Published: April 15, 2026
MONROVIA — Alternative National Congress Political Leader Alexander B. Cummings accused the Unity Party-led government Tuesday of applying a political double standard in its push to expel Montserrado County District 10 Representative Yekeh Y. Kolubah, arguing that the same outspoken style now being treated as grounds for removal was celebrated when Kolubah was targeting the previous administration.
“During the CDC-led administration, Yekeh was tolerated as a necessary voice against the ills of that administration,” Cummings wrote on Facebook. “Today, under the Unity Party-led government, his remarks are suddenly grounds for expulsion. That is the height of hypocrisy.”
The push to remove Kolubah stems from comments he made about the Liberia-Guinea border dispute in Lofa County, in which he suggested the contested land belongs to Guinea and should be ceded. Kolubah framed the remarks around a prior statement by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai. “The president said God is not making new land, right? God is not also making new land, so they should Guinea their land,” he said.
The comments drew swift backlash from fellow lawmakers, including Deputy House Speaker Thomas P. Fallah, who argued that free speech does not extend to statements capable of inflaming tensions between neighboring states.
Cummings pushed back sharply, arguing that democracy is measured precisely by its tolerance for uncomfortable views.
“Liberia’s commitment to free speech is not tested by the words we like, but rather it is tested by the words that unsettle the nation. That is the true measure of tolerance and free speech,” he said.
Beyond the constitutional argument, Cummings questioned the practical wisdom of the expulsion effort, noting that removing Kolubah would trigger a by-election the country may not be financially positioned to conduct.
“It will not change the price of gasoline, nor will it make electricity stable. It will not reduce the price of goods and services nor will it create farm-to-market roads. It will only soothe some egos, cost taxpayers more money, and further undermine our young democracy,” Cummings said. “This in no way benefits the people.”
He warned that punishing a lawmaker for dissent, regardless of how uncomfortable that dissent may be, sets a precedent with consequences that extend well beyond Kolubah.
“This is not democracy. It is a double standard that we should resist,” he said, urging lawmakers championing the expulsion to redirect their energy toward issues affecting ordinary Liberians.
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