Senator Nathaniel Farlo McGill (Senator, Margibi County)
We are outraged by the ongoing brazen attack on the CDC headquarters since last night by State security forces. This is an unacceptable act of aggression that threatens the very fabric of our democracy and the rights of political parties to operate without fear of violence or intimidation.
The use of state power to suppress major political opposition is a dangerous precedent that cannot be tolerated. This act of violence is not just an attack on the CDC; it is an attack on the principles of freedom, justice, and democracy that every Liberian holds dear.
We demand immediate accountability for those responsible for this cowardly assault. The government must cease using state security forces as tools of oppression against political rivals and instead, focus on the real work of uniting our country and improving the lives of its citizens.
This reckless and unjustifiable action has only strengthened our resolve to resist any and all attempts to silence opposition voices. We will not be intimidated, and we will not stand by as our democracy is undermined.
We call on the International community, U.S. Embassy Monrovia, Liberia, ECOWAS, United Nations, European Union in Liberia, and others to take urgent notice of these situations and stand with the Liberian people in condemning this abuse of power.
Enough is enough! The people of Liberia deserve a government that respects their rights, upholds the rule of law, and works for the betterment of all, not just a select few. This assault on our democracy must stop now.
Samuel D. Tweah, (former Minister of Finance and Development Planning)
From Political Witch-hunt to Political Manhunt: Unity Party’s Threats to Liberian Peace, Democracy and Governance!
A ramshackle coalition that made its way to power on arguably the thinnest of electoral margins now dares to push an already fragile Liberia toward the precipice of chaos. In eight months, the UP has nearly broken every law and discarded every semblance of governance Liberia once enjoyed under President WEAH.
They have now recklessly been emboldened to veer lawlessly into man-hunting, the illegitimate use of political power to debase violate and demoralize political opponents by illegally and physically breaking into premises, an example of which was on shameless display today at the headquarters of the CDC.
And all this is happening under the loud silence of the international community whose contribution helped knit Liberia’s post conflict social fabric. It’s time to call President Boakai and UP minions to order long before events degenerate beyond control.
Let it be clear that political witch-hunts and manhunts cannot weaken and daunt the Mighty CDC. These diabolical tactics will only harden the resolve and will of the CDC to UNITE and confront the menace from the UP.
In the coming days, I will be returning to the country to legally rubbish a bogus witch-hunt launched against my person for political purposes and to join my colleagues in mounting the fiercest opposition to the collapse and paralysis of governance the country is now witnessing.
We can never be intimidated by the weaponization of power, especially by a weak governing coalition struggling for its bearings and using shenanigans and distractions to confuse the public about its incapacities! Our political forbears before us stared down tyranny at the price of their lives. To stare down these bluffers take almost nothing!
Mr. Standard Bearer and Political Leader Dr. George MANNEH WEAH the moment has come to stop the abuse of your pedigree for peace and your magnanimity. You conceded power to the UP when the outcome of the 2023 election was still in doubt. That patriotic example has been squashed and misconstrued for weakness.
Strength is not the unlawful abuse of power against an obliging opponent esteemed peaceful; and peace is never sustained by excessively caving in the face of a heartless aggressor!
The hour is now to show firm and resilient leadership and to rally the CDC in this existential moment of aggression.
In the foothills of this new political battlefield, we will sustain our hard-won national peace and cement the pillars of governance for the transformation of our country. But these will be done on the grounds of fairness, equity and honesty.
Any Government that brazenly bastardizes the country” s laws in pursuit of its narrow interests is not worthy of respect. In the way Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr summons our capacity to ‘disobey unjust laws,’ we in the CDC and other well-meaning patriotic Liberians must marshal that capacity to resist breaches of our laws and reckless physical and moral aggression against our people!
Jefferson Koijee (National Secretary General, CDC)
Right after the cover of darkness and in the full glare of national and international partners and the Liberian people, for the third time well armed, deadly state security mercenaries launched an onslaught on the premises of the Mighty CDC and its partisans and citizens.
Few hours from now, the CDC will be declaring the FINAL DESTINATION of its people to prevent and redeem the country from this RISKY VIRUS called rescue.
Certainly, our peace is bigger than any individual and institution, not even Mr. Boakai and his likes of political gangs and desperados have what it takes to reverse our hard earned twenty-one years of uninterrupted peace.
The day of RECKONING is fast approaching; let the security apparatuses be FOREWARNED not to be used as a PAWN by these decorated STATE-LOOTERS.
Heavily armed state securities have invaded our party’s headquarters for the second time this early morning hours engaging into sporadic shootings that sent panic and pandemonium amongst citizens and partisans in and around the party’s headquarters.
We’re calling the immediate attention of ECOWAS, AU, International community, the Liberian people and CDCIANS in particular to this unscrupulous action of the Boakai Administration that is geared towards disrupting our hard earned peace.
We keep calling out that the peace of this country is far bigger than Boakai and his gang of political desperadoes.
STATEMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT OF LIBERIA
(Monrovia, Thursday, August 22, 2024):- Early this morning, the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) in an attempt to execute a search and seizure warrant at an identified property in the Small Town Community, around the Bernard Beach vicinity, received resistance from some community members that led to the LDEA personnel pulling out of the community.
As a result of the resistance, several LDEA personnel sustained injuries and are currently being treated at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center.
After the LDEA pulled out, individuals believed to be members of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) blocked the free flow of traffic, setting roadblocks, lighting tires, and pelting stones at vehicles and pedestrians on Tubman Boulevard, near the party headquarters. Several vehicles were damaged, and innocent citizens as well as law enforcement officers were injured by rocks thrown from the direction of the party headquarters.
To restore law and order, the Liberia National Police (LNP) swiftly intervened. The Joint Security also states categorically that no lethal weapon was used. The Government clarifies that the LDEA search and seizure execution was not intended for, nor did it target the Headquarters of the CDC.
The Joint Security affirms its commitment to the rule of law and protection of our democratic principles. The security forces will continue to perform their duties with professionalism and integrity, ensuring that individuals enjoy their rights in a safe environment.
The Government also urges everyone to refrain from violence and carry on with their normal activities.
In another development, the Government of Liberia’s attention has been drawn to a story published in today’s edition of the FrontPage Africa Newspaper titled: “TO RAID OR NOT TO RAID”.
The Government of Liberia categorically denies that it or any of its agencies ever requested or sought to obtain a warrant to search and seize the home of former President Weah.
The Government emphatically states that the story published in the newspaper about a supposed plan to search and seize the home of the former President is false and without any truth. The case in question, The Gracious Ride case, is currently before the Supreme Court.
The prosecutorial arm of the Government is the Ministry of Justice, and if there are any questions, indictments, or warrants of arrest to be issued, they would derive from the Ministry of Justice. FrontPage Africa did not seek any verification of the story from the Ministry of Justice. Additionally, the Legal Advisor has not sought nor been involved in any warrant contrary to the FPA story.
The Government of Liberia has called on FrontPage Africa to retract and correct its sensational and unverified publication as it could lead to a dangerous national security situation.
Signed___________________________
JEROLINMEK MATTHEW PIAH
MINISTER
