Liberia: Opposition Reacts to President Weah's State of the Nation Address

Hon. Wilmot Paye reads the Opposition’s response

 January 28, 2019, the Liberian opposition parties (comprising of the LP, UP, ANC and the ALP) responded to the President’s State of the Nation Address. Read full response, which was read  by Hon. Wilmot Paye, Chairman of the Unity Party, below.

Fellow Liberians:

For over one year, we have endured tremendous hardships imposed on you by what is evidently one of the worst governments on the Planet. We thank GOD ALMIGHTY for HIS providence and leading, and for preventing Liberia from sliding right back into violence despite provocation from fanatics and diehards of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC). We also extend thanks and appreciation to our international partners and friendly governments for their continual contributions to the peace we all enjoy.Fellow Liberians, we just listened to President George Weah’s Annual Message presented to the Legislature as mandated by Article 58 of the 1986 Constitution. As expected, he failed yet again to assure us that he is committed to serving as president for all. On January 22, 2018, President Weah pledged “to end corruption, be president for all Liberians”, and change the unacceptable trend of Liberians being “spectators in their own economy”. What you have endured in the last year is contrary to the pledge made on January 22, 2018.
From all indications, not only are Liberians spectators in their own economy but they are now also effectively bystanders in the affairs of their own country. The president, his cronies and a handful of foreigners are the main actors and participants in the Liberian economy. And even more appalling is that some of his foreign “business” partners have horrible criminal past in their countries.
Public corruption has galloped out of control. Governance is characterized by skullduggery, bigotry, hypocrisy, falsehood, abuse and misuse of public office and power. Violation of the Constitution and laws of Liberia has become commonplace and is pervasive throughout the administration. The president and his officials are above reproach, violating laws and tearing down systems and procedures with impunity.
Despite his declaration in early 2018 that he inherited an “empty” treasury, a claim later refuted by his predecessor, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President Weah and his officials have only worsened Liberia’s woes. Daylight robbery motivated by insatiable greed is on the rampage. This has caused a total loss of confidence and trust in the governance system.
Liberia is now a society Balkanized into those “for” and “against” George Weah. Those perceived to be against Weah are viewed by senior members of the administration as “enemies of the state”. But in his message today, the president ignored the deepening division that he has caused in the country. His message showed no indication that his administration was committed to reconciling Liberia. Nevertheless, the president tried to deceive the world that Liberia is either still the country it was when he assumed office more than one year ago.
THE ECONOMY
The President’s message today portrayed Liberia, a country whose economy is already in free fall, as being “better”. Obviously, he just does not care about how many of you sleep hungry, how many Liberians are barely surviving, and how grim the prospects are for this economy to recover in the foreseeable future.
The president and his officials have destroyed whatever was left of the economy after the Ebola crisis. Yet, while you waited to hear some meaningful policy prescriptions for resuscitating the bleeding economy, he said nothing substantive to rekindle our hopes, reassure businesses, ensure investor’s confidence, and once more regain the respect of Liberia’s bilateral and multilateral partners. This is what a serious leader would do in difficult times.
With this attitude and posture, it is easy to predict that the Liberian economy will deteriorate further. This is worrisome. The country needs an immediate remedy. The administration does not seem to have the slightest idea of what to do in order to alleviate the suffering and hardships they have imposed on you within one year, which will only continue to intensify. The president’s message to the nation today was a waste of time because it failed to even hint at any concrete solution.
Our economy is declining exponentially. It is time to act. Otherwise, Liberia could be doomed forever. Today’s message has heightened fears and dampened whatever tinge of hope was left as you waited to hear any practical policy prescriptions on how to revamp the economic, return to good governance and avert further financial disasters that still lie ahead. We must act with some urgency to prevent the situation from degenerating into a humanitarian catastrophe. This has validated previous doubts about his capacity to. We do not think you should continue to take him seriously at all. The president failed to assuage Liberians.
The president and his cronies are celebrating while businesses are closing down, food prices are soaring and the prospects of jobs for young people graduating from colleges and universities grow dimmer, gloomier and grimmer.
Meanwhile, sick people are being turned away by hospitals and clinics and left to die at home because there are no medicines and such basic pieces of equipment as syringes. This is not a creation of the Opposition. We are not the one destroying the Liberian economy. Liberians know who is destroying this country in a manner never experienced since the civil war ended.
You do not (and will never) matter to them at all. They announced a tuition-free policy for all public universities and colleges, but visit our public institutions and community colleges across the country. They are no basic instructional materials. Because the administration has no moral compunction, it does not care about your plight. He failed disastrously to soothe a hungry population, needless to say assure or reassure you. He presented no panacea for salvaging this economy, and gave no clear direction on where the nation is headed. Simply put, what the president just delivered is an Annual Mess-Age; it lacks substance and this is not what the constitution prescribes.
Also, we have learned from very credible sources within the administration that Humming Bird is about to be awarded a Mineral Development Agreement (MDA). We are aware that the deal being proposed for this MDA will be injurious to the Liberian interest. In the wake of recent fraudulent loan deals that, we are urging both the Executive and Legislative Branches to cancel as it makes no economic sense for the Legislature to entertain such a deal.
