Progressive Alliance of Liberia

The Progressive Alliance of Liberia (PAL) was an opposition political movement formed in 1975 in Liberia led by group of Liberians from the United States and local students. The Political Education Team of the organization was organized, prepared, and awarded certificates by and under the signature of the founding Chairman of PAL, Gabriel Baccus Matthews. Members of the Political Education Team of six young Liberian students were:

• Nathaniel O. Beh
• Thomas Z. Deyagbo
• Michael C.G. George
• Saywalah Kesselly
• Jesus Swaray

The sixth member has never been identified.

This Monrovia-based organization, PAL, at the time was responsible for the door-to-door campaign, and organizing opened meetings in the nation on the voluntary basis, for the organization’s political awareness programs in boroughs including, New Kru Towns, Bozy’s Quarter, Slipway, Westpoints, Airfield, Lakpahsu Sinkor and as well as other areas within the entire Monrovia metropolitans. The organization also had a general coordinator in the metro areas, D. Kahn Carlor. The Progressive Alliance Of Liberia was not a political party as mentioned in some quarters; rather, it was the founding organization of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) that gave birth to the fierce and aggressive opposition movement in Liberia against the dangerous grand old True Whig Party, in Liberian politics. Prior to PAL and, subsequently, the PPP the True Whig Party had eliminated many members of the opposition members through false accusations of sedition that in most cases, gradually led to their deaths or imprisonment with regular torture.

The PAL was not a Marxist organization, and had no desire to be one. The organization used provisions and articles in the Constitution of the Republic of Liberia in all of its activities of formulation of local branches in other parts of the country. It had its Secretary General, Mr.Oscar J. Quah, in Nimba County, organizing similarly as were done in the boroughs of Monrovia. Mr. Quah frequently visited the Central Monrovia Office even while he believed the processes of mobilization for PAL would be more secured from the hinterland of the Republic. Unlike Chairman Matthews, who believed Monrovia would be a better and aggressive starting point for the initiative, Secretary General Quah’s point was well understood since indeed, the GOP (the True Whig Party) at the time, would not tolerate opposition members, had not done so in the past, and was not indicating that it would.

Opposition parties that did not agree with the True Whigs or its philosophies and practices (especially those that did not believe in the "so says one, so say all" concepts and the massive corruption in governance to add, were considered enemies of the Republic, falsely accused of sedition, arrested and imprisoned.