Tag: University of Liberia

MONROVIA – Professor Alaric Tokpa, a prominent former student leader has condemned the suspension of student political activities on the campuses of the University of Liberia. Report by Alaskai Moore Johnson, alaskai.johnson@frontpageafricaonline.com Responding to request by journalists to comment on the recent ban on student political activities at the university, Prof. Tokpa, who is also former head of the Political Science Department at the University of Liberia, said that the interference of University authorities with the legitimate and constitutional rights of students to associate, speak freely, and take actions in their own interest and the interest of the larger Liberian society, is a trait of dangerous dictatorship. In that way, the government is able to brutalize and destroy individuals without hindrance or any difficulty,” he stated. According to him, this is exactly what the dictatorship did to the Liberian student community in the 1980s. He asserted that no student leadership or community is able to successfully lead negative campaign against a government that is doing the right thing; adding: “The present challenge therefore before the George Weah government is to stop searching for imaginary enemies everywhere and focus on doing the right thing.” Prof. Tokpa, who in the 1980s when former Samuel K. Doe ruled by military degree had him and others thrown in prison at the famous Belleh Yallah, deep in the Lofa Forest, therefore called on all well-meaning Liberians in and out of government as well as at home and abroad to advise the government to halt the interference with the legitimate and constitutional rights of the student community; as the suppression of legal forms of struggle usually provokes illegal forms of struggle. Incidentally, the present Liberian government is not sophisticated enough to deal with underground struggles.” Serving then as General Secretary of the Liberia National Student Union (LINSU), Prof. Tokpa was one of six student leaders in Liberia that were sentenced to the firing squad in January 1982 for protesting the ban on student political activities by the military dictatorship. To date, he remains one of the most consistent progressive leaders in Liberia who is highly admired and consulted by youth and student leaders UL Ban on Student Politic On Friday, January 11, the University of Liberia’s authority placed a ban on all student political activities on all the campuses of the University. According to the University’s release, no student political group shall assemble or hold meetings or engage in any political-related activities on any University of Liberia campuses during this period of suspension. During the course of the rally, the students themselves pushed them out and later the government brought in heavily armed police officers who were not allowed on campus,” he further stated. According to him, the UL ban violates the political rights of the over 19,000 students on the campuses of the University.