–Says SUP Was Not Wrong to Prevent Rep. Gray; But Would Be Wrong to Physically Attack Anyone
IPNEWS-Monrovia: The former Chief of Protocol of Republic of Liberia and former Montserrado County District #8 Representative, Amb. Rufus Neufville has disagreed with many ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) followers and supporters and other Liberians that every Liberian has a right to go on a speaking engagement at the government-owned University of Liberia (UL).
His comments were in reaction to those CDCians and other Liberians who hold the notion that Montserrado County District #8 Representative Acarous Gray has the right to engage in an official speaking activity on the campus of the UL because he is a former graduate of the institution.
Rep. Acarous Gray who led thugs, hooligans and gangsters on the UL campus to compel SUP to allow him engage in speaking and sensitizing activities
Appearing on OK FM 99.5 Morning Rush Show on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, Amb. Neufville said to speak on the UL campus at a given program on any of the campuses of one of the nation’s highest institutions of learning, there is a procedure where you will have to officially communicate with the UL authority the purpose of your program or speaking engagement, and if they accept you, then a time and date is set, but to just get up like in the case of Rep. Gray, where he said he was going to have lunch with UL students and sensitize them about the ongoing Biometric Voters’ Registration exercise was wrong to the core.
He said Rep. Gray was dead wrong to take thugs, hooligans and gangsters on the main campus of the UL on Capitol Hill, with the intention to force his way for a speaking engagement and to have lunch with the students when the students had told him days ahead of time that he would not be welcomed.
Amb. Neufville said Rep. Gray is not a policeman or law enforcer so he had no business taking thugs, hooligans and gangsters on the UL main campus to prevent SUP from stopping him to speak on the UL campus. “If Rep. Gray had any problem with SUP he should have complained to the UL authority the police but to physically take the law into his hands as a lawmaker to force and beat UL students in the name of preventing him to go on the UL campus was completely barbaric and out of order,” Amb. Neufville lamented.
He gave an example during their days as students of the UL back in the late 1990s, President Charles Taylor instead of clamping down on UL students after SUP, SIM & STUDA called for him to step down, he invited the students to the UL and had a dialogue with them which eventually quieted their agitation against him. “Leaders find solutions and not to create more problems, but in the case of Rep. Gray, he created more problems for the University than finding a solution. He was wrong and should be made to pay for that by being voted out by District #8 residents in the pending October 2023 elections because most of the highest institutions of learning are located in District #8.”
One of the victims of violence that that took place at the UL main campus few days ago
Commenting on the action of SUP, Amb. Neufville said booing and cheering are part of the democratic process as anybody can either boo or cheer you when they disagree or agree with what you say or do, but on the issue of physically attacking any government official visiting the UL because of alleged corruption, SUP has not right to do that as anybody who assaults another person is subject to arrest and prosecution.
On comments that SUP should not engage in national politics, Amb. Neufville disagreed and said SUP has all rights to put any government feet to fire because they have a stake in the country, as they are also affected by any bad governance.
