‘Weah’s a hypocrite’

By Lincoln G. Peters  

The National Patriotic Party (NPP) former Senator for Bomi County, Sando Johnson, has alleged that President George Manneh Weah is a hypocrite for calling former Information Minister Lewis G. Brown a rebel.

While endorsing a planned opposition rally against hardship on Monday, 12 December 2022 in Sinkor, Johnson accused President Weah of constantly attacking people who contributed to his success.

He alleged that through Amb. Brown’s political benevolence, President Weah served as National Sports Director of the national team, Lonestar, during imprisoned former President Charles Ghankay Taylor’s rule.

“You Mr. Weah, when you were begging President Taylor nationally, politically, it was Mr. Brown that pleaded for you and gave you [a] job,” former Senator Johnson alleged. 

“When you became Technical Sports Director for Lonestar, it was Mr. Brown who did that for you and you benefited from it.”

Amb. Brown and former Senator Johnson were both stalwarts of Mr. Taylor’s NPP.

The NPP is now a constituent party of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) headed by President Weah.

But Amb. Brown has now switched political sides, joining former Coca-Cola executive Alexander B. Cummings’ Alternative National Congress (ANC)/Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), which plans a mass rally due 17 December 2022.

Johnson urged President Weah and his likes to desist from attacking and referring to Amb. Brown as a rebel.

He debunked a claim here that Amb. Brown, Liberia’s former Permanent Representative to the United Nations, engaged in rebel acts.

According to former Senator Johnson, it’s very saddening and frustrating that President Weah and his likes from the ruling Coalition for Democracy Change would allegedly continue to attack and brand Amb. Brown a rebel when the president benefited from Brown.

The former senator explained that when he was in the Legislature during Taylor’s regime, lawmakers were making less than seven hundred United States Dollars.

But in that same era, he claimed that Mr. Weah was allegedly being paid more than five thousand United States Dollars by the NPP government through the recommendation of Amb. Brown.

Johnson, now a stalwart of businessman Benoni Urey’s All Liberian Party (ALP), accused Weah of personally attacking him and referring to him in a demeaning manner when they went for a meeting at the president’s residence.

He also urged President Weah to desist from this.

“I am a product and a founding member of the NPP that you [are] having and using. You have taken NPP as your personal property. You now decide [on] the party. Do you even know how that party was founded?” Johnson said.

He said it’s about time that Mr. Weah leaves, warning that if this is not done in the 2023 presidential and legislative elections, he will back off, sell what he has and leave.

Commenting on the influx of disadvantaged youth and ex-military personnel across the country, Mr. Johnson disclosed that during his administration at the Liberian Senate, lawmakers worked on laws and policies to protect and support disadvantaged youth and ex-military officers across the country.

He said the document calls for the rehabilitation of disadvantaged youth and ex-military officers to be taken at a particular location where they will be rehabilitated and trained before being sent to society.

On the contrary, he alleged that the Government of Liberia has failed to implement what is in the document.

Rather, he alleged, the government is referring to peaceful Liberians as rebels, disadvantaged youth, and ex-military officers when the government is responsible for their plights.

In another development, Mr. Johnson has officially endorsed and pledged his support and commitment to the opposition CPP’s planned December 17 rally.

“I have told my political leader, Mr. Benoni Urey that I will support the December 17 rally,” said Mr. Johnson.

“I also informed him that the rally is a national call that is not about the ANC, Mr. Cummings, [nor] the CPP,” Johnson added.

He argued that it’s a call of the Liberian people to demonstrate that they are tired suffering. 

“We protested June 7, and this government did not listen, and so it’s now time we remind them,’’ he concluded.