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 An Official
Response to the Public Agenda Publication
On
Friday, October 23, 2009, Marylanders in the Diaspora and in Liberia
were awakened by an unfortunate and a negative news coverage contained
in an article purportedly published by the Public Agenda Online News
Magazine captioned, “U.S. Based Marylanders At Each Other Throat”.
The Public Agenda made its assertion while reporting on an interview that was supposedly given by Senator Gloria B. Scott of Maryland County in regards to her recent trip to the United States at which time she addressed the 7th National Convention of the National Maryland County Association of Liberia, U.S.A., generally referred to as NAMCAL, USA, Inc. After reading the Public Agenda article, and in my capacity as National President of NAMCAL, USA, I immediately contacted Senator Gloria Scott in order to obtain from her the basis of her comments on the state of affairs of our organization. Our attempt to contact Senator Scott was very important because during her visit to the United States, the issue of Dr. Mariah Seton’s administration was never discussed. Moreover, the general elections that ushered in our new corps of national officers during the 7th Annual Convention held in New York on September 26, 2009 were executed fairly and flawlessly. And so we were very eager to hear what Senator Scott had to say about the Public Agenda article.
During our telephone conversation, I asked Senator Gloria Scott about her comments as reported by the Public Agenda Online News Magazine. Senator Scott informed me that she had not personally seen the article in question but confirmed that she had an interview with the Public Agenda News Magazine. The Honorable Senator further added that her comments were incorrectly reported and assured me that she would look at what was written and then write a rebuttal to the article.
It is has been over three weeks since we last spoke with Senator Scott and to date, she has yet to respond to the Public Agenda article as she promised. Therefore, it is encumbered upon me to clarify the negative statements that were irresponsibly published about the National Maryland County Association of Liberia, USA by the Public Agenda Online News Magazine. First, we want to make it emphatically clear that U.S. based Marylanders are not at each other’s throat contrary to the Public Agenda assertion. Marylanders in the U.S are instead working very hard to empower Marylanders in Maryland County, Liberia. Furthermore, we want to admonish the general public that Marylanders in the United States are hardworking and generous individuals who are continuously working to improve the quality of life of Marylanders in Maryland County.
Secondly, the National Maryland County Association of Liberia, USA (NAMCAL) was established in 2002 with the primary goal to assist Marylanders residing in Liberia. The organization is comprised of nine independent organizations also known as member chapters spread out in 9 different states throughout the United States of America. NAMCAL is not an individual member organization as implied in the Public Agenda article.
Thirdly, Dr. Maria Seton is not the National President of NAMCAL as was reported by the Public Agenda Online News Magazine. Dr. Seton served as NAMCAL’s first president from September 27, 2003 – September 25, 2004. Since then NAMCAL has hosted six successful national conventions and elected 3 successive national administrations. Also, there was no time in the seven-year history of NAMCAL when Dr. Mariah Seton sued the organization in the State of New York as alluded to by the Public Agenda Online News Magazine. The lawsuit of Dr. Seton vs. NAMCAL was heard in Chicago, Illinois and the misunderstanding which arose due to that lawsuit was amicably resolved more than five years ago. NAMCAL is now in its third administration and has since moved on.
Although the experience gained from the above situation is one that we at NAMCAL look back on with regrets, it has nevertheless strengthened our resolve and heightened our desire to help Marylanders in Maryland County. There has been no time when Marylanders in the United States were “at each other’s throats”. We in NAMCAL believe in the expression of different ideas and we have managed to do that respectfully. NAMCAL has grown to be a very prestigious organization that is highly respected by other organizations.
Over the past seven years, NAMCAL has contributed immensely to many development projects in Maryland County and has made significant financial contributions as well. Through its member chapters and National capacity, NAMCAL has supported several projects including the provision of scholarships to needy students and children in Maryland County and the granting of small business loans to market women in Maryland County as well as the procurement of chairs for schools in Pleebo and Harper cities. NAMCAL has also implemented teacher training workshops for teachers in Maryland County and has procured and distributed over $5,000.00 (US Dollars) worth of drugs and other hospital materials to health facilities operating in Maryland County. In 2007, NAMCAL purchased a 6.5 KVA diesel generator and donated it to Pleebo High School. At present, NAMCAL is in the process of providing classroom materials and supplies to the newly established William V.S. Tubman University in Maryland County. These are just a few of the many ways in which NAMCAL is impacting the lives of our fellow Marylanders in Maryland County.
We are therefore very disappointed that Senator Gloria Scott and the Public Agenda Online News Magazine would focus their interview on the past negative experience of NAMCAL instead of highlighting the remarkable efforts of NAMCAL and its member chapters and the wonderful job we are doing for Marylanders in Liberia.
In closing, I would like to take this time to caution news organizations and media institutions to always be mindful and prudent in reporting facts to the public regardless of the source. I also hope that Senator Gloria Scott will make all efforts to ensure that her comments are placed in their appropriate context as she had intended. Signed: Dr. Felicia Lamptey President, NAMCAL-USA, Inc.
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