CSOS FALLING APART?

By: R. Joyclyn Wea

MONROVIA-A seven-member national, Civil Society Organizations,  (CSOs) Independent investigative committee has been set up to probe into the ongoing crisis within the National Civil Society Council of Liberia (NCSCL).

The Council is the mother body of all Civil Society Organizations in the country.

The seven-member committee is inclusive of Lancedell Mathews, Oscar Broh, Malcolm Joseph, and others were instructed over the weekend at a membership meeting held at YMCA in Monrovia.

The meeting of members was to decide if in fact there should be an investigation of claims of the secretary general of the council and several member organizations of constitutional breaches and wrongdoing by the present leadership and if so, will this be an independent investigation team, who will be its terms of reference, its scope and duration.

The ongoing conflict is dated as far as 2019 during an election in Grand Gedeh County. As part of its scope, the committee was given a period of one month to investigate and come up with findings and recommendations, upon which action will be taken.

It was also agreed that the current leadership relinquishes power to avoid tempering with the committee’s work and a freeze placed on the institution’s account until the investigation is concluded.

in an interview with journalists after the meeting,Lancedell Matthews chair of the committee said everyone had made mistakes along the way and the way forward is to ensure a non-partial investigation excluding the complainant and accused.

Matthews believes the investigation will be independent, credible, and one that will bring to an end the longstanding crisis amongst members of the.

“The one-month period is not enough to resolve the allegations, but we will try. He continues “They have entrusted us, so, we have to do whatever is required for the investigation to take place.”

One of the mandates was for the committee to set up an interim leadership, Matthews says once the committee is fully arranged and the necessary instrument is provided the interim leadership will be set up to run the affairs of the council until the investigation is concluded as agreed.

He calls on members of the council to remain calm until things are right noting that “As a civil society, we disagree to agree in order to get things done.