Plans by the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) to seek authorization from the Legislature for the printing of additional Liberian banknotes amid the unresolved controversies surrounding the mysterious disappearance of about L$16bn are counterproductive and will only worsen an already difficult monetary situation.
We urge the Legislature not to grant this authorization for reasons they already know.
INCREASING LEVELS OF CORRUPTION
Fellow Liberians, you waited in vain for detailed explanation from the president on how the administration “infused” US$25m into the economy in response to last year’s monetary crisis. There is no trace of how US$17m of this amount it was used. For the first time since Liberia returned to democratic governance, we have a president whose finance minister does not prepare quarterly or mid-term reports as required by Law, the 2018/19 budget being a classic example. Instead, the finance minister is like a parrot perched on the branch of an oak tree programmed to make noise. That is not the function of a finance minister.
The president needed to provide satisfactory answers for questions surrounding the L$16bn (some say L$15bn, L$10.5bn) reported by his own Ministers of Justice and Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism to have gone “missing” last year. The message today provided no such answers other than what the nation has already heard.
He could not speak to these issues because of a previous position he had taken on this grave matter. Where is the report from the investigation commissioned by the president? We are shocked that the biggest scandal that has plagued this government will be addressed by two lines in the president’s message. What and irony!!! It looks like the nation should brace itself for many more millions, if not billions, to go “missing” without trace before the president leaves office.
We do not understand why the Legislature, a separate branch, has not shown interest in the grave issues that confront Liberia today.
We urge the 54th Legislature to immediately proceed to cancel the fraudulent EBOMAF, ETON and other dubious deals that have impugned on our nation’s reputation. More specifically, we encourage all opposition representatives and senators to demonstrate patriotism by pushing for cancellation of these and other criminal deals.
The vast majority of Liberians hate corruption, but the president has gowned and given it a top seat within his administration.
What did Weah say about it today? Nothing concrete at all because he lacks the moral rectitude to even mention it.
Do not take this year’s message seriously. Insofar as the president did not address your needs, concerns and the pains that you endure daily, his message lacks credibility. Remember that as you struggle to endure hardships imposed by bad governance fueled primarily by an unprecedented level of corruption, President Weah and his officials are busy enriching themselves. They are doing so at your expense. See what they have acquired for themselves in just one year despite the economy being in such a horrible state.
Besides, what you just heard from the president falls far short of fulfilling the requirements stipulated in the Liberian Constitution. It answers no questions about how his administration intends to tackle corruption. It fails to speak directly to the fiscal indiscipline and other myriad of financial improprieties that the president and his administration have caused in just one year.
Even the Public Financial Management (PFM) and Budget Laws are violated with impunity. The president and his team do not believe in accountability and transparency. This is one way they can fund their meaningless globe-trotting adventures.
They are wastefully spending your money. At the same time, they profess to be “working for you” or “in your interest”. This is false! They are serving their own selfish interests. That is why they ignore your views and are trying to suppress dissent with acts of violence. They want you to cheer for them as they loot.
You are probably unaware that the administration has acquired a private aircraft to facilitate the president’s foreign travels. The same president who had lied that he “inherited an empty treasury” is the one flying in a private aircraft procured with your money. That aircraft is kept abroad to avoid any possible public backlash. They want you to believe the aircraft belongs to a “friend”.
This is false! There is no wealthy person anywhere in the world to be so “generous” as to allow the leader of any nation use their aircraft for every travel. Who bears the cost of maintaining such an aircraft? The president may be thinking that you have no way of determining if the aircraft he flies in regularly was purchased last year. That was part of the criminal loan deals that the president struck last year against growing public outcries.
Besides, it makes no financial sense for George Weah to pretend to have “reduced” the salaries of public officials under the guise of instituting austerity measures while at the same time he has increased non-program expenditure by more than tenfold. This is criminal.
Also, the president tried to divert your attention from the alarming pace at which he and his officials have been accumulating real properties. This is in flagrant violation of the Liberian constitution and laws. This is the same president who declared before a US court prior to the 2017 elections that he was insolvent.
He pleaded to pay US$160 a month for child support. In a single year, however, he has undertaken enormous private building projects for himself.
As he does this, prices of commodities have gone through the roof. The Liberian economy is bleeding profusely. There are no recovery efforts in sight. Where is the president getting the millions from to fund his private ventures? As expected, today’s message avoided this question.
Urgent actions need to be taken to curtail the unending wave of corruption and bring to bear the full weight of the law on those culpable of looting state resources at the detriment of the people and the country.
VIOLATIONS OF THE CONSTITUTION & LAWS; NATIONAL SECURITY; GOVERNANCE AND RECONCILIATION
The first year having been a disaster, most Liberians expected the president to apologize for the countless laws and provisions of the constitution that he and his officials have already breached since January 2018. Even though these violations are grave and warrant impeachment proceedings too, he does not care. He has no interest in promoting the rule of law and good governance during his tenure. This is an assault on our democracy.
You waited for one year for the president to speak to issues of concern to you. You expected to hear his position on the frequent attacks on the fundamental freedoms and rights guaranteed by the Liberian Constitution but which are today violated with impunity.
Liberians are today denied their basic rights, which include the right to life, freedom of speech, freedom of press and expression, academic freedom, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion and the pursuit of happiness.
