Monrovia – Young people from Grand Gedeh County are calling on President George Weah to also include citizens from their county into his government as he appoints his officials.
Report by Henry Karmo – [email protected]
The Grand Gedean youths are contending that their county has been a political stronghold in making Mr. Weah President.
They want him focus his appointments on their county to have a full reflection of people who stood with him during his political struggling days rather than those, who lately came around after it was clear the Presidency was already within his reach.
This newspaper gathered that the protest was masterminded by one Jeremiah Sokan, a son of Grand Gedeh County, who seeks to become the Executive Director for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Sokan has, however, denied being behind the protest actions which were contained in a release from the young people of the county.
According to sources closed to the Presidency, the pressure from the group is intended to force President Weah to appoint one of their kinsmen to be appointed the head of the EPA.
“They are preaching divisive politics and doing all kinds of thing to put the President against the people of Grand Gedeh County.
“This is not fair. Tthis government is not for one county”.
“This President is not tribal. We want them to desist from such act and allow this government to take shape,” a very senior official close to the President remarked.
He doesn’t want his name mention as he was one of those who had campaigned with the President in the Southeast, including Grand Gedeh County.
Mr. Sokan, who is the alleged mastermind of the protest release, competed in 2017 as a representative candidate in Grand Gedeh County against incumbent Representative Zoe Pennue but lost.
He is said to have campaigned in the county openly for the former ruling Unity Party standard bearer, former Vice President Joseph Boakai.
In the Grand Gedean youth’s statement issued in Monrovia, the group, through their president, Kelvin Clay, claims that since President Weah began his appointments in government, citizens of Grand Gedeh County have been excluded.
Mr. Clay expressed frustration over the manner in which the appointments are being carried out in the “pro-poor” government the President talks about.
“We don’t need an oversea Grand Gedean to occupy government positions, because we have qualified citizens of the county here, who during the campaign did everything to deliver the county completely to the Coalition for Democratic Change,” he said.
According to him, for the level of support the county gave to the President, the only appointment of former Representative Kai G. Fallai as Superintendent of the county, was insufficient.
“Mr. President, we youth and students slept in the bushes just to make sure that our votes were protected from evil people.”
“We saw you as the best alternative for our beloved country,” Clay reminded the President.