The Editor,
Don’t blame this Nigerian fraudster but blame his “Benevolent Dictator” President George Manneh Weah who has shown total contempt for the laws and constitution of Liberia. President Weah has violated with impunity his oath of office to uphold the laws and defend the constitution of Liberia; exactly, the behavior of the “Benevolent Dictator” which is the new title that his cashier and bank teller, Samuel Tweah has been calling on Liberians to accept. We are in a deep mess.
But also blame our toothless bulldog or paper tiger known also as the Liberian Legislature, a spineless bunch of “money eaters” masquerading as a co-equal branch of our government who have surrendered constitutional mandate to an imperial presidency.
That the Senate denied the confirmation of President Weah’s Nigerian friend to head the most sacred institution of our Democracy–the National Elections Commission of Liberia–because Mr. Nwadubudike lied that he s a Liberian citizen and yet this Nigerian crook still heads another important institution of our government says a lot about our National Legislature, the first branch of government and the direct representatives of the people.
What else needs to happen for President Weah to take serious our lawmakers and their constitutional responsibilities to uphold the laws of Liberia? It means that President Weah is on his way to fulfilling his cherished title of a Benevolent Dictator that exalts him above the laws and constitution of Liberia.
Thus, we the PEOPLE of Liberia are left with no alternative under the constitution but to hold President Weah accountable for his abrassive and flagrant violation of his oath of office, and that we are therefore calling for his resignation. I thought we are a country of laws and not of men, the same reason we booted his predecessors–William Tolbert, Samuel Doe and Charles Taylor–from office for their unconstitutional arrogance.
It is a fallacy and total ignorance and hypocrisy for regime loyalists to suggest that even if a president violates the laws that he should enjoy his abuse of the law and remain in office UNTIL the next elections cycle. That is why the United States Congress did not wait till the next elections cycle to call for the resignation of former President Richard Nixon who was forced to resign because he LIED or he would have been impeached. Our lawmakers must rise to the challenge to give meaning to our democracy. We cannot afford or need another Benevolent Dictator.
And now ironically, this very corrupt Nigerian is emboldened by President Weah’s support for him to arrogantly and unconstitutionally head the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission and our paper-tigers lawmakers are powerless to do anything about this abuse of our constitution. The question the becomes, what good is a constitution when it is not worth the piece of paper on which it is written? Who then needs a worthless constitution?
But President Weah thinks he is invincible; that the fate that befell his predecessors can never happen to him…until it is too late. That is the very mindset of every Benevolent Dictator….until it is too late. My friend, Clkr. Tiawon Gongloe, head of the Liberia National Bar Association is right to not want to do business with LACC which is headed by a Nigerian citizen, a clear violation of our laws by President Weah.
Therefore, the only alternative, under the constitution that the PEOPLE have is to organize and protest peacefully until hell freezes over to demand the removal of the president for his abuse of our constitution… an action which is very constitutional and as we have seen in many other countries around the world. It is called People Power Protest. Ready for your attacks against me. Just a thought and not a sermon.
Jerry Wehtee Wion
Washington, DC, US