These rights and principles form the basis of our national policies and are no gift from any president. They are immutable. Their implementation or enforcement does not depend on whether or not a president deems it necessary. President Weah has no choice but to show respect for them and ensure their unhindered implementation or enforcement.
For those Liberians who might have anticipated genuine transformation during this era, events of the past one year are sufficient to make you rethink. You need a rude awakening. You need to realize that our governance system has now reached crisis level.
Our response and the calls we are making for quick action have absolutely nothing to do with partisan politics. This is not an opposition affair. We are talking about Liberia’s eternal survival. We are talking about the artificial hardships that you face daily while the president and his officials steal your resources for themselves. In fact, this is a “Rescue Liberia” mission! It is not about the regular CDC versus the Opposition. This is not the Liberia that even you in the CDC had expected to see under George Weah.
No, this is not about who has the capacity or muscles to unleash yet another round of violence. No, it is certainly not about violence. We are not talking here about encouraging, condoning and/or tolerating acts of violence. We detest violence against peaceful citizens and even violence against law-enforcement personnel. What we need is to restore sanity and decency.
But we know that when people feel directly threatened, they may be constrained to react in self-defense. If they have reason to believe that the Liberian National Police has been compromised and cannot guarantee their safety, they could react violently. The leadership of the LNP must choose between loyalty to the Liberian State and partisan allegiance to any group or political class. They must demonstrate that they have not been given any strict order to stand by as critics of the administration are physically attacked. The LNP leadership must be reminded again that the day of reckoning will surely come. When that day comes, they will account for their actions or inactions. In due course, you could be prosecuted.
Attacks against innocent citizens have become a routine. The continuous silence means tacit approval and complicity. This is a threat to peace. Soon the situation could spiral out of control.
Should the situation escalate before the president can show concern? When will he become the president that he swore to be? Who should answer these questions for him? He said nothing about this today.
Last year’s violence against the residents of Montserrado County’s District #13 during a by-election was not mentioned today. In that by-election, marauding bands of thugs brandishing deadly weapons disrupted a peaceful rally organized in support of Candidate Cornelia Kruah-Togba. That incident left many innocent citizens wounded. Even though the president was in the district campaigning for his party’s candidate when the attack took place, he ignored it.
So, it doesn’t matter to this president if scores of Liberians perished under his watch. As long as that is done in his name and against critics and political opponents, it does not matter. He will never bother to speak about it. He won’t as long as it does not serve his purpose. He has relegated the presidency to being an instrument for pursuing his narrow interests.
While the president was busy rehearsing his Annual Mess-Age, the nation woke up to reports of violence in the premises of a high school where Representative Yekeh Kolubah was hosting an event for children in his district. That event was violently disrupted by thugs led by an assistant minister. Even though many of the children were seriously wounded, that assistant minister is being celebrated by the administration. He is a free man while parents are struggling to pay the medical costs for children wounded by his action.
Representative Kolubah himself later informed Liberians and the world that his residence had come under gunfire during the early hours of January 21, 2019. According to him, the Liberian National Police simply stood by. In a country that had undergone nearly two decades of institutionalized mayhem, this is worrisome.
Yet, today’s message was not to address an issue as grave and life-threatening as this and other acts of violence. You probably expected that a reasonable reaction from any serious leader would have been to apologize to parents whose kids were wounded as a result of that assistant minister’s barbarity and bring that idiot to face the full weight of the law. This was never done.
What the president presented today was a compilation far removed from the harsh reality that you face. What he said today was simple. “You can cry and cry and cry and cry, but you will eventually get exhausted and capitulate to my whims and caprices. So, it is up to you”. This is further evidence of arrogance and callous insensitivity.
For one year, this has been the hallmark of his administration. It shows that his administration will continue to downplay your pains and plight. This spells danger for Liberia. Such attitude is reminiscent of the days of anarchy. This is why we must put aside our ego, sectional, tribal, partisan and other parochial interests to unite in one accord. We must insist on an immediate and unconditional return to the rule of law. We cannot detour to lawlessness.
Look at how Liberia is gliding toward lawlessness under this president’s watch. This is happening under someone who served as UNICEF Ambassador for Peace, Chairman of a Peace and Reconciliation Committee. Is he serious about administering the affairs of Liberia? Should we all sit supinely and allow the president to proceed as he is doing and yet expect any different outcome in 2019 and beyond? We need to act before it is too late.
We must however act within the limits of the Constitution and Laws of Liberia. Under our constitution, citizens can act if their happiness is threatened. Liberia’s survival is under direct threat from this Government. This is the reality we face. For the first time in nearly fifteen (15) years, the culture of impunity is posing a more direct and serious threat to our peace. So, Liberians must stand together now!
We need unity in voice, purpose and action. Self should step aside. Now that you know who your new oppressors are, it is time to unite behind the “Voice of Reason”. Let us make the president and his administration do what is constitutional, legal, right, fair and just. They cannot continue as they did for one year. We need to save Liberia from greed.
You can work to preserve Liberia’s peace. You can help to restore the country’s dignity and raise your self-esteem again. We need to restore confidence and trust in our governance system.


