The Perspective
Atlanta, Georgia
February 16, 2019

The people of Putu Chiefdom, Grand Gedeh County, are calling for the immediate suspension of Grand Gedeh Superintendent Kai Farley. Through the Putu Elders Council, the highest decision-making body of the Putu Chiefdom, the Putu people took the suspension decision on February 8, 2019, because of the life-threatening violence that Superintendent Farley used to prevent the removal of Mr. Arthur Gabbro as Chairperson of the Putu Community Forest Management Body (PCFMB).

Superintendent Farley used the ERU of the LNP to injure several Putu residents and Mrs. Veronica Sheriff- Morlon, a citizen of the United States of America, whose Mother is a Putuan. One of the most injured persons during the violence at Petrokun Town on January 18, 2019, was 93-year-old Elder Thomas Quiah, Senior Advisor to the Putu Elders Council.

The Putu Elders Council, which appointed Mr. Gbarbow in March 2015, decided to remove him because of his poor performance, exhibited mainly by his dictatorial behavior and non-accountability to the appointing body in particular and the Putu people in general. The Putu Elders Council have now appointed Mr. Marcus Jedo to replace Mr. Arthur Gbarbow and awaits the recognition of Mr. Jedo by the Forest Development Authority (FDA).

In addition to the violence at Petrokun, Superintendent Farley arrested and detained Mrs. Morlon and two other Putuans, Mr. Emmanuel Wablo and Mr. Tee-Mahn Poah. They were detained for twelve hours in the Gbarbo Town jail and released only after the intervention of the Human Right organization (FOI) and the Embassy of the United States of America in action taken to protect the rights of Mrs. Sheriff-Morlon and her Co-Workers.
In case, some people might be thinking that the Putu people will become intimidated and not pursue the Rule of Law, let us recall the historic Case of the Putu people versus the government of Liberia in the late 1970s when the government, through the Grand Gedeh Superintendent, took action to prevent the reduction of poverty in Putu, as the Putu people formed the Putu Development Corporation (PUDECO).

The Putu people took the government to the Circuit Court in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh and when the gavel of Judge Galima Baysah landed, the historic path-breaking decision came out loudly and clearly that the Putu people had won the Case. In effect, the present Case against Superintendent Farley is in the interest of not only the oppressed people of Putu but in the interest of all of the oppressed vast majority of the people of Liberia for whom there is no justice for the poor people.

Signed:
Elder Isaac Jedo
General Secretary
The Putu Elders Council
Cell number--0886-403-080