From the erstwhile Liberia Produce Marketing Corporation (LPMC) to the Ministry of Agriculture and then to the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC) before becoming Liberia’s 29th Vice President for twelve (12) years, the former ruling Unity Party Standard Bearer Joseph Nyumah Boakai spent forty-five (45) years of his life feeding off government’s coffers as public official. Now, in his 80s, the former Liberian Vice President is sparing no effort to continue to be a “leech on the Government of Liberia by refusing to give way to the younger generation of his party to lead the charge.” To this, a group of predominantly young partisans of the former ruling party under the banner “Disenchanted Unity Partisans for the Re-election of President George Manneh Weah says they will not support the presidential bid of their standard bearer but work to ensure that President Weah gets a one round victory comes October 2023.
Presenting a petition statement at a program over the weekend in the Stephen Tolbert Estate community, the spokesperson of the group Thomas Tamba Bundoo said “We are tired of being in the Squanderers Kingdom where our resources and many opportunities have been squandered by the Squander in Chief and other Baby Squanderers, a place that people takes what belongs to babies and give it to dogs.”
According to him, they are suspending their membership with the former ruling Unity Party because they are tired of being “in an environment that is full of class system, where the voices of the commoners are always unheard, because they are not connected to people of a certain class.”
“We are disenchanted to be in a party that the political leader has a high level of ingratitude and insincerity. How can you worked for over forty years including 12 years as Vice President earned millions of dollars from taxpayers’ money and after squandering lot of opportunities which should have benefited the ordinary people, you still came back to tell the same people who opportunities you have squandered that you are living on loan. Fellow citizens, this is not just being insincere to men or to the State which you have been a liability on for over forty years, but it is also ungratefulness to God our provider.”
He apologized to President Weah for allowing themselves to be used by their political leader to rain insults on the president and government officials and sometimes instigate violence to paint a bad image of country and government.
“We will not support the Unity Party because officials of the party do not care about the wellbeing of their partisans, they will never show concern to you when you are sick, but they will support militants to carry on violence and insult government officials. When the militants are taken to the court, that would be the time they will drive in convoy to free the militants on bail. But God forbid, when you are even on your dying bed, they wouldn’t call you or reach out to you. I am a living witness to that,” he emphasized.
The group spokesperson argued that it is sheer deception for the former ruling party to demand the present ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) to deliver in six years what they could not do in 12 years. He pointed out that that is a blatant attempt to deceive those they desperately seek to rule over.
“We are tired of being in a party that is marked by a high level of deception. What they could not have done in 12 years but want someone to do it in 6 years. How possible is that? Where were you when Madam Sirleaf, your former standard-bearer and the recent past President of the Republic of Liberia said that after her term in office, the next government will suffer to recover the country? The Madam made said statement because she knew the collective danger that you people caused this country. And for the country to recover from said danger, it is only possible by an expert president, like H. E. Dr. George Mannah Weah who is currently doing just that. Can this country take five years to get out of the pit that you took 12 years to put it in? I say NO?” The outspoken youth and student activist maintained.
The former ruling party’s stalwart said the petition ceremony was delayed because news broke out that their standard bearer was hospitalized since they did not want to add insult to injury upon hearing that a significant number of his supporters had left to work for the re-election bid of President Weah. Mr. Bundoo disclosed that those who presented themselves as partisans of the Coalition for Democratic Change are members of the Alliance for Boakai Election that canvassed for the former Vice President in 2017 and not members of the CDC as they claimed.
In spite of the delay, the group said among other things, they were supporting the re-election bid of President Weah for the following reasons: the tuition free policy of all public universities and colleges across the country which has eased the financial burden on students who are attending public institutions in Liberia and the digitalization of the University of Liberia which made transactions very easier for students. Some of us who graduated from the University of Liberia are witnesses, before President Weah assumed state power, there were lot of barriers that prevented students from graduating soon. One of those key ones was the registration process: a student could leave his or her house by 5:00 AM, with the mindset of being the first in the line, unfortunately, he or she might be at spot 256t in the line. But today, with the innovativeness of President Weah, you can be right in your bedroom and plan your courses and pay your fees through the digital platform. Fellow citizens, isn’t that a practical approach to solving an age-old problem? I say YES, it’s!
Secondly, the WASSCE fees payment for all 12th graders in Liberia and the reimbursement of graduation fees of many private universities across the country which are being done by President Weah; the construction of feeder and major roads across the country; the construction of hospitals and other public buildings in the country; the construction of parks and youth friendly centers which will attract youth from going to unproductive areas and keep them in a safe environment and to transform them into productive adults; the promotion and protection of human rights and the maintenance of civil liabilities; President Weah’s ability to listen to the plights of his people and act accordingly and his kindness, generosity and gratitude he always shows to his fellowman.
“In view of the above, the Disenchanted Unity Party Partisans for President Weah Re-election is calling on all well thinking Liberians, to support President Weah by reelecting comes 2023 and we will also work earnestly to ensure that he is given a one round victory in order to maintain the pathway to the rapid development that our country is currently experiencing under the able leadership of H.E. Dr. Georgr Mannah Weah,” the group’s spokesperson said amid reverberation of battle cries.
Receiving the petition on behalf of President George Manneh Weah, the National Revolutionary Youth League Chairman of the Congress for Democratic Change, Emmanuel Mulbah Johnson said he is glad that the group of disenchanted partisans of the former ruling Unity Party have seen the light that is shining bright through the leadership of President Weah and made a conscious decision to join the efforts to re-elect the Liberian leader to continue the mammoth development the country is experiencing.
The CDC Youth League Chairman said it is unthinkable that an elderly man like former Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai would call Liberians mosquitoes while remaining adamant to relinquish his leech like status by his inability to survive outside of Government.
According to Chairman Johnson, he is bewildered by the fact that young people in the former ruling party to allow an aging man to perpetuate his hold onto the leadership of their party as if they do not have the capacity to lead.
“I am disappointed in the young people who are bowing to the whims and will of an individual in his 80s to lead them when all evidence show that he lacks the calories needed to perform,” he pointed out.
Youth Chairman Mulbah said the former Vice President has the attributes of leech that feeds on blood from other creatures by clinging onto Government jobs as his only source of survival without which he is nothing more than a beggar.
He accepted the apologies of the young people on behalf of President Weah and the government and lauded them for seeing the light that their former political leaders are struggling to comprehend.
The CDC Youth League Chairman spoke amid the chanting of slogans including “no to state funeral” and our father has come. Our stepfather is worried” as well as “President Weah’s one round victory is sure.