In fact, governance must be about Liberians. Your happiness and satisfaction, as provided under our constitution, must be stressed every step of the way. No president should be allowed to undermine this.


We must never forget that more than 200,000 of our fellow citizens were slaughtered for the peace and democracy that the president and his administration are taking for granted. The human sacrifice was enormous. We have journeyed too far to be pulled back. It does not matter who is at the helm of political power in Liberia. Let wrongs be recognized as wrongs. They never mutate. Only the perpetrators change from time to time.


Additionally, there has to be an immediate end to the deliberate destruction of integrity systems and institutions. These integrity systems were designed to improve governance. They are the only civilized way whereby we can hold public officials accountable. Through these means, we had regained our reputation as a respectable member within the comity of nations. Yet, within a single year, that reputation has vanished! Liberia has once more become an example of a country with bad governance.


The president does not honor our commitment under the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). Procedures, laws and systems for Public Procurement and Concession have been breached. His refusal last year to declare his assets was to pave the way for his personal projects and private financial ventures.


If we do not take actions together to stop the waves of violations, the ultimate negative effect will be anarchy. Obviously, no Liberian wants anarchy. The president and his officials may be the only exception because they are the perpetrators.


Meanwhile, a campaign of witch hunt against critics and political opponents is underway at the all levels. Civil servants perceived to be “against Weah” are intimidated and dismissed. This is a grave situation. In a country wherein Government remains the biggest employer, the president does not care if many Liberians are dismissed to make way for his fanatics. You can now understand why he won’t say anything about violence against critics and opponents. It benefits him.


These are crimes against humanity that shall never go unpunished. It does not matter how long it takes. It is foolhardy for anyone to think that this administration can suppress dissent by intimidating critics and opponents. Maybe they have forgotten that every single act of lawlessness and violence perpetrated strengthens our resolve. It is helping to intensify the ongoing battle for the soul of Liberia.


Why was a National Population and Housing Census not held in 2018 (ten years after 2008) as provided by the 1986 Constitution of Liberia? Obviously, funding cannot be the excuse for an administration that spent more than US$1m to facilitate the president’s travels in one year, and is likely to spend at least US$10m on the president’s travels in six years. The refusal to organize a national census is a violation of the 1986 Liberian constitution. We will challenge any attempt to organize it this year.


