Monrovia – Moments after a visiting delegation from ECOWAS Commission and the United Nations Office in West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) urged the George Weah-led government and the Council of Patriots, organizers of the December 30 protest, to work toward calling off the imminent protest in the general interest of Liberia and the subregion, the COP says its position has not changed.
Mr. Mo Ali, Secretary General of the COP told FrontPageAfrica Friday that the COP has done everything to listen to mediators but it appears no in roads are being reached. “We told them we are listening; we listened to their press conference but we are holding our grounds. If they will ask the police to shoot us, let them come and shoot us, but we cannot go into this without some concessions on the part of the government. So, we are preparing for the protest on Monday, nothing has changed. That’s the official position of the COP.”
FrontPageAfrica has learned that the COP made a number of demands to the government through the UNOWAS delegation, calling for among other things, explanation regarding the whereabouts of the missing LD16 billion and updates on the investigation into the US$25million mop up money.
COP’s List of Demands
“We will not leave those streets until we get results. December 30 protest is on course. We are coming out in full. It is a peaceful and beautiful assembly. We are going to come out bigly. December 30th, get ready, we are making history.”
Mr. Henry Costa, Leader, Council of Patriots
Sources privy to the discussions Friday confirmed to FPA that UNOWAS mediators informed the COP that the government had indicated to them that security would be a stretched should the protest go on and that providing security could prove to be a difficult thing, especially if the protest is going to last for more than one day, expressing concerns from the government that the protest is already paralyzing businesses and crippling the country’s economy.
The COP, according to a source agreed to hold the peaceful assembly to one day on condition that the President addresses the concerns being raised by protest organizers.
Mr. Ali said the COP requested that the President address the nation and provide updates regarding the issue of the LD16 billion and 25 million mop up money as well as recommendations in the Presidential Investigative Team and General Auditing Commission. “Since the last protest when these issues were raised, nothing has happened. So, we said let the government release the LACC report and hold culpable all those found to have been in breach of the laws.”
Mr. Ali said the COP also urged mediators to prevail on the government to end the cargo tracking note at the National Port Authority which was causing hardships for majority of Liberians. “Times are hard and things are difficult, it is not helping anyone, but only helping to increase prices. Let the government cancel or at least review the tracking note which is making it unbearable for Liberians.”
Additionally, the COP also prevailed on the mediators to push the government into reopening two radio stations – talk-show host Henry Costa’s Roots FM which was shut down and Patrick Honnah’s Punch FM whose license was revoked. “We indicated that as long as a particular newspaper or radio station does not sing government praises, they become targets.”
The COP has also taken aback at what they believe is the UNOWAS’s one-sided approach to the mediation process, often toeing the line of the government and not pushing President Weah and his government into addressing the issues raised.
In its communiqué Friday, UNOWAS hinted that the COP had left the window open to call off the protest as it urged both parties to work toward calling off this imminent protest in the general interest of Liberia and the sub-region. “The delegation says it welcomes the general desire to call off the protest of 30th December if specific actions were taken in addressing some of the governance and economic issues which form the basis of the current tension in the country.”
Costa: ‘We Will Not Leave the Streets’
Despite the COP’s window, FPA has learned that President Weah has refused to concede to the demands of the protesters, reportedly telling mediators that whatever he has to say to the nation would be said when he delivers his annual message in January.
In its communiqué, the UNOWAS delegation noted with pleasure the interest of the government in addressing the relevant issues aimed at calming the tension and calling off the protest and further noted with satisfaction the ongoing efforts of the government and its partners towards this end and calls on the government to do more. The delegation, according to the communiqué says it takes seriously the assurances of the government of providing the details of these commitments during the state of the nation address.
In a live Facebook post Friday evening, the protest leader Mr. Henry Costa said the President’s decision to address the issue in January is an insult to the COP. “George Weah is saying that the state of the nation address is when he is going to respond to the demands that we are putting forward. The man is not serious, the man is not serious at all. The man is telling us that he will address our concerns in his state of the nation address. No, what are we supposed to do? Are we supposed to sit down for Mr. Weah to speak in January? Is that what we are supposed to do? No, we are not going to wait until January. We put a lot of energy and resources to organize this protest. So, we cannot stop to enable Weah to go on and continue to do what he is doing to the Liberian people.”
Added Mr. Costa. “We will not leave those streets until we get results. December 30 protest is on course. We are coming out in full. It is a peaceful and beautiful assembly. We are going to come out bigly. December 30th, get ready, we are making history.”