Monrovia — The opposition Movement for Economic Empowerment (MOVEE) has elected its former political leader Dee Maxwell Kemayah to steer the affairs of the party for the upcoming 2023 general and presidential elections.
Kemayah who is the current Minister of Foreign Affairs was removed from his position as the political leader by the party's executive committee on grounds that he was serving at the United Nations as Ambassador, something the party at the time believed prevented him from executing the duties of the office of the political leader.
He was removed along with the party Secretary General Robert Sammie. But at an emergency convention over the weekend, delegates from the 15 counties re-elected Kemayah and Robert Sammie as political leader and chairman, respectively.
According to the nine counts petition, Amb. Kemayah has empowered partisans of the MOVEE by providing jobs to about 10 partisans.
Minister Kemayah who is currently in the United States with Pres. Weah for the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) was elected by MOVEE executives on white ballot.
The chairman of the emergency convention, K. Edward Norman, Jr. declared Kemayah and other officials legitimate after a motion was passed and seconded for the petition and nomination statement was read.
The petition statement reads:
We are due-paying members and officials of the Movement for Economic Empowerment (MOVEE), with voting rights at the first emergency convention scheduled for September 17, 2022, in the City of Monrovia, County of Montserrado, to decide who becomes Political Leader, National Chairman, and fill in other vacant positions in the party;
The political leader position and the National chairman were have been vacant since the reported resignation of former Chairman Dan Sayeh.
MOVEE is a legal political party duly registered and recognized by the Republic of Liberia's National Elections Commission (NEC) to participate in any political activities in Liberia.
According to the petition statement, the lack of a political leader and a chairman can put the party into a state of perpetual dormancy or possible demise.
The first count of the nine counts petition states that "since our action that compelled the resignation of the first standard bearer and subsequent sabbaticals of key partisans, the party administrative and operational structures are barely functional due to the inability of the current National Chairman to rally the necessary support to resuscitate MOVEE from collapse;
The petition statement further states that various county structures are barely functional as a result of the national leadership gap, and this has resulted in lots of MOVEE partisans seeking political alternatives.
The third count of the petition also states that since Amb. Kemayah made the last deposit of thirteen thousand United States dollars (US$13,000.00), the party account has seen no substantive financial contributions or deposits, only withdrawals, and this has rendered MOVEE financially incapacitated.
According to the fourth count, "It has come to our attention that MOVEE lacks the financial capacity to pay the current National Headquarters' rental fees for the last two years and faces eviction if nothing is done to correct the situation"
The petition further states the fifth count that MOVEE statutory bank balance (US$10,000.00) at the Afriland Bank has been reduced to the bare minimum, which is an existential threat in keeping with the new regulations of the National Elections Commission (NEC) of Liberia.
The current National Chairman of the party, Dan Sayeh has been outside of the bailiwick of Liberia for more than 9 months in violation of the by-laws and constitution, which brings into question his legitimacy by his absence from Liberia and results in a leadership gap, the sixth counts of the petition revealed.
The seventh count says, "The records show that Amb. Kemayah has empowered partisans of the MOVEE by providing jobs to about ten partisans, and this is something that is rarely seen in leaders of today.
Count eight states, "considering the forth going, we are convicted by our passion and love to see our beloved party responsibly regain its placement in the political corridors of Liberia through constructive engagement and alignment with institutions of shared political philosophy (empowering the Liberian people to empower themselves),"
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"We believe Senior Partisan Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Sr. has the required technical knowhow, ingenuity, tenacity, and vigor to drive the much needed renaissance of the Orange Revolution in the capacity of Political Leader.
HENCEFORTH, we the CONCERNED MEMBERS OF MOVEE, with voting rights and constituting majority members of the delegates to the Emergency Convention, do hereby petition to contest and nominate Senior Partisan H.E. Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Sr. for the position of "Political Leader" at the 17th of September, 2022 Emergency National Convention in Monrovia.
The MOVEE new National Chairman Robert Sammie who was once suspended by the party urged Liberia to begin to project a positive image of the country to the international community rather than always spreading falsehoods about the country.
Sammie who is also the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs told the deligates that the function of an Opposition party is not to be bitter with the ruling Administration but to make suggestions that will that intend to improve the well-being of the citizens.
