Cllr Varney Sherman Visits Nashville, Tennessee

Presidential candidate for the Liberian Action Party (LAP), Cllr. H. Varney G. Sherman was accompanied by campaign officials to Nashville, TN, January 21-23, 2005 to meet with supporters and well wishers. The delegation included Mrs. Joyce Sherman, Mr. Henry Clements (Chairman, Liberians for Good Governance (LIGG)), Mr. I. Rimisa Williams, Sr., Mr. Lysander Phillips, Mr. Elliott Acolatse, Jr., Mr. I. Rimisa Williams, Jr., Mr. Joe Williamson, Mr. and Mrs. Mohammedu Jones and Mr. Emmett Metzger.

Cllr. Sherman and guests were officially welcomed to Nashville, TN by Mr. Stephen D. Harvey, the local Chairman for Varney Sherman for President Campaign Committee on Friday, January 21, 2005. Mr. Harvey accompanied the delegation to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Moore where lunch and refreshment were served. Later that evening, Cllr. Sherman and guests were invited to Mrs. Kelita Sherman’s house for a meeting of local members of the Varney Sherman for President Campaign Committee. Members present included Mr. Othello Harvey, Sr., Mr. Othello Harvey, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. John Sherman, Jr., Dr. Alfred Shaw, Dr. and Mrs. Greene Ekadie, Mrs. Margaret Sirleaf and the hostess, Mrs. Sherman. Cllr. Sherman informally briefed the gathering on recent political developments in Liberia followed by dinner hosted by the local committee.

On Saturday, January 22, 2005, Cllr. Sherman was invited as a special guest to a program entitled “ Summit on Liberia: A Town Hall Meeting” held at the St. James Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville, TN. Mr. Henry Clements introduced the occasion and informed the audience that Cllr. Varney Sherman was the best candidate among those contending for the presidency in Liberia. He asserted that given Cllr. Sherman’s vision for Liberia, Liberians for Good Governance decided to pledge full support for his candidacy. Mr. Joe Williamson introduced special guests and the guest speaker, Cllr. Sherman amidst applauses.

Cllr. Sherman began his remarks by recounting the prominence of LAP in the political arena in Liberia. He also referred to the 1985 presidential election as the one stolen from LAP. He mentioned the significance of the rooster on the logo of LAP as being the one that announces the dawn of day. Cllr. Sherman said in the October 2005 presidential election, the cock will crow again and this time, the darkness over Liberia will be removed by our victory. Cllr. Sherman reiterated that the removal of darkness requires not only educated leadership but also one that is enlightened and committed to moving Liberia forward.

Cllr. Sherman was also pleased to be in a town hall meeting forum because he said, “As Liberians when we gather, there is a summit going on”. He welcomed and thanked all Liberians and guests that came out, especially the African Americans represented. Participants at the summit were from Georgia, Kentucky, Indiana and the host state, Tennessee. He then recalled the historical ties between Liberia, the United States of America and the American Colonization society. Cllr. Sherman briefly gave his vision for Liberia which included inclusiveness of all Liberians, a Liberianization policy, health care, education, national security, sustained peace and stability, re-integration of ex-combatants into society, corruption in government and decentralization of power by the central government.

When asked about education and health care, Cllr. Sherman stated that they were not debatable issues and assured the audience that any passionate presidential candidate will place high priority on them. Education should be made available for all Liberians over time. On Health care, he said a system has to be put in place and be structured under the close guidance of doctors, hospital administrators, nurses and other professionals. He also would put more emphasis on preventive measures and less on curative measures.

On peace, security and stability, Cllr. Sherman acknowledged that Liberia experienced significant brain drain during the course of the war and even prior to that. He admonished Liberians to return home and invest in Liberia. He said in his view that it would be wise to keep the UN peacekeepers in Liberia for some time period while our police and soldiers are re-trained.

Cllr. Sherman also addressed decentralization in detail. He believes that superintendents should be elected by their local constituents and not be appointed by the President. This will make them more accountable to their local people and not the central government. Cllr. Sherman further said that a certain percentage of revenue derived from natural resources should be retained in those localities and not the central government getting everything to re-distribute. This will give the local counties some degree of economic emancipation to determine their own developmental goals.

Cllr. Sherman also addressed transparency and corruption in government. In response to a question on the acquisition of over night wealth by government officials, he mentioned that he will not hesitate for a moment to lock up corrupt government officials, irrespective of their affiliation or friendship with him. The criminal justice system has to be changed to prevent corrupt officials from hiding behind “presumption of innocence until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubts”. Cllr. Sherman would like to see a system where you are presumed guilty and the burden of innocence placed on the accused.

On the question of preferential treatment for women to be more involved in government, Cllr. Sherman made it clear that there will be no quotas for any section of the population. Everyone will have to compete for his job based on his credentials and not on the basis of who knows you, your Masonic association, church or tribal group. He cautioned that members in his government would be held accountable at a higher standard and job performance will be a major factor in achieving this goal.

The town hall meeting moderator, Rev. Thomas J. Rainsbury, Jr., Pastor, Gravel Hill Missionary Baptist Church, Bethpage, TN, thanked Cllr. Sherman for his participation in the summit and for the splendid job done in addressing the audience. Closing remarks were made by Mrs. Ophelia Harvey who thanked Cllr. Sherman and guests for coming to Nashville, TN. The audience responded with applauses followed by the singing of the Liberian National Anthem.

Cllr. Varney Sherman and delegation attended church services at Stocker’s Lane Church of God. The Senior Pastor, Elder John W. Batts, Jr., welcomed Cllr. Sherman and party to the church and later in the service he was asked to make remarks. He thanked them for the invitation and asked for prayers for Liberia as we approach the October 2005 presidential election. Cllr. Sherman briefly described the 14-year civil war and the numerous problems facing Liberia. Cllr. Sherman met with some members of the congregation after the service for photos and he addressed some concerns about the pending 2005 presidential election.

After church services, Cllr. Sherman and guests attended a luncheon hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Othello Harvey, Sr. following eon, Cllr. Sherman met with local members of the Varney Sherman for President Campaign Committee for a final briefing. Cllr. Sherman and delegation departed Nashville, TN shortly thereafter for Maryland.