedeh Scholarship program, headed by Mr. Seo Davis in Liberia continues. The reason is that this program has helped a lot of people from the three districts in Grand Gedeh County. Now, with the understanding that some Grand Gedeans in the Diaspora have problem with the way scholar fund being applied is a complete set back to the process here in Liberia. Since we started hearing the query of some brothers in the US about the scholarship program, the entire process stopped in Liberia. Now, the receipients have not hope as we speak and additional children just passed the entrance of the University of Liberia and other universities in Liberia, but they do not have support. I am therefore, asking the Board to please see to it that the scholarship program continue.
WE MUST EXTEND OUR APPRECIATION TO YOU ALL HERE.I WAS VERY IMPRESS WHEN YOUR DELIGATION LANDED ON OUR SOIL.TO ME,IT MEANS ALOTS FOR THE FACT THAT YOUR REPRESENTITIVES HAVE COME TO SEE THE ACTUAL PICTURES THAT RESENT THE SUFFERING PEOPLE IN THE FOREST OF GRAND*I MEAN THOSE WOMEN WHO USUALLY BACK THEIR CHILDREN USING THE SAME LAPPER TO COVER BOTH THEMSELVES AND THE CHILDREN*
IT IS GOOD THAT YOU DO NOT AT TIME ALLOW MADAM SIRLEAF AND THE REST OF THOSE BIGGER GUYS LIKE HON.ISAAC W.NYENABO,HON.CHRISTIPHER BAILEY ETC FOOL YOU SAYING THAT THEIR PICTURES CAN PROFF THAT EVERYTHING IN LIBERIA IS OK.THEY ARE JUST FEW THAT CAN AFFOLD WHILE THE REST OF US HAVE NOT.
I WILL CONTINUE THIS COMMUNICATION WITH YOU AS WE MOVE TOWARD ANOTHER DECISSION MAKING PERIOD.
Grand Gedeans Let Us Unite
May, I be heard by my fellow Grand Gedeans in the USA and elsewhere supporting the cause of unity, development and total liberation of our people- Grand Gedeans back home and in the Diaspora.
Yesteryears, we hardly hear about some progressive moves made by our people in the USA, all we used to hear was a big party at the end of very calendar year. But in recent years we have heard a lot of progress being made by Grand Gedeans in the Americas.
My late grandfather once said, “A greedy man does not bring something good from stranger”. This implies in our Liberian saying, that when you left your home and go out somewhere else, you should purpose to come back home with something or while you are there you should try to do something back home so that when you shall have returned home, you will have something to remember. What I made up of greedy man in this Liberian saying is not only limited to food consumption, but the following categories of things:
1. Greed – Gluttony, Voracity, Ravenousness, Greediness, Insatiability, self-indulgence putting oneself above all else. Taking what belongs to everyone and to do things without second thought and many more.
2. Giving credence to living luxury life…buying cars that cost big money, refusing to listen to friends and family members’ advice. Living by head knowledge…drunkenness,
3. Exploiting others, causing confusion among your friends who are thinking positively and diverted progress to chaos… threatening others with court proceeding, and many others,
4. Lack self control and pity for others who are suffering and need your help.
5. disregarding one own place in society…comparing yourself with people who are integrated than you, disregarding people’s achievement above you and equating yourself to people who are not your caliber.
Life is all about leaving mark to be remembered by. In another word, we are all making the difference of what we met here so that progress made can surpass our forefathers’ progress. People normally pray to see their children do more than what they have done on planet earth…they/we therefore prepare us/our children to face tomorrow, and make a great difference of life here.
Though, we have made a little change comparing 1960s and the 1990s, but something is missing still. We need to do more than what is going on now. The current situation in the Americas reminds me of rebels’ activities in Grand Gedeh County during the war years. Could you remember, our people were heavily aggressed by Charles Taylor’s rebels and for that our brothers felt in empathy with us by revenging…taking arms in defense of our people in the villages, but after they repelled the rebels they will in turn fight against our people when their aggression sized.
Similar thing is happening in the United States of Americas, our people having being chased out of Monrovia, and Liberia as a whole sought asylum in the USA and when they begin to breathe God’s giving life air that is not contaminated (Freedom of speeches, expression, free movement, freedom to life and etc) we will forget our passed aggression and transgress against their brothers.
I think what we need to do here is to put our houses in order while it is still day, let us work to make progress to make Grand Gedeh achieve her development agenda (poverty reduction strategy) to come to fruition in our county.
Remember, from time in memory, Grand Gedeh which has a homogenous population and centered for the southeastern counties has hosted many development packages for southeastern counties because of their isolation from the rest of Liberia. Recent move made by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Liberian, Madam Ellen Johnson – Sirleaf came as an astonishment to many Liberians not only Grand Gedeans, by erecting a multi-million dollars medical hospital in Tapita. This move was politically motivated, yet people are not thinking about what we should do. This building was intended for the isolated counties which Grand Gedeh is the center. There is a need for us to join hands to fight to make progress in our county. There is currently division amongst Grand Gedeh Legislative Caucus who suppose to be meeting to interact and think of apportioning development in the county. They hardly meet to propone issues of concerns in the county…the worse is the county leadership that does not care to read between lines and dish out our development packages for the county but seeking self support from county budget.
Let me outline some areas of concerns now in the county which handful of persons are struggling to bring to life:
a. Erecting of county university which is being enacted by the house: presently other counties who benefited this recent development are making headways and they are Nimba, Grand Bassa and Lofa. Already, there is a university in Maryland as you may be aware of. As we speak the universities in Nimba, Bassa and Lofa are in operating while the one in Grand Gedeh has not started. Two times in roll our county university budget has being given to Nimba County because of their progress. In this direction the County Chief Education Officer, Mr. Bestman Charpy is instrumental working with committee members whose term of reference states: To constantly interact with Ministry of Education and Grand Gedeans in Monrovia who also subscribe to the success of the university in Grand Gedeh. To review and revise the curriculum being used by T. Kudah Jerry University which was banned by GOL on ground that one who holds Ph.D should head the university. To work toward the opening of the university September this year. And to encourage Grand Gedeans with MA and Ph.Ds to come home to teach at the university.
b. The hospital in Zwedru does not have staff and not only staff but trained Grand Gedeans to serve as nurses and doctors. Even those other doctors from Nigeria and other areas have no place to live. The hospital does not have X-ray facilities, no blood count machine and other sophistication in the county hospital. People are dying on a daily base from HIV/AIDs due to poverty and low level of education. I am currently serving as hospital administrator fighting to provide better health care services for our people and making ways for employment for some, but the county is dominated by other county people who will not let our people get good job as non-medical persons. Also, the water system in the hospital is not effective, no plumber to help us and mainly people do not want to help us. The hospital does not have a mortuary so corpses are kept in the grasses until there are claimed by family members.
c. The midwifery issue is another one in the county. The school was since established but has not moved in her building because there is no building yet. We have tried to encourage many of our people to go to the midwifery school so that they can help to work in Zwedru hospital.
d. Roads leading to districts, towns, clans are not open up to now the six years term of President Sirleaf going to an end by October this year. Could you imagine that roads are the major development in the county? The hospital ambulances do not reach to some places because there is no road while some important persons are sick there. These people are not strangers and even when they are, they are in our county.
Having said all that, I would like to conclude here to say there is a need for us to rethink ourselves instead fighting one another here and there.
Emmanuel S. Gogbar
Hospital Administrator
Martha Tubman Memorial Hospital
Grand Gedeh County
emgogbar@yahoo.com
06951761