“Weah is not trouble maker”

Slain President Samuel Kanyon Doe’s former Information Minister Rev. Emmanuel Bowier says he knows President George Manneh Weah to be someone who is not violent or a noise maker, but warns Mr. Weah’s young officials to avail themselves to knowledgeable people to learn what Liberia is all about.

“And I know him to be someone – the President, Weah, to be someone who is not violent, someone who is not a noise maker,” Rev. Bowier told a local radio talk show in Monrovia Monday, 23 July.

Recalling his interaction with Mr. Weah as a footballer back in the 80s, Rev. Bowier says in 1988 the “young George Weah” had the potential for making bad news for Liberia if he wanted to, but chose to channel his plight through him (Bowier).

According to Rev. Bowier, due to Mr. Weah’s age, the Liberian Embassy in Cameroon had been entrusted with money belonging to the ex-soccer legend after he played for a team in Cameroon and got not less than US$50,000.00.

But he notes that the Embassy seized the money and it seemed to have forgotten that Weah owned the money whenever he wanted it.He recalls that when Mr. Weah engaged him, he took the matter up to late President Doe who made a decision in Mr. Weah’s favor, thus preventing a bad image of the country to the outside world.

Following his upbeat appraisal of his relationship with Mr. Weah since the 80s, Rev. Bowier dismisses a claim attributed to a Gender Ministry official that he (Rev. Bowier) is jealous by criticizing government for vetting applicants to serve as Independence Day Orators.

“What I’m saying is, when you see me talk about this process they’re using to get the orator of the day, it’s not that, like the lady from Gender Ministry said I was jealous. I can’t be jealous, I do not know her age now but I want to let her know that I can’t be jealous. God has blessed me too much in this country to be jealous. I can’t even be jealous of the president. No,” he says.

Rev. Bowier suggests that some of these young officials need to come and learn a few things because “some of us” are full of what Liberia is all about.He commends President Weah for government’s selection of Finance Minister Samuel Tweah as Liberia’s 171st Independence Day Orator, abandoning the vetting process government embarked upon.

He particularly commends the president for the selection of the orator given that Minister Tweah is not 18 years old as government wanted to do earlier by placing age limit.

Rev. Bowier says he is not opposed to having an 18 year – old Orator, provided it can be proven that the person has been through things and can tell Liberians something.

He says he is happy over the appointment of Minister Tweah, noting further that the president’s decision has vindicated him of accusation that he was jealous.According to Rev. Bowier, President Weah’s decision also tells that he (Rev. Bowier) was not talking nonsense.

“Now look at the situation, they were going to vet people to be orator of the day and they were going to do it by skype. Now because these little children running around with computers and laptops and all kinds of gadgets just in their hands so they think that’s how we run government?” he quipped.

By Winston W. Parley