CAPITOL HILL, Monrovia – When Rep. Acarous Moses Gray (CDC, District #8, Montserrado County) appeared on a local FM station in Monrovia on Monday, Unification Day, he declared that the political battle between the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and the opposition Unity Party (UP) has begun.
By Gerald C. Koinyeeh – [email protected]
True to his words, the CDC and UP have since been engulfed in acrimonious claims and counterclaims, and the center of attraction is right here at the Capitol building, the home of the Legislature – the political heartbeat of the nation.
On Thursday, Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor, giving her verdict on the Boakai-Koung ticket said, Liberians should be wary of the ticket on the grounds that if ex-vice president Boakai wins the presidency and dies in office “due to his poor health,” it is Nimba County Senator Prince Y. Johnson that will run the presidency in disguise, instead of Senator Jeremiah Koung.
She said: “This team that they are putting together on their side – Boakai-Koung team, we all know that the Vice President is not well. Everybody knows. And I just want ask the press people one question. God forbid, people elect Vice President boakia as President of Liberia, and he dies in seat, who will be president? [crowd answers Prince Johnson] So, we [are] coming to make Prince Johnson President? You need to think about it very carefully.”
Senator Johnson, a former rebel leader, is well known for orchestrating the murder of President Samuel Kanyon Doe during the first Liberian civil war in 1990.
He returned to Liberia from exile and has since established himself as a key political figure in Liberian politics, serving as Senator of vote rich Nimba County for nearly 18 years.
The Nimba County Senator played a pivotal role in the re-election of President George Weah and Vice Howard Taylor (both then Senators) when he pledged his support to them during the presidential runoff election in 2017. However, he broke ties with Weah and switched allegiance to Weah’s political nemesis, former Vice President Boakia.
Amb. Boakai then handpicked Senator Jeremiah Kpan Koung, political leader of Senator Johnson’s party, the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR) as his running mate.
Vice President Howard-Taylor cautioned Liberians that are backing the Unity Party to think deeply before making any decision.
She made the statement at a forum organized by a group of legislative staffers in support of the re-election bid of President George Weah and her. The action of the staffers, dubbed themselves Majority bloc, was in counter reaction to some of their colleagues who pledged their support to the Unity Party a day earlier at the same venue – the Joint Chambers of the Legislature.
The Pro-Weah group, condemned their colleagues’ ‘unruly behavior’ and said majority of them have decided to support President Weah and the Vice President.
On Tuesday, the staffers, comprised of central administration – those permanently employed as civil servants, and personal staff of the lawmakers, declared their unflinching support to the presidential and vice-presidential bids of Amb. Joseph Nyumah Boakai and Senator Jeremiah Kpan Koung.
Delivering the statement of support on behalf of his colleagues, the Chairman of the Legislative Staffers Prince Gbieu said they are convinced that the Boakai-Koung ticket is the best choice for Liberia.
The staffers, celebrating Senator Karngar-Lawrence as the ‘true Rescue Mother’, said they were inspired by her “selfless decision” in endorsing the UP and pledged their commitment to rally all Liberians including their families and friends to join the ‘mission to rescue Liberia’.
The staffers named salary cut, massive corruption, mysterious deaths and the proliferation of drugs abuse as reasons they are turning away from the CDC-led government.
‘There is no rescue mission’
Responding, Vice President Howard Taylor said the staffers were coerced by the opposition lawmakers to pledged their support to the Unity Party. The Vice President mocked the UP and its affiliates’ ‘Rescue Liberia’ mantra.
She said the UP and its supporters are not up for rescuing Liberia, rather, they are up for rescuing themselves.
“There is no rescue mission from the other side. If you say you want to rescue somebody, stop talking all the plenty things and show what you have done,” she said.
She said under President Weah, Liberia has experienced huge transformation including pavement of roads, improved health and education, as well as a stable economy. The greatest of them all she said, is the securing the peace and promotion of freedom of expression.
The event was also attended by top lawmakers of the ruling party including Speaker Bhofal Chambers, Senators Saah Joseph (Montserrado County), Joseph Jallah (Lofa County), Reps. Acarous Gray (District #8, Montserrado), Johnson Gwaikolo (District #9, Nimba County) and Matthew Fair Play Joe (Grand Bassa County), among others.