The political leader of the opposition New Liberia Party says it is not a good sign for the new government to succumb to an unprecedented pressure that led to the resignation of one of its officials.
On the heels of the sudden resignation of the Minister of Defense, amid mounting pressure from wives of AFL men, newly confirmed Minister of National Defense, Retired Major/General Prince C. Johnson III, succumbed to continuing protests by women said to be wives of men in arms of the Liberian Army, and tendered in his resignation to President Joseph Boakai on Monday, February 12, 2024.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, Rev. Joshua Turner, who contested the October 10, 2023 Presidential Elections on the ticket of the NLP, says he sees the resignation of the Minister Johnson and subsequent acceptance by the President as a wrong precedent for the nation and its people.
According to the NLP Standard Bearer, the wives of several security apparatuses might one day be politically motivated and use a similar path to ride on the weakness of the government.
“From the angle of the New Liberia Party, we see this as a bad precedent and weakness on the part of the government, most especially the President, to succumb the Constitution to claims that were not independently verified through any proper investigative means. It was last evening that the President announced a probe into the matter,” stated the NLP SB.
“This is a show of early weakness from this government. It’s too early to bow into this. With this bad precedent, the wives of personnel of different security institutions could follow a similar trend and protest against the constitutional power of the President,” he noted.
At the same time, Turner pointed out that the early retirements of two of Liberia’s best military brains and technocrats is a sign of slow demise of the nation’s military might.
Among other things, the Liberian clergyman and politician indicated that the retirees are way below retirement age.
For almost a week now, a group of Liberian women under the banner, “Army Wives Association of Liberia” blocked major entries across the country, demanding the President to dismiss former Chief of Staff and recently confirmed Defense Minister, Prince Charles Johnson.
A few days ago, the wives of the men in the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) petitioned the Liberian Senate through its Committee on Defense, Security, Intelligence and Veteran Affairs, calling on the body not to confirm then Defense Minister-designate, due to his alleged corruption scandals and other grave issues.
Johnson was, however, confirmed, thus intensifying the protest actions by the women; something which heavily impeded the movement of vehicles and citizens on Monday, February 12, 2024.
In the wake of the growing tension, the Executive Mansion reported that the President and Commander-in-Chief of the AFL, Joseph Boakai, received and accepted the resignation letter from Johnson.
The resigned Minister stated that his decision was triggered by the current political and civil disturbances occasioned by the protest of women believed to be wives of servicemen.
“In his letter, the Minister of National Defense outlined his reasons for his action, noting that due to the current political and civil disturbances occasioned by the protest of women believed to be wives of servicemen, he made the decision to resign and preserve the peace and security of the State,” the statement noted.
In response, the Liberian leader expressed gratitude to Minister Johnson for his invaluable service to the country and described him as a patriot.
At the same time, President Boakai instructed the Armed Forces of Liberia to ensure all those impeding the free movement of people and vehicles through actions that blocked major thoroughfares across the country immediately remove themselves and allow the government to resolve their grievances.
