Monrovia – The group under the banner Economic Freedom Fighters of Liberia (EFFL) has reacted sharply to President George Manneh Weah’s first State of the Nation address delivered to the Legislature on January 29, 2018.
In a release issued on Wednesday, February 14, the group, referring to the President’s call for citizenship to be granted to non Negro descents said the President’s view and understanding of the constitution is flawed, unrealistic, unfortunate, and totally out of the spirit of pan Africanism.
“Fellow Liberians, as if insulting, molesting and denigrating our citizens by these people are not enough, our President is calling on us to grant the Lebanese citizenship as a token of gratitude for treating us like foreigners in the land of our birth and rewarding them for sponsoring his campaign during the 2017 elections.
Even as wicked as former President Sirleaf might have to us, at no point did she endeavor to enslave us by giving our land to Lebanese and Indians through citizenship,” EFFL avowed.
It can be recalled that President Weah in his annual message asserted that the “framer of the constitution may have had every reason and justifications to include these restrictions in that historic document,” and added that “the great objectives of forming these colonies were meant to provide a home for the depressed and oppressed children of Africa, and to regenerate and enlighten this unenlightened continent.”
He however went on to say that in the 21st century, he is of the view that these threats no longer exist and that these conditions have changed and keeping such a clause in the Liberian Constitution is unnecessary, racist, and inappropriate for the place that Liberia occupies in the comity of nations.
But the group insists that the founders and forefathers of the republic established this land as the original home for Africans and Negros only, and not to those Lebanese, Indians, Chinese who they claimed are abusing “our sisters and brothers in their supermarkets and stores on the daily basis.”
It recalled that the constitution Review Committee did an extensive consultation with Liberians and as such “devilish proposal of making white people citizens was vehemently rejected.
It stated that South Africa, Zimbabwe, Djibouti and other African countries are still grappling with the effect of a “white man’s citizenship,” adding: “with recent statement coming from our President, the EFFL is concerned about the President’s sense of Patriotism and in fact which country is he really President for.”
The group in the release signed by its “Commander In Chief,” Emmanuel O. Gonquoi called on the President to refrain from making statements and advancing policies that it says will undermine the social existence and culture values of the Liberian people.
“We encourage Mr. Weah to focus on designing programs and agendas that will enable Liberians to own concessions in our country. It is now cleared that agriculture has proven to be the engine of growth in many economies.
We therefore caution Mr. Weah to pay keen attention to developing merchandise farm for food security and greater employment for the over 90 percent unemployed youth who in fact voted him to power,” the group urged.