By Bill W. Cooper
Former President George Weah says his partisans will utilize every right guaranteed by the Constitution to ensure their survival.
“In light of President Boakai’s statement to some legislators that he intends to erase the CDC from Liberia’s political map, we make it abundantly clear that our party is here to stay and will continue to be a vibrant political force,” Weah’s letter to ECOWAS stated.
He sounded the caveat in a complaint to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) where he requested the regional body to convey this message to the Boakai-led administration that while the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) is committed to maintaining peace, it will not tolerate the abuse of its rights.
In his formal complaint over what he termed as “unprovoked attack” on the headquarters of his political party, Weah urged the ECOWAS to take proactive diplomatic steps to ensure that Liberia’s fledgling democracy is not jeopardized by the current administration by the misuse of power.
On Thursday, August 22, 2024, a drug raid was conducted by the joint security near the CDC national headquarters but later escalated into violence witnessing clashes between the police and some partisans of the CDC.
In his letter addressed to the president of ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Turay on behalf of the CDC, Weah called for ECOWAS’s intervention to secure the release of partisans and others who were arrested and detained at the Monrovia Central Prison.
The former President asserted, “Following the ill-fated raid at our headquarters, the government has detained scores of our partisans and other citizens on trumped-up charges. We demand their immediate and unconditional release.”
He also criticized the raid, which he said was carried out by Liberian security forces “under the dubious guise of a drug raid,” describing it as a “premeditated and callous act of violence” aimed at targeting the country’s main opposition party.
Weah also accused the Boakai-Koung administration of attempting to undermine political freedoms; freedom of expression and to assemble, disregard the rule of law, and stoke tension in the country.
He said a similar incident occurred on August 5, 2024, when heavily armed security forces breached the CDC headquarters, claiming that these actions are part of a broader strategy by President Joseph Boakai to diminish the CDC’s political influence.
“During the attack on Thursday, reminiscent of our troubled past, the police fired hundreds of lethal and non-lethal rounds at unarmed civilians whose only ‘crime’ seems to be their unwavering support for the CDC,” Weah overemphasized.
“And various government security agencies have given conflicting accounts of the raid’s purpose, which I believe indicates an attempt to cover up their true motives,” the former President alleged.
Weah also highlighted that civil servants perceived to sympathize with the CDC are being harassed and purged from the civil service, and said since they began openly criticizing the Boakai-Koung administration, the CDC has intensified its scrutiny of the government, accusing it of using excessive force against peaceful protesters.
He outlined these accusations in his letter to the ECOWAS President, citing other transgressions, including the excessive use of force against unarmed civilians, non-prosecution of election-related killings, disregard for tenure laws, political weaponization of prosecutorial powers, and violations of procurement laws.
The former President emphasized that while the CDC has demonstrated its commitment to peace and the rule of law, as evidenced by its peaceful transfer of power, the party and its supporters will not remain passive in the face of these transgressions.
The CDC standard bearer also stated that President Boakai and his administration are under the illusion that they have an overwhelming mandate to govern as they wish, but true power rests with the people, not with a government that operates outside the law.
“A well-meaning and supposedly ‘experienced’ leader would prioritize reconciling the nation. Unfortunately, this is not the case with President Boakai, who seems to have been overtaken by absolute power,” Weah opined in his letter.
According to him, President Boakai should be fully aware of the vices that have previously brought the nation to its knees, thus calling for leadership that respects democracy and the rule of law, rather than leading the charge against them.
