By: Archie Boan
A memorial service intended to solemnly celebrate the life and legacy of the late Professor Alhaji Garxim Varmuyan Kromah turned into a powerful political statement as keynote speaker Dr. H. Boima Fahbulleh delivered a blistering address condemning corruption and what he described as failed leadership in recent years.
The program, held at the All Liberia Coalition Party (ALCOP) headquarters along the Japanese Freeway, Somalia Drive in Montserrado County, brought together partisans, political actors, and supporters to honor the founding father of ALCOP four years after his passing.
Professor Kromah, born February 11, 1953, and who died January 18, 2022, was remembered as a nationalist, intellectual and statesman who carried ALCOP’s banner into the July 1997 and October 2005 presidential elections. Speakers hailed him as a man of conviction, discipline, and social justice whose political voice shaped a generation of Liberian discourse.
But it was Fahbulleh’s fiery remarks that electrified the gathering.
“Cons and thieves cannot be our children’s example,” he declared.
“Don’t force us to tell our children to follow cons and thieves. Our children must know who their heroes are, those who have bled, those who have gone to prison, and people who have struggled here.”
In what appeared to be a pointed reference to members of the former Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC)-led government, Fahbulleh accused unnamed officials of deceiving the Liberian people with rhetoric while allegedly looting public resources.
“You came here pretending to have a solution. You have no solution. The record shows that you are criminals,” he said. “I told the President, let the LACC check all those rascals. You came here and deceived our people with rhetoric, looted our country, and you think you are smart.”
The audience responded with applause as he warned that those he accused should not assume impunity.
“But we will be around. We are still around. When the time comes, we’ll be here,” Fahbulleh asserted, cautioning that Liberia must never relive what he described as the “tragedy” that once engulfed the nation.
Despite the sharp political undertones, Fahbulleh anchored his message in the legacy of the late Professor Kromah, describing him as a man whose life symbolized integrity and resistance against injustice.
“We say to all of you, thanks for coming to honor the memory of a great man; the fighting spirit of our comrade and brother Alhaji G.V. Kromah, who was honest, compassionate about social justice,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, ALCOP Political Leader Lusanne Kamara struck a reflective tone, urging unity and continuity of Kromah’s ideals. He described the late professor as a moral compass whose voice resonated beyond partisan politics.
“We came here to honor the man whose voice carried the conscience of Liberia, whose fate lifted our collective efforts and a man whose values became the heartbeat of a national identity,” Kamara said.
“His voice was not mere speeches but guarded us in times of uncertainties.”
Kamara acknowledged Kromah’s resilience and commitment to unifying the Muslim community and Liberia at large, calling on partisans to emulate his discipline, courage, and dedication to national cohesion.
The memorial blended prayer, tribute, and political reflection, reinforcing Professor Kromah’s enduring influence within ALCOP and the broader Liberian political landscape. Even in death, speakers suggested, his name remains synonymous with struggle, principle, and an uncompromising call for justice.
