Anticorruption Demo Runs Into Hurdles

New Democrat (Monrovia)

26 April 2011

The planned march by the opposition Movement for Progressive Change (MPC) against corruption scheduled for 30 April has hit roadblocks, with both organizers and the police trading blames.

In a letter to MPC presidential aspirant Simeon Freeman, leader of the march, police authorities informed him that his failure to attend a meeting for deciding the details of the march has forced them to cancel the march because a permit will not be granted without agreed upon details.

The letter further said despite several telephone calls, candidate Freeman did not respond.

But the MPC rejected the police claims, saying they were excuses aimed at disallowing the march.

In a letter dated 15 April 2011, the MPC requested audience with the police to discuss the details of their planned demonstration and forwarded the names of its representatives for a meeting scheduled for 18 April 2011.

The MPC said telephone calls do not form part of formal talks and that the police cannot rely on them as an excuse.

The Government had earlier decided that it would grant the MPC a permit to demonstrate, but the police said the permit is based on certain conditions, amongst them, meeting with the leaders of the demonstration for detailed planning involving public protection.

The planned anti-corruption march received headlines when President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf vowed to arrest Mr. Freeman for sedition if he got in the street to demonstrate. But the threat was later recanted when presidential Press Secretary Cyrus Badio said it was ‘April Fool’–a mere joke.

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