‘UP playing double standard with PYJ’

President George Mannah Weah has accused the former ruling Unity Party of engaging in a double standard play with Nimba County Senator Prince Y. Johnson while describing former Vice President Joseph Boakai as a “dishonest man”.

Addressing supporters in Totota, Bong County on Monday, September 11, President Weah told supporters that it was Amb. Boakai and his group of Unity Partisans accused him of protecting Sen. Johnson from facing war crimes charges.

Mr. Weah explained that the accusation from Amb. Boakai and his group of UP supporters came about after he informed the United Nations General Assembly that he wanted his country to return to the Palaver Hut to sort out their differences rather than choosing the path of war crimes court, which seeks to bring war perpetrators to book.

He said the very Prince Johnson who he was accused of protecting is currently in the camp of the Unity Party and wonders why they can’t put him forward to answer to war crimes charges now that he is with them.

“We went to the United Nations and said we wanted to go back to the Palaver Hut. Those people you see there-Boakai and his group, they said that Prince Johnson was being protected by George Weah so that he can’t go to war crimes court,” Weah told supporters.

As if his explanation did not go down well with the crowd, President Weah turned his narrative in simple Liberian English: “My people, I will talk dis one in simple English. De same Prince Johnson, he na with Jorweah, de same people who say Jorweah wor protecting Prince Johnson, da de same people weh Prince Johnson with why dey can’t carry him to war crime court na.”

He said this was the deception of Amb. Boakai and his supporters, adding that the former Vice President is a dishonest man.

“Look, yesterday I was very flabbergasted. I listened to our father Joseph Boakai. I think Joseph Boakai has lost it, he lost something. For Joseph Boakai to be in government for 12 years and Redemption Hospital sat there in ruins no drugs…it’s the same man that stayed 12 years now saying that your elect me, I will give Redemption Hospital …I will bring medicine and put it in there. Are you kidding me? Is this a joke? This is a joke; this is a joke.” President Weah laughed as he queried “How can a person that spent 12 years and New Kru Town story did not change and is now coming back to say, elect us we will bring medicine to the Government Hospital.”

President Weah’s jibes at former Vice President Boakai did not stop there and to the delights of his supporters too.

He continued: “You know something, when I listened to the opposition, especially our father (Joseph Boakai) I think he missed it, because for him to say that he will be the one to fix everything. Liberia is 176 years old, he spent 50 years in government, he has done nothing for himself, there is no way he can fix anything in this country.

You know, they called him…You call yourself rescuer, I’m the one who rescued Joseph Boakai. I rescued him. Because he’s not an honest man and you can see around him, because he is a dishonest man that is why everybody around him is angry with him. Look at Joseph Boakai’s history and look at my history, Joseph Boakai is from Lofa County. He has been in government for more than 40 to 50 years, Lofa County the development, who is doing it?”

“George Mannah Weah,” the crowd shouted.

President Weah is expected to stay four days in Bong County campaigning for his reelection bid. His main challengers are Amb. Boakai and former Coca-Cola Executive Mr. Alexandar B. Cummings.

However, most of his campaign messages have been directed at Boakai rather than Mr. Cummings. Cummings’s supporters claimed that the government has nothing on him to say.