President George Manneh Weah is in the fifth year of his administration, having got elected in 2017 and inaugurated subsequently in 2018.
He ascended to the Presidency as a populist politician and international soccer icon, winning the minds and admirations of Liberian youth, who constitutes 60 percent of the country’s population.
But four years after, the euphoria has evaporated and expectations are far from becoming a reality, indicated by the thousands of jobless youth roaming the streets of Monrovia daily in an economy that is at a slow pace in showing hope.
Mr. Weah campaigned on the slogan “Change for Hope” which many slum dwellers, particularly ghetto youths thought provided an opportunity to change their standard of life and improve their lots.
However, four years after, many of the youth are disillusioned and they expressed their frustrations thru protest votes during December 8, 2020, Senatorial By-election by electing an opposition instead, right in Montserrado County, once dubbed stronghold of the governing Congress for Democratic Change.
Many Liberians had thought by now insecurity across the country would become something of the past. It isn’t so, as jobless and drugs-addicted youth command the streets of Monrovia after dusk, terrorizing peaceful citizens for their personal belongings at gun, knife or cutlass point.
Suspicious death of four auditors, including the director-general of the Internal Auditing Agency (IAA) E. Barthen Nyenswa in 2020, coupled with the murder of three high profile individuals, two of them, sons of two former presidents and an officer of the Liberia Immigration Service in 2021 cast a dark cloud over the nation.
Into the fifth year of the Weah administration, bread and butter issues are still a challenge for many ordinary Liberians. The economy is generally stagnated with inflation biting amid high prices and dwindling purchasing power.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]
Notwithstanding, President Weah has made some gains in infrastructure development, particularly roads, free university education, health, free speech, freedom of the press and peaceful assemble, among others. But systemic corruption at all levels of the government is becoming a drawback to these earnest efforts.
Two more years to go, the government that is seeking reelection would do itself a great favor by publicly demonstrating commitment to fighting corruption and other negative vices bent on eroding its image and credibility.
