By Sidiki Fofana | Truth in Ink
An Alliance in Danger
The fractures now surfacing in the Unity Party (UP) Alliance are not manufactured by outsiders, nor are they the convenient soundbites of opposition political parties. Rather, they emerge from the very core of the coalition once bound by a singular mission: the removal of George Weah and his CDC government from power.
Today, those bonds of shared struggle are being undone, not by policy debates or ideological differences, but by the arrogance of power and the entitlement mentality of a few who now style themselves as “the true guards” of the Rescue Mission.
These cracks , self-inflicted wounds, born from the arrogance of those who claim they alone carried Joseph Boakai to victory now decide who eats, who works, who speaks, and even who exists in Liberia. They parade themselves as owners of government, forgetting that it was an alliance of men and women from different political backgrounds, different walks of life that propelled Boakai to victory. To forget this truth is not just arrogance; it is political suicide.
The Old Disease: Arrogance in Power
Arrogance is Liberia’s oldest political disease, and every government that caught it collapsed faster than the people expected.
- Samuel Doe (1980s): He rose as a liberator but surrounded himself with an ethnic clique. Soon, allies became enemies, and Liberia descended into civil war.
- Charles Taylor (1997–2003): He entered office with broad support, but his lust for control and disdain for allies created rebellion within his own ranks.
- Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (2006–2018): Hailed as Africa’s “Iron Lady,” she gradually pushed out reformists who had lifted her to power, leaving her domestically weakened by her second term.
- George Weah (2018–2023): His fall is still fresh. Weah’s CDC victory was achieved by a coalition naming themselves CDCians. But soon after victory, a new identity emerged “Weahcians”, who not only claimed entitlement but displayed arrogance, acting as if they owned government. Instead of uniting the nation and including those who labored for victory, they narrowed the circle. And in the end, the people narrowed their power.
In each case, arrogance, not opposition firepower, became the accelerant of downfall.
The Fahngon and Kollie Warnings
Even insiders see the danger. Eugene Fahngon, the Director General of the Liberia Broadcasting System and once a loud campaigner for Boakai, has sounded the alarm. He called out the “thoughtlessness and arrogance” of the so-called guards, warning that their behavior could cost the government everything.
Another permanent voice to remind the Unity Party of its failure and arrogance is that of Martin Kollie, self-styled Rescue Rambo. Speaking on Spoon Network, Kollie reminded the Boakai government and its apologists that the same capacity used to remove George Weah from power still exists, and if need be, it will be used to remove the Boakai government as well when the time comes.
These are not the jeers of opposition figures; they are the cries of those who once bled for victory but now feel betrayed. And their voices echo a wider frustration within the fragile alliance that placed Boakai in the Executive Mansion.
Allies Turned Strangers
This is the irony of Liberia’s coalition politics; those who risked reputations and careers for Boakai’s victory are now treated as outsiders, while the inner circle claims ownership of the state. But without the alliance, there would have been no victory. Without inclusion, there will be no survival.
The Road Ahead
If President Boakai allows arrogance and entitlement to define his government, history will soon erase him and his government as it has done to many others before him. The same disease that consumed Doe, Taylor, Sirleaf, and Weah will consume his presidency too. And it will not be the opposition that defeats him, it will be the pride of his own “guards.”
Liberia has waited too long for leadership that learns from history instead of repeating it. The warning signs are flashing, the voices of caution are rising, and the future of this fragile alliance hangs in the balance. The arrogance of the few will certainly destroy the hopes of the many.
For in Liberia, governments are not overthrown by enemies; they are betrayed by their own arrogance.
