The Secretary General of the newly installed ruling Unity Party has rejected claims that President Joseph Boakai fainted on Monday while delivering his inaugural address to the nation and the world.
President Boakai was seen fumbling midway through his speech under a scorching sun that almost suffocated him and some of his supporters, as well as local and international guests who had gone to grace the occasion.
The news that the President fainted while delivering his inaugural speech has spread like a wild bush fire in every quarter of the country, on conventional as well as social media.
Some radio broadcasters have already declared that the president is not fit for the job and have recommended that he resigns and seeks international medical attention.
But Amos Tweh, who appeared to be little relieved after Monday’s occasion, told some supporters and sympathizers of the Unity Party who were celebrating the inauguration of President Boakai that the President only suffered a minor heat exhaustion due to a very hot temperature that was at almost 36 Degree Celsius.
“It was only a minor heat exhaustion, which is normal to some people who are not accustomed to sitting or standing under hot weather for a long time, especially that kind of heat we experienced on Monday,” the UP SG said.
He claimed that the new President is in excellent health and has resumed his duties, noting, “How can you say the President fainted, and, at the same time, completed his inaugural speech? For a fact, after the program, President Boakai hosted some visiting Presidents and foreign dignitaries at the Executive Mansion and held a meeting with the Ghanaian President, Nana Koffi Addo. There is no need to worry. I can assure you that the President is in a very good health and upbeat.”
About 45 minutes in his inaugural speech on January 22, in the presence of other African and world leaders, the program came to a momentary standstill when the President was helped off the podium for about two minutes before continuing his address to the nation, after which time it was speculated that he fainted or fell off.
The health of the 79-year Boakai has been the concern of many Liberians, especially his critics, who claimed that Boakai is not fit for the presidency.
During the 2023 presidential campaign, many of his critics, who are mostly members of the born-again opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), ran with rumors of his ill-health, preempted his death news, as well as his inability to rule the country, and Monday’s incident could have proven them right if, for obvious reasons, the worst had happened.
Tweh, who seemed to be in high spirits following the event, urged supporters and sympathizers of the now ruling UP not to be carried away by the negative propaganda of people who failed miserably when they were in authority.
“Our President is well and has begun doing the work of the Liberian people. We know he is an old man, but not too old to work for the Liberian people,” a joyous looking Tweh said.
President Boakai, who was strong and in high spirits while campaigning for the presidency in 2023, was dressed in bullet-proof jacket under his traditional homemade shirt and sat in the open-air court yard of the Capitol Building, where he received the oath of office. He and several other guests had to leave the stage to avoid the heat that was almost melting them in broad daylight.
In quieting the rising care of the health of the president, the UP SG turned teacher said, “My people, to faint is to lose consciousness for a short time because of a temporarily insufficient supply of oxygen to the brain. Like I can say, ‘I fainted from loss of blood’ and when you fall off, it is almost like you faint, because you become detached due to unconsciousness and drop to the ground. But when you experience heat exhaustion, your body responds to an excessive loss of water and salt, usually through excessive sweating. Heat exhaustion is most likely to affect the elderly, I mean old people, people with high blood pressure, and those working in a hot environment like we had during the inaugural ceremony.”
He reiterated, “We have a president who is in excellent health and has resumed his duties in the interest of the Liberian people.
He called on Liberians to trust President Boakai will deliver on his AREST agenda for the good of all Liberians.
