From the moment it become known that the government and the Liberia Agricultural Company (LAC) had reached agreement or entered into a memorandum of understanding to consummate the expansion scheme of that company, all semblances of goodwill on the part of some of the local population vanished.

	• Cllr. Charles Brumskine

Firstly, some of the citizens considered the concessionary action on the part of the government as a betrayal, thus set in a period of veiled hostilities.

Very shortly or precisely few days after the signing ceremony erupted the disquieting news of the shooting to death of an expatriate manager of LAC.

As if match had been sparked alongside liquefied petroleum, the concession area of the company was reportedly sealed up against journalists and other concerned civil society actors, especially human rights advocates, whose duty it is to monitor departures from regional and international conventions.

Now reports abound about security excesses being committed against the local population, a situation that provokes the former President Protempore of the Senate to voice world his candid opinion on the LAC Saga, in this report compiled by D. Sonpon Weah II of the Analyst.    

The standard bearer of the Liberty Party (LP), Cllr. Charles Brumskine  accused  the  government  and the Liberia Agriculture Company (LAC)  for what he termed as  ‘taking  undue  advantage  of the   Bassa People in the  LAC expansion deal.’

The 3rd runner-up in the 2005 presidential elections, said in a reflective position statement yesterday, that the suffering of Liberians in that plantation company at the hand of the company and the government was discouraging.

Cllr. Brumskine said LAC expansion and the eviction of Bassa people from their native homes for the planting of rubber trees is not only illegal but morally and constitutionally wrong. He described the action against the citizens as acts of the devils in hell that should not be allowed in Grand Bassa County or anywhere else.

Cllr. Brumskine made the disclosure yesterday in a news conference held at his Party headquarters on in Monrovia. He alleged that he and his party chairman have been issued death threats and other incriminations by some government and Unity Party officials.

Cllr. Brumskine averred  that  he  as the  political leader and  the Bassa people have  enough  remedies in courts of law, but lack  the  financial  capacities  to  prosecute both the  UP-led government of  government and the  LAC for their  lawless deeds  against the Bassa people of Grand Bassa County.

“As a politician and a political leader where do I get money from . Its from you the partisans monthly dues payment. And You know how much the party member pay monthly as dues."

"Its LD$5,00 per month. It is plenty money. How do we use said money to fight in court,. My own  statu  is an inter direct  way I'll playing  the role and a politician and political leader  to point  out  the wrongs and  them speak out” averred Cllr. Brumskine.

He said: “We have to continue to push them like you do in taking a horse to the creek to drink. They'll be fighting but we will take them there and they'll drink. You see we are the alternative voice. If  we  don’t  do what  we  are doing , you   and ‘myself’ will  run away  from this  country  again.”

According to Cllr. Brumskine,  there are  more  people  out  in the streets with inclination  to violence and as such, political leaders must  strive to point out  the wrongs, point out  the ills as a voice for the  people  out  there to know that  at least somebody is talking   against the ills in  society.

“The expansion of LAC and the eviction of the people are wrong, in humane, illegal and immoral and lack every good backing. The LAC agreement says that  18 months after the agreement LAC needs to re-negotiate for new land for possible expansion. and how come  government re-negotiates Firestone and  Mittal Steel agreements and  why not  LAC”, wonders Cllr. Brumskine.

He said for LAC to bring  development in Bassa , it  should  build  a 10 miles  road into  the interior that would  by passed every living  places so as to plant  the  trees and  equally  build  more  camps there. Cllr. Brumskine said: “ You don’t  develop our  county (Liberia) by  taking  our  people  from  where they  live, treating  them as  cattle. 

He  noted that  the  LAC new  agreement  provides for the government  to give LAC l00 acres of land  to enable the company to build houses for the Bassa people  noting that such 100 acres could be  used to plant LAC rubber trees instead of illegally uprooting  the citizens from  their  native  home-land as  was  being  done  at LAC.

According to him, the areas of  the eviction are  where the  Bassa people  dwelt for several years before Liberia’s  independence in Africa and as such  no  illegal  means being used to uproot them  as  was being done  by LAC  and government.

Cllr, Brumskine who  expressed deepest sympathy and condolences to the  family and government of the late Bruno Michael over  the  untimely death of the LAC incoming  manager, equally wonders why indeed  criminal investigations could not be  conducted by government beyond  current benchmark of  mass arrest and torture of  citizens  and  residents in LAC and  other areas of the county.

Cllr. Brumskine  who wondered aloud, said whoever killed Bruno Michael, his death was  a terrible blow to  the development  of better relationship between  LAC and the  victimized people of Bassa and Rivercess Counties. He said this is due to  the late Bruno good intents and visions  for the  suffering masses.

“I am  certain that  the family of Mr. Michael, the government  of Belgium and  the  European Union  would  be interested  in having  the culprits brought to justice and  without  condoning acts of  recriminations against  an  already victimized group of people  by arresting  and  persecuting them simply because they disagree with  the government’s policy toward them.

He averred that these sort of investigations might never lead to knowing the truth because  the local law enforcement officials have  already  concluded that  the only  motive for the  killing  was  the pending  removal of  the people from  their  ancestral homeland. He said government would  rather  politicize such  sad  event  than  finding  the real killers of Mr. Michaels.

“But  both are cultural we  tend  to seize the first  thing  we see or hear and run with it , having  neither  the  patience nor  the  discipline  to probe  further;  and those authorities would  rather use every  situation regardless of how  painful it may be to  others, to escape  blame for their  failure and settle political scores with  opposition politicians   and those who dare to disagree with  them.”

He added that lot of disagreements and violent incidents occurred between LAC and  the residents to the extent that homes and properties of citizens were destroyed, but  nobody  was ever shot dead as was done in a recent  case and so government  needs an in-depth investigation into 

Mr. Bruno’s death instead of the mass arrest of citizens as is being done in Grand Bassa County by security forces. He then repeated that death threats and incriminations had been made against him and his party chairman. He also called on the international community to intervene promptly and secure their wellbeing.