Monrovia, Liberia – Tiawan Saye Gongloe, a human rights attorney, assistant professor of law, and Liberia People Party (LPP) presidential candidate for 2023, has expressed dissatisfaction over tribal qualification in Nimba County, claiming that it jeopardizes the county’s prosperity and unity.
Tribal politics, according to Cllr. Gongloe, is a risky trend; in the most recent elections, candidates exploited their tribal identity as an excuse. One campaign team said, “There is already a Mah Senator, so it’s time for a Dan Senator,” he said
He clarified that while it would seem reasonable, the idea that parliamentary seats should be awarded based on tribal affiliation rather than ability is contentious. “That erodes unity, democracy, and inclusivity. Even worse, some now argue that only the Mah or Dan people should share authority, leaving out women, long-term Liberians from other counties, the Mandingoes, Kpelle, Gbi and Doru, and Krahn. That reasoning is risky,” he remarked.
Addressing Nimba’s misrepresentation of history, the LPP 2023 presidential candidate explained that three Dan men—Enoch Dogolea, Moses Blah, and currently Jeremiah Koung—have held the position of vice president of Liberia.
Cllr. Gongloe said, Blah even served as President. Should we now say no Dan person should ever be Vice President again? Should political parties be discouraged from selecting Dan presidential candidates with Dan running-mates or even Dan presidential candidates, considering that Blah was president, although for short time?
The answer, he said, is no; democracy makes decisions based on ability rather than tribe. According to the LPP 2023 Presidential Candidate, A Legacy of Inclusion, in 1985, a Gbi woman named Ellen King won in the Dan-dominated Tappita, a Grebo man named James Harris won in the Mah-dominated Ganta, and a Mandingo candidate named Alhaji Lansanah Kromah won in the Dan-dominated Tappita. Rather than tribe, Nimba selected these politicians on the basis of talent.
Using former US President John F. Kennedy as an example, he said that democracy meant choice rather than exclusion. Ted Kennedy and his brother Robert Kennedy were elected senators during his presidency.
If Nimba insists on tribal politics, he said, let elders sign a formal memorandum of understanding that states that once one tribe takes a seat, the others take shifts. However, the formula would exclude minority tribes, prevent women from contesting, and undermine democracy.
According to him, it would be best to stop right now and stick to competency, gender sensitivity, and complete inclusiveness. Cllr. Gongloe, however, urged Nimbaians to embrace togetherness and avoid conflict.
He explained, “We now need to make a collective and urgent call: All Nimbaians, both domestically and internationally, must strongly condemn the increasing calls for the division of Nimba County.”