Also, while the Legislature was on recess last year, the president appointed and commissioned George S. S. Patten, Sr. as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States of America and Canada. This is in flagrant violation of the Liberian Constitution. We therefore call on the Liberian Senate to insist on Mr. Patten’s immediate recall.


The situation in the country is troubling. The 54th Legislature should disprove growing suspicion among Liberians that it has now become an auxiliary organ of the presidency. The serious and decent members of this Branch need to promptly investigate all acts of violence and the many grave issues confronting the country but which the Executive Branch is downplaying. The 54th Legislature cannot join the president’s cheering squads. As we say here in Liberia, “Small shame is better than big shame”. So, you can redeem your image now!


The culture of impunity must stop now! This must stop before the 2020 senatorial election! Liberians have already suffered too much from violence and can tolerate it no further. Violence, as history has shown, will only beget violence. You must join us to save Liberia from its new predators.


We thank those senators and representatives who have distinguished themselves so far. Continue to stand up for Liberia. You are not alone in this fight. The Legislature should not be seen as abdicating its constitutional duty to the Executive Branch. There must be respect for the principle of separation of powers as enshrined in the 1986 Liberian Constitution. You cannot continue to allow the president to be above reproach.


In recent times there have been countless reports in both the local and international media about cyber violations. Even the British Government has prosecuted and convicted a hacker who was reported to have infiltrated Liberia’s GSM system.


It is strange that the Government of Liberia has remained mute on this development, which raises further questions and doubts not only about its commitment to growing the economy and protecting Liberia’s interest, but also the security of the nation.


We therefore call for an investigation into this situation insofar as it will reaffirm Liberia’s commitment under the International Telecommunications Union.


Fellow Liberians, you will note that President Weah made no mention of serious governance and other structural reforms in government. He was more concerned with seeking to repeal Laws that grant tenured positions to institutions of government that should promote good governance and integrity in the public service. Towards this end, we the four Collaborating Political Parties commit to mount pressure on the government and constructively engage our foreign partners to help institute the necessary reforms in our Electoral System to ensure Free, Fair and Transparent elections in 2020, 2023 and onward.


SEPARATION OF RELIGION AND STATE


Last week the president and his officials celebrated one year in office. What were they celebrating? They were celebrating their successful looting of Liberia. They celebrated their unlawful acquisition of properties at your expense. Indeed, they had to celebrate.


They celebrated your suffering. They are glad that you are enduring excruciating hardships while they enjoy your resources.


They celebrated the violence that their thugs and fanatics unleash against innocent citizens, which is now a routine. They will continue to celebrate a further dismemberment of the economy. They have nothing to offer you. They do not care if your children drop out of school because you cannot afford to pay their fees. They do not care if hospitals and clinics are empty of medicines and have therefore become temporary funeral homes rather than being treatment centers. They just do not and will not care.


While they were celebrating their looting of Liberia in disregard for the sufferings you have endured under his watch, one of the president’s spiritual advisors chose to insult your intelligence and abuse the moral sanctity of the nation. There are many genuine Christian preachers. They are on bended knees praying for Liberia. The Liberian clergy has always spoken out against societal ills. We value their courage to stand for the truth and with the suffering masses, as the Bible demands of them.


Religious leaders of every faith have never at any time forsaken the people. They see their sufferings and empathize with them.


Their mission has always been to give people hope in times of difficulties and pains. The Islamic Community has been outspoken against evil and ills in our Society. They expose ills and help to direct the nation and its people toward a morality that recognizes their plight and identifies with them in their sufferings. Liberians of all walks of life value their contributions.


But as he and his officials celebrated one year in office last week, the president listened as one of his religious advisors hurled insults at those who disagree with the way they have wrongly conducted the affairs of the nation so far. That event was held in a church founded, owned and operated by Isaac Winker, a close relative of the president and who also serves on the Board of JFK. Winker’s insults and pronounced “curses” were not simply directed at the president’s critics and political opponents. Instead, they were an assault on Freedom.


You are also aware that our constitution prohibits the establishment of any State religion. That is why we condemn the president’s decision to establish what, evidently, looks like a desperate move to regiment the entire machinery of Government toward the president’s unclear religious beliefs. Sooner or later public officials and civil servants will be intimidated and their true “loyalty” questioned if they do not subscribe to the president’s religious beliefs. Any theology that encourages the president to establish his own religion (whether church or mosque) while he is yet in office violates the Liberian constitution. His message failed to address this grave matter. In fact, he owes the religious community and the entire citizenry apologies for undermining the principle of separation of religion and state.


