Good luck Senator George Weah but I am totally disappointed in your choice for Vice President in Jewel Taylor, wife of former rebel-turned President of Liberia, Charles Taylor. Could anyone running for President in Iraq, Libya, Germany or Uganda have taken the wives of Adolph Hitler, Saddam-Hussein, Moamar-El Khaddafi or even Idi Amin of Uganda?
This is the equivalent of what George Manneh Weah of Liberia has done seeking the presidency as will be perceived by the survivors of the victims of the 250,000 Liberians killed in the civil war. I hope Senator Weah doesn’t regret his decision of Jewel Taylor down the road.
2017 is not 2005 and 2011. The world has changed. Countries that got “free US taxpayers money” in the past must adopt new philosophy on self-sufficiency because of the election of President Donald Trump.
The billions of dollars that flowed from Washington over the decades will be terminated. Leaders must recruit the best national talents to spur pro-growth economic thinking.
The Jewel Taylor factor also raises the spectre of Charles Taylor’s prophecy as he flew into exile to Nigeria in 2003. Taylor said, “God’s willing, I will be back.” Is Mrs, Taylor the manifestation of her husband’s return?
This should concern many Liberians who must relive the ugly memorise of the 14-year Liberian genocidal holocaust. If, and that is a big IF, Jewel Taylor would just be a heartbeat away from the presidency. Does Weah trust Jewel Taylor and the remnants in her husband’s NPP who are smelling blood and revenge?
When Charles Taylor’s former prosecutor Allen White told VOA last month that Mr. Weah was in phone contacts with prisoner Charles Taylor and that Taylor had urged Weah to take his wife Jewel as his VP running, CDC supporters bitterly rejected such allegations. But a CDC spokesman said he “could not confirm nor deny” Mr. White’s allegation, and Mr. Weah himself to date has not denied he ever contacted Mr. Taylor in his British jail. This is a scary phenomenon.
Mr. Weah and the CDC must realize that there is a new world order that has emerged, principally driven by Washington and Moscow. Elections outcome will be impacted by what both Washington and Moscow want. Having the numbers alone will not put you on the top.
Washington and Moscow will dominate global politics with each exercising undue influence over its sphere. Liberia historically falls under Washington.
Will a President George Weah agree to a United Nations-backed Liberia War and Economic Crimes Court which most likely will be a condition for further financial help?
Will Jewel Taylor and Taylor’s National Patriotic Party support such a court when its top members are implicated in the TRC Report?
Did Mr. Weah factor these scenarios into his choice of Jewel Taylor? We wish Weah and Taylor well but that combination is enough to raise eyebrows not only in Monrovia but equally so in Washington and Moscow.
Jerry Wehtee Wion,
Journalist and Political Commentator
Washington, DC, USA