Grand Bassa Citizens Association in the Americas Lambasts Brumskine
--Terms him as a failed Politician

Grand Bassa County Association in the Americas, has come in defense of the President Pro Tempore of the Liberian Senate, Honorable Gbehzohngar Findley, describing the opposition Liberty Party Political Leader, Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine as a failed politician whose life style does not impact the livelihood of the people of Grand Bassa. The Association stressed that Cllr. Brumskine is one man who has not done anything meaningful to impact the lives of Bassa citizens. 

In a strong worded Press Statement issued in Florida, the United States of America and signed by its President Mr. Jerome Z. Gayman, the Association stressed that   the development of Grand Bassa County Community College is Gbehzohngar Findley’s lasting legacy, adding that While there are rooms for improvement, the establishment of this community college is the single most significant development in the life of the Bassa people.

The Association statement comes in the wake of alleged verbal attack on Senator Findley by the Liberty Party Political Leader, Cllr. Brumskine, describing   Senator Findley as President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s Bag-boy, but the Grand Bassa citizens in the Americas maintained that Credit has to be given where it is due!  Gbehzohngar Findley has distanced and distinguished himself from his peers and predecessors, added that the substance of political leadership is all about LEGACY, which Senator Findley had achieved.

The Association in the statement reiterates that the attack on the hard earned reputation of Senate Pro Tempore in Grand Bassa County politics is sheer jealousy and envy by a political loser like Brumskine who is bent on holding the county hostage for his rejection by the Liberian voters.  The Association further noted that Senator Findley and supporters believe that the best way to develop a person is to give him the tool necessary to better his chances in life, and that tool is Education, which forces loyal to Brumskine, mainly stooges of the Liberty Party, are opposing in Bassa.

 Cllr. Brumskine, according to the Association is not alone in this scheme. They added that He’s being helped by native sycophants who do not have confidence in their own ability to lead.  The Association said, as a result, the common people become a pawn to their selfish manipulation. In this scheme, the native surrogates are the advance teams.

            These compliant agents used traditional manipulation to convince the average Bassa citizens to vote for the recommended candidates. “For these politicians, development and enlightenment are the enemy. They prey on ignorance and benefit from its excesses. How sad indeed. Contrary to popular perception, Grand Bassa County is lagging behind in every sphere of development in Liberia”.

The Association said that some citizens of Grand Bassa alleged that over the years politicians like Brumskine used their fluency in the Bassa language, though merely a ruse, to portray themselves as “we are one Bassa people” to rule the natives. However, as their sweet talk (rhetoric) failed to produce any positive change in the standard of living of the masses, the average citizen now suspects this common heritage talk as a trick.
“We believe the Bassa citizens are not the personal property of Charles Brumskine. However, over the years the Bassa people, especially the youth have learned the hard truth that he is only interested in their vote to gain political office without a corresponding concern for their wellbeing. Records show that the people are not as beholden to Brumskine as claimed by his supporters.  And this assertion is borne out by looking at the numbers from the last presidential elections in 2011 when he was a candidate.  Bassa voters were not as eager to support Brumskine as compared to the level of support he received in the 2005 election”, the Association added.

They indicated that for many years the Bassa people became victim to this strategy of deception, adding that the cornerstone of the strategy is to limit access to education, as long as the natives remain ignorant and illiterate, the Bassa ruling class is assured in its chances to be the dominant force and continue to run things as they are in Bassa.

“This is why we must do everything to re-elect Sen. Gbezohngar Findley since he is the leading advocate of education for the citizens of the county.  Sen. Findley must be commended for having the political foresight in identifying the key necessary to ending ignorance and poverty”.

However, the Association maintained that nothing could be further from the truth that Mr. Brumskine is all about Charles Walker Brumskine – a man who they claimed believes Grand Bassa County is his plantation, adding that after serving as Charles Taylor’s legal counsel during the civil war, Taylor rewarded Brumskine by selecting him as the Senior Senator of Grand Bassa County. And at Taylor’s urging, the National Patriotic Party, the ruling party, promoted Brumskine to President Pro Temp of the Liberian Senate.

So, what did Brumskine do for the Bassa people? Zipo! When questioned, Brumskine said, in no uncertain terms, that he was a lawmaker and nothing else. Brumskine has always maintained that it was the national government’s responsibility to build roads, schools, health centers, etc. In Brumskine’s view, lawmakers do not advocate for their constituents. His concept of public service was to go to Monrovia in the name of Bassa without helping to bring home any development projects that would impact the lives of his constituents.  In other words, He was sent to Monrovia to collect his salary and other perks for rendering no services to those who sent him to Monrovia. What a bizarre concept by a man who thinks that he has presidential pedigree!

“At stake is a fight for the future of Grand Bassa County, with a clear demarcation being drawn between a group of people loyal to the status quo, and those who recognize the county cannot advance unless radical changes are made.  Brumskine & company epitomize the status quo, which rely on keeping people backward by lack of educational opportunities, creating a dependency culture where some old folks control the destiny of the future. We have seen the ugly head of this snake before and we quite didn’t like it then, we sure are and will categorically reject it”, the Association further noted.

The Grand Bassa County Association in the Americas in Conclusion stressed that while others continue to take advantage of people, Senator Findley is working on a long-term solution to eradicate the disease that is keeping Grand Bassa behind in development such as limited access to quality education. Though the veil is being lifted and the ruse exposed, others, including Charles Brumskine, continue to rely on the old practice of pretending to be seeking the best interest of the people.

Signed:  Jerome Z. Gayman
             President/ Grand Bassa County Association in the Americas, Inc.