CONCLUSION


Is the president not ashamed that the economy is in tatters and that it will decline further? Is he unaware that businesses are closing down? That Liberians are being thrown out of business to make way for the president, his cronies and handful of foreign partners? Haven’t government ministries and agencies become idle because this administration is characterized by gross incompetence? Did he say anything about this in his mess-age (i.e. mess+age)?


It was obvious that the president would harp about minimal efforts commenced to continue road and other works started years ago. We appreciate this. What one administration initiates, its successor should continue, especially with the blueprint available. Many of the ongoing projects were in their different implementation phases long before this administration came into being on January 22, 2018. What is at issue here is the violation of the PFM and Public Procurement Laws in disbursing funds for these projects.


Besides, where could the administration have begun from with its lack of direction and glaring incompetence if these projects had not been initiated before he assumed office? So the argument cannot be about who should claim credit. How the economy is performing is a major concern to Liberians. You Liberians wanted to hear from the president on how he intends to change the deteriorating trend and put the country back on course. He failed to do this today.


What you Liberians demand urgently is an integrated approach to development that prioritizes the key sectors to make them productive once again. You are anxious to see a model that identifies practical ways to solve our social, economic, political and cultural problems. You expected to hear how the president intends to: maintain peace and security; promote democratic good governance and the rule of law; make agriculture real and productive once again (i.e. food and cash crop production for domestic consumption and export); improve health-care services through hospitals, health centers and clinics that are operating at their full capacity; improve Liberia’s global image and geopolitical standing; make Liberia business-friendly and competitive once more; take steps to end corruption as he swore to do; make real the so-called tuition-free policy for public universities and colleges as pronounced last year and remove suspicion that the utterance was a mere publicity stunt; continue efforts geared toward improving the quality of education; reconcile a deeply divided country; protect foreign direct investments while attracting new investors; govern Liberia for all Liberians and not for his cheering squads or one small segment of society; recognize that despite the fraudulent nature of the 2017 elections, at least 62% of Liberians rejected his leadership and therefore cannot be overlooked; make real the promise that Liberians will not be “spectators in their own economy”; and stop the witch hunt and clampdown against dissent and punish those employing violence in his name, etc.


We hope that the same interest, enthusiasm, energy, devotion, alacrityand speed with which the Legislature has proceeded to entertain impeachment proceedings against a member of the Supreme Court Bench will be shown in pushing for impeachment proceedings against the president for violation of the Constitution and laws of Liberia.


We call on the Legislature to initiate this action now because his administration has already violated Articles 14, 39, 62, 90 of the Liberian constitution, the Public Financial Management (PFM), Anti-Corruption, and Public Procurement and Concessions Laws. These laws were enacted to promote good governance.


We are prepared to work with those representatives and senators who will take up these violations. They are too grave to be ignored. If at the stroke of a pen the Legislature could entertain impeachment proceedings against a member of the Judiciary, what about instituting a similar action against the president for the many violations recorded within a single year? Should the Legislature wait for all provisions of the constitution to be violated before acting?


We will support and stand with those lawmakers who will muster the courage to take up this patriotic challenge. We will stand with you all the way. Wherever necessary, we will mobilize the whole nation behind this cause. We must remove the growing threat to our democracy and peace.


We appreciate recent utterance by the President Pro tempore of The Senate in assuring Liberians that Associate Justice Jan’eh will be accorded due process. We also laud the pronouncement that the so-called Dual Citizenship Bill cannot be considered in the absence of the appropriate constitutional amendment. The submission of such a bill without first considering the constitutional implications was a serious blunder.


Finally, as the nation bleeds from economic wounds inflicted on it by the CDC-led administration, today the President elected to present no clear policy prescriptions to remedy this situation. He downplayed the grave issue of corruption. In today’s message, he made no mention of measures that his administration has taken to end this menace. We expected this avoidance because he himself is wrapped up in the corruption blanket.


But you cannot avoid reality. A government that shows no remorse for or genuine commitment to addressing the issues and concerns of the citizenry and continuously encourages bad governance does not deserve their respect. We know that you certainly do not believe a word the president said today.


May GOD ALMIGHTY bless and save our wonderful and great Nation. Unity all the way!