MONROVIA – President George Weah has distanced himself from the December 12 vote in which Liberia, along with Israel and eight other countries, stood against a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Liberia was the only African country to vote against the resolution, which passed with 153 votes in favor, 10 against, and 23 abstentions.
By Lennart Dodoo, [email protected]
However, on Sunday, President Weah told members of his Forky Klon Jlaleh Family Fellowship Church that he never instructed the vote against the ceasefire. He claimed that a “wicked Liberian” working at the Liberian Embassy in Washington voted contrary to the stance of the government.
According to President Weah, before the voting process, he had written to the Israeli Government through its Embassy in Ghana, informing them that although Liberia sees Israel as an ally, it would not support war in Gaza. He stressed the need for Israel to consider a ceasefire for the sake of humanity.
President Weah did not mention the name of the Liberian official at the Embassy who switched Liberia’s vote but stated that this person would “face the wrath of God.”
“A wicked person in the Embassy… when they told us to vote, that person whatever they did – that Liberian that voted for war is a wicked Liberian, and God will not spare that person, and every person’s life that was taken in that war because that person voted, they will also feel the wrath of the true living God,” President Weah said.
He, however, said he had instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dee-Maxwell Kemayah, to rescind the vote.
“They voted wrongly, but we are going to fix it, and our vote would be with the votes of other countries that call for diplomacy and not war. Whether or not you were doing it because you believe that George Weah is leaving now let’s give him a negative image, you’re wasting your time,” he said.
President Weah also clarified that his decision not to vote in line with Israel is not an indication that he is going against America – Israel’s strongest ally.
“The vote is not against America. I’ve always voted for America, voted for anything they wanted. I have never gone against the United States before because I have no reason to go against the United States. We have a doctrine that the United States is our ally and the friends of our ally are our allies. So, we vote for them when necessary,” he said.
However, he noted that being a former Peace Ambassador with the United Nations who worked towards bringing the Liberian war to an end, there was no way he could support war in another country.
“There is no way that I, George Weah, ‘Gbekugbe,’ would make sure that people go to war. Then why were we stopping war here for?’ he asked rhetorically.
President Weah also called on members of his party, the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), to reflect on the just-ended election and acknowledge that they lost the election because there was no unity among them.
“If you guys would not come to a conclusion and say that we lost the election because we went against each other, then y’all got a serious problem,” he asserted.
He insinuated that there are people within the party who have been working to tarnish his popularity and ensure that he does not recontest on the ticket of the CDC in 2029.
“You don’t need to sabotage me if you want something from me. If you don’t want me to be the leader in 2029, all you got to do is to come to me and say, my man, this is not for you, give it to John. I’ll say alright, let John go,” he said.
He referenced the 2011 elections where he stepped aside as the standard-bearer of the CDC and agreed to go as the running mate to Cllr. Winston Tubman, who was not a member of the CDC.
“Don’t waste your time; you’re fighting the wrong person,” he emphasized.