I was never in control

By Kruah Thompsaon  

The United Party’s nominee on the Joint Presidential Transition Team’s sub-committee on President Joseph Nyumah Boakai’s inaugural ceremony that became a flop on Monday, Miatta Fahnbulleh distances herself from the poor execution that characterized the event.

Instead, Aunty Miatta, as she is affectionally called, squarely blames the Director-General of the General Services Agency (GSA) Mary Broh, Foreign Minister Maxwell Kemayah, and the 55th Legislature for the abysmal organization of the disastrous inaugural ceremony held on Monday, January 22, 2024, in Monrovia.   

Miss Fahnbulleh, who was appointed on December 8, 2023, to head the leadership and members of the Joint Presidential Transition Team openly admits that she was never in control of the inaugural planning, but held the title of inaugural head only in name, while most decisions were made by individuals within the former Weah government.

Addressing the Ministry of Information’s regular press briefing on Thursday, January 25, on Capitol Hill, she pointed fingers at Madam Broh, revealing that the GSA boss allegedly received funding for the renovation and preparation of the Capitol Building where the inauguration was held, but due to the poor management, progress was only halfway.

 According to her, every time she tried to inquire, the consistent response she received was that the responsibility fell on the GSA.

 She narrates that before the ceremony, she decided to confront Madam Mary Broh, but the meeting ended in deadlock, alleging that Broh obstructed preparations for the inaugural ceremony.

She adds that much of her recommendations proffered were not adhered to by members of the committee because oversight and communication within the committee were poorly conducted, leading to the disastrous heat exhaustion incident that nearly destroyed the President’s life. 

“There was a total breakdown in coordination amongst those that were appointed by former President Weah to head the inaugural committee”, she notes, and adds, “When I realized that I was not in control, I sincerely contemplated relinquishing the position.”

However, she says based on advice from her colleagues, she ultimately decided to go along with the situation. 

Turning to the 55^th Legislature, Aunty Fhanbulleh questions their involvement in overseeing planning processes leading to the event, asking how often they checked the Capitol’s readiness before the actual inaugural date.

Though she expresses gratitude to other national stakeholders for their participation in the planning, Aunty Miatta sternly criticizes the Legislature for allegedly neglecting its oversight responsibility.

“They failed to inspect whether the Capitol Building was properly set up and if everything was in order. But when I presented my proposal, they emphasized their oversight and responsibilities.” She laments.  

On the other hand, while acknowledging the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’s role in the printing of invitations, she similarly blames the ministry for overcrowding the event.

According to her, despite an initial agreement for 400 tickets, she subsequently discovered that additional 300 hundred tickets were printed by the ministry’s protocol section, bringing to a total 700 tickets while there were only four hundred chairs arranged for guests.

“So why should I be held responsible, when EPS officers were allowing people without invitations to enter on the grounds, where the program was held. Why is somebody going to hold me responsible? How could I have known that EPS officers would allow people in without invitations?”

The EPS is the Executive Protective Service – the elite Presidential guards that provide protection for VIPs.

These are her concerns, highlighting the challenges she faced in managing the inauguration.

In a phone interview with this publication, the Commander-In-Chief of the Economy Freedom Fighters of Liberia (one of the alliance parties of the UP) Emanuel Gongua, describes the entire inaugural event as a mess.

He points out several lapses that the inaugural team failed to consider in the planning stages. 

Gongua emphasizes that the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia should have announced the weather conditions, days before the inauguration to keep international guests aware of the temperature they would encounter.

He highlights a situation where the weather was around 87 degrees Celsius, and President Boakai was attired in traditional outfit without proper ventilation.

“For example, we had a situation where the weather conditions were around 87 degrees Celsius, and you dressed the President in traditional attire, carrying him to an inaugural ground with no ventilation and without giving him any fan or anything.”

He continues that if they were aware of the President’s choice of attire to showcase his love for Liberian products, the inaugural stage could have been built with enough fans to mitigate the situation and provide comfort for the President and international guests. 

In his view, the entire inaugural event was a mess, saying “we should have known better.”

In the middle of his speech Monday on Capitol Hill, delivered before Presidents, dignitaries, and Liberians, President Boakai froze suddenly due to severe heat and exhaustion amid a temperature that some say was over 100 degrees Celsius. Several other persons reportedly fainted during the occasion, including security officers with one death reported. Editing by Jonathan Browne