Editorial: Weah should tell President Joe Biden

President George Manneh Weah is joining fellow leaders from Africa and perhaps other parts of the world for a leadership summit this week with United States President Joe Biden in Washington, DC. Tagged the African Leadership Summit, it is upon the invitation of President Biden. This is also President Weah’s first official engagement (face-to-face) with the U.S. President.

Like other African leaders attending, this forum provides President Weah a great opportunity to tell the U.S. President and fellow delegates progress of his leadership in the last five years and challenges besetting his government, as Liberia goes to elections next year.

Specifically, Mr. Weah will talk about the economy that has made no significant on the lives of ordinary Liberians, including financial constraints that are impeding development.

But he should tell President Biden how three of his key officials that were designated by the U.S. Treasury Department under the Global Magnitsky Act or GloMag, for ongoing public corruption, are yet to be prosecuted under Liberian law. President Weah should also say that under his leadership, US$25 million taken from the country’s reserve immediately after he took office, to mop up excess liquidity in the economy, is yet to be properly accounted for.

He should account under his watch, how four young auditors died suspiciously in Monrovia, including the Head of the Internal Auditing Agency (IAA) Emmanuel Beythan Nyensua. Yes! It is important that our President tell fellow leaders how these great sons and daughter died while auditing COVID-19 funds.

President Weah should explain how University of Liberia students protesting peacefully before the Embassy of the United States near Monrovia got brutalized by a pro-Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) youths that left Student Walter Sisulu badly brutalized and taken abroad for medication.

The Leadership Summit this week also provides an opportunity for the Liberian leader to speak on corruption that has drag his government’s image into the mud, including his continuous ties with rebels INPFL leader Senator Prince Yormie Johnson, also sanctioned by the U.S. Government for votes buying and other acts of corruption.

As President of Liberia, he should be in the position by now to account how Liberian Diplomatic Passport got in the hand of a criminal that is currently being investigated by the F.B.I. President Joe Biden would be interested in knowing how Cocaine valued US$100 million ducked at the Freeport of Monrovia, offloaded and taken to a warehouse in Gardnersville outside Monrovia before it was arrested upon tipoff from the U.S. Embassy near Monrovia.

President Weah should say clearly what motivated attempt by his administration to dissolve the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission after several audit reports that indicted a number of government institutions, including lack of political will to adequately support anti-graft institutions in his government, that has left those entities existing only by names. 

It is important that President Weah muster enough courage to speak on these issues plus more that border on leadership to demonstrate his government’s sincerity to govern with transparency and accountability – marks of quality leadership, as he seeks a second term in office.