By Festus Poquie
A Buoyant George Weah retuned to Liberia Monday after 48 days away from the Country, launching caustic attack on his main political rivals whom he accused of undermining the country’s peace and stability.
He wants opposition leaders to end the street protest and rhetoric and challenge him at the ballot box.
Joseph Boakai of the main opposition Unity Party and Alexander Cummings of the Alternative National Congress have been battling Weah and his ruling Coalition For Democratic Change, chiefly accusing him of incompetence, corruption and bad governance.
Weah said Boakia, a former vice president of Liberia during Johnson-Sirleaf 12-year rule has demonstrated no ability to find prescription to the country’s problem after four decades of public service.
“They’ve been serving government since 1979 and they have not changed anything, they served as government officials in the past, they served as Agriculture Minister, they served as Vice President and still they didn’t fix it. We are the ones fixing it and they want to destroy the country,” he said.
Cummings is a hypocrite wanting to destroy the country and he talks about public corruption but mute on malaise in his circles, Weah said.
“Everything I do he will give speech, I travel he gives speech, I don’t travel he will give speech. I am wondering why now Mr. Cummings is not talking about the arrest of his personal bodyguard who was caught with arm, when he sat at SKD [sports complex] witnessing his lawmaker insult ministers and the presidency, he did nothing but clap his hands”.
‘Country On Autopilot’
While on a recent tour in West Africa, Boakai told a Nigeria broadcaster Liberia has drastically retrogressed under President Weah and wants Liberians vote him out.
“Liberia has not seen the kind of leadership that is needed to transfer that country,” he said.
“Mr. Weah is not that person to do it. We cannot allow our country to degenerate further.
“Mr. Weah presence and absence from the country are all the same except that when he’s absence, he carries the money away.
“When we were in power, Liberia was removed from being a failed state, the country that was giving hope to people. We put in better infrastructure. But right now, the country has gone backway. A country that is no autopilot because there is no leadership.”
President George Weah will be seeking reelection in 2023 polls, amid rise in food and fuel oil prices after two years of relatively low inflation. Corruption scandal beclouding his administration leaves room for opposition challenge.
