WASHINGTON – A series of unfolding developments in the last 48 to 72 hours appear to be renewing lingering strains between Liberian President George Manneh Weah and Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor.
Analysis by Rodney D. Sieh, [email protected]
The resurrection of the feud was triggered last Friday when the office of the President moved to take away oversight responsibilities of the National Lotteries Corporation from the office of the vice president, in what many insiders say is a last-ditch effort by the President to shift power and influence away from his vice president.
The President in a bill submitted to the national legislature is seeking to wrestle the vice president’s oversight of the lotteries and granting himself appointing powers to someone with a deciding vote, effectively leaving his vice president in the cold.
Since 1993 when the legislature first enacted the bill, the vice president has had oversight of the lotteries. In the past twelve years, former vice president Joseph Boakai had the deciding vote on the lotteries board.
Section 1: Amendment to Part III regarding the establishment of the Board immediately upon the passage of this act Part III, Section 15.2(a) reads: “The Board shall consist of Seven(7) Members; A senior policy staff of the Office of the Vice President of Liberia as Chairman, with the right to cast a deciding vote in addition to his/her regular vote; is hereby amended to read as follows: 15.2 – The board shall consists of seven(7)Members- A Chairman to be appointed by the President, with the right to cast a deciding vote. The act shall take effect immediately upon publication into handbill.”
In 1993, the Act to Amend Part III, Section 15.2(a) of An Act to Repeal the Act Incorporating the Liberia National Lotteries Corporation and to Enact in Lieu thereof the National Lottery Authority Act to conduct, manage, regulate and supervise national Lotteries, Lotto and Games of Chance was enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Republic of Liberia in Legislature assembled.
The VP’s office was recently forced to rebuff suggestions that she has been having meetings with companies in the gaming sector with an agenda to coerce them into making donations to her Starfish Foundation.
The VP’s office in a statement averred: “Cognizant of the Office’s responsibility to remain engaged with the public and provide clarity on issues emanating from our activities, it is imperative that we provide this clarity for the public. At no time was any meeting held either, in public or private, where the Vice President met with stakeholders of the Gaming Sector without the National Lottery Authority; nor did she coerce or force any entity to make donations to the Jewel Starfish Foundation.”
The VP’s office said as a part of the Executive Branch; it is fully committed to supporting the Pro Poor Agenda of this Government; and seeks only to provide education and empowerment opportunities for girls in difficult circumstances. “The Office of the Vice President recommits to following all of the laws of our Country and asks others to do the same; instead of using valuable time to spread seeds of discord and misinformation to the public.”
It may be recalled that the President, shortly after his inauguration in January also sought to wrestle influence away from his veep with a push to stop the vice president from presiding over the Senate in a bid to limit her leverage.
FrontPageAfrica reported in April that the VP was summoned by the President Pro Temp Albert Chie who attempted to suggest that the Vice President should not preside.
A few senators, according to a Senate source at the time, cited Article 51 of the Constitution which states: “The Vice-President shall be President of the Senate and preside over its deliberations without the right to vote, except in the case of a tie vote. He shall attend meetings of the cabinet and other governmental meetings and shall perform such functions as the President shall delegate or deem appropriate; provided that no powers specifically vested in the President by the provisions of this Constitution shall be delegated to the Vice-President.”
The push against the vice president presiding was reportedly backed by Senator Varney Sherman (UP, Grand Cape Mount) and the Pro Temp Chie. “At the end of the day, they realized that constitutionally the woman had the mandate. But this was a serious issue that triggered intense argument amongst senators,” the source told FrontPageAfrica.
That incident was preceded by a rather complicated apology in May, from the VP to President Weah after she was accused of traveling without the President’s knowledge.
The friction was further heightened when the VP was snubbed and stopped from attending the funeral of late South African icon, Winnie Mandela. President Weah instead to dispatched his first lady Madam Clar Weah and Foreign Minister Gbezohngar Findley even though the vice president had expressed interest in making the trip.
Reports have also surfaced that the issues of distrust has led to multiple whispers in the President’s ears about the vice president’s ambitions, a chatter which FrontPageAfrica has learned prompted a recent interrogation of some key members of the vice president’s security details by the National Security Agency (NSA). One source confided to FrontPageAfrica recently, on condition of anonymity that the sentiments in the vice president’s camp is that the interrogation was an indirect jab at the VP signaling distrust about her ambitions for the immediate future.
VP Taylor acknowledged in a Truth FM radio appearance in May that her constant travels without the President’s knowledge informing the President contributed to some misunderstanding between her and her boss but said the situation has been resolved.
The reports of simmering feud between the pair heightened speculations of bad blood between the two principal leaders of the country, with some pointing to lack of trust bolstered by increasing assaults on the VP by forces said to have closed ties to the President.
In recent weeks, VP Taylor has been making extra efforts to make amends, taking time of her work schedule to welcome President Weah from foreign trips and going the distance in expressing public support for the President in moves seem as strong efforts to allay fears of a threat to the presidency.
Despite the VP’s efforts it appears the tension remains with some reports suggesting that aides to the President have been snubbing requests from the VP to see the President.
Rep. James Biney, Chairman of the former ruling National Patriotic Party (NPP), recently went public and accused the VP Howard Taylor of harboring an ambition to contest for the office of the presidency in 2023 which the lawmaker says is creating the feud because some members of the party are resisting her ambition.
Neither President Weah nor his office has moved to address Rep. Biney’s assault on the vice president.
Quietly though, aides to the VP say she is getting jittery over the lack of respect from the office of the presidency and some of the president’s supporters publicly ridiculing the VP.
In what some are describing as a cryptic message, VP Taylor posted a quote of late US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt alluding to the ordeal.
Roosevelt in one of his famous speeches on fascism and democracy said: “The first truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism — ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power…. Among us today a concentration of private power without equal in history is growing.”
The post comes amid growing concerns that President Weah is making moves to solidify his hold onto power and poised to command control and influence of all three branches of government, starting with an executive branch-backed push to impeach Associate Justice Kabineh J’aneh and elimination of tenured positions.