Senator Augustine Chea of Sinoe County is facing sharp criticism from a group of prominent citizens, both in Liberia and the United States, over allegations of tribalism and divisive leadership.
The group, through its spokesperson, Mr. Samuel J. Carlor Jr., accused the senator of marginalizing the Sarpo community and failing to foster unity and development within the county.
Mr. Carlor claimed, “For six years (6 yrs) now as Senator of our county, this tribalist has not stepped foot in the Sarpo-land. After acquiring votes from that particular area.”
Though underpopulated, Sarpo is one of two tribes that originally occupied Sinoe County but has always felt marginalized when it comes to the representation of leaders in the county.
According to Carlor who is visiting Liberia from the United States of America, Senator Augustine Chea has had no tangible projects within the Sarpo area since his ascendency as senator of the county for the last six years (6yrs), adding, “This Senator has little or no hand-mark within the Sarpo-land.”
Speaking to journalists in Monrovia upon his visit to the county, Carlor further accused Senator Chea of masterminding the prolonged delay in the confirmation of some local officials of the area after they were nominated by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai.
“We are just from the county and we saw firsthand for ourselves the action and inaction of Senator Chea towards our people and we think this is not healthy for the growth and development of the county. Our people also told us that this senator has abandoned them since his election and they are feeling very frustrated about his action,” Carlor said.
Carlor explained that Senator Chea is using his status and position as a county senator to lobby his colleagues within the Liberian Senate to either reject or deliberately delay the confirmation of these local officials, a claim this paper has yet to independently verify.
“Senator Chea has refused to allow the confirmation of some Sarpo people and our district has been held hostage for almost a year now, what kind of a leader does that if not someone is divisive like Senator Chea,” Carlor wonders.
“Our people never knew at first that they were electing a tribalist and they were referring to him as a peaceful and quiet man, the Liberian people once called him a bobo Senator not knowing he isn’t, but a tribalist who could not speak ill of his kinsman, former president George Weah’s failed regime,” Carlor lamented.
However, the man at the center of the allegation, Senator Augustine Chea has termed the allegation as trash and it does not worth his response.
Senator Chea said, “It is a complete trash that does not worth my response because the Sinoe people know me better than that and that’s all I can say.”
