By Bill W. Cooper
The Liberian People’s Party (LPP’s) presidential aspirant says he foresees potential conflict in the country if the ongoing hot verbal exchanges between President George M. Weah and Nimba County Senator, Prince Johnson do not stop.
Tiawan Saye Gongloe said the exchanges, if not addressed with expediency has the propensity to undermine the country’s peace and stability of the upcoming 2023 Presidential and Legislative Elections.
He also noted with recent concerns of the allegation from the Senator of the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR) about plans by the Weah-administration to assassinate him (Prince Johnson).
However, the recent political internal wrangling between Senator Johnson who was heavily involved with President Weah’s 2017 election victory came at the time Liberians are poised to go to the polls to elect 73 new Representatives, 15 new Senators, and a President to steer the affairs of the country for the next six years on October 10, 2023.
Senator Johnson who is also the founder of the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR) during a press conference accused President George M. Weah and his CDC of plotting his assassination in response to his decision to withdraw his political support from the party for the upcoming elections.
Additionally, the assassination claim was originally advanced by Senator Johnson’s party, (MDR) which presented no proof but noted that their intelligence originated from a trustworthy high-level government person.
But in reaction to Johnson’s claim, President Weah denied the allegation and described the Senator as a “blackmailer” saying, “If you do not want to work with us, go on the other side because we have other people who are willing and want to work with us.”
The Liberian leader, preaching at his Forky Klon Family Church on Sunday, January 5, 2023 added, “You are manipulating people every day. Give me this and give me that. Are you infallible? We are not working with you again; so you can go anywhere of your choice.”
But in an exclusive interview with this paper yesterday, January 6, 2023, Gongloe maintained, “It is scaring and I am concerned about this grievous allegation from Senator Prince Johnson that this CDC government is after his life, and this is not something that should be taken likely by this government.”
“So, in this vein, I am calling on this government through the Ministry of Justice and the Liberia National Police to take this matter seriously and have it probed and not to ignore it because any attempt to do so could lead us into another chaos of which I am of the confidence that nothing will happen,” he asserted.
Gongloe explained further that the current exchanges between Sen. Johnson and President Weah is very unhealthy and a threat that has the tendency to undermine the country’s peace and stability on grounds that both of them have huge followers or supporters across Liberia.
According to him, what is more troubling and worrying is the fact that both Sen. Johnson and the President are in the constant habit of using their respective church pulpits to rain insults at each other and as such, the need for the Liberia Council of Churches (LCC) to intervene can never be overemphasized.
He added, “I am sending out this call to the LCC and the security apparatus of the country now because I am concerned that anything that boarders near conflict has the propensity and tendency to affect our already fragile peace.”
