Liberians who spoke to your informative GNN-Liberia immediately after the publication of the political leader of the opposition Alternative National Congress (ANC), Alexander Benedict Cummings and the President of the Republic of Liberia, H.E. George M, Weah recent words of war in the media seems to scare many Liberians as to what gave rise to such utterances between two prominent Liberian statesmen.
Prior to this latest letter to the Liberian leader, President George M. Weah wrote: “Let me remind you and other members of Liberia’s traditional elitist political class that, in spite of the political, economic, and humanitarian carnage you have caused for over a century and still feel an uncanny entitlement to the Office I now occupy: I assumed leadership through a peaceful, democratic, free, and fair process in which the PEOPLE OF LIBERIA gave me an overwhelming mandate – an election that you participated in and received a dismal seven (7%) percent vote of rejection. I am a man of peace, a man of integrity. I paid my dues to my country for decades, long before I was given the mandate of leadership by the Liberian people. This was done at great personal risk, particularly during the war years. I doubt you were anywhere around to fully understand what this truly means.
I left the comforts of Monte Carlo, the comforts of Paris, the comforts of Milan, and the comforts of New York to help my people who were in distress due to war. Many days, I flew from Paris to Budumburam in Ghana, from Monaco to Conakry in Guinea and from Paris to Abidjan and Danane in La Cote d’Ivoire, to lend a helping hand to assist my people who were in dire straits in refugee camps”, the Liberian in his letter told the ANC political leader.
For his part in reaction to this allegation, Cummings also in his communication which went viral said, “You pronounce yourself as a peaceful man, Mr. President. It will be unfair for me to pronounce you to be otherwise. However, you cannot refute that a peaceful man will not headbutt a fellow player on the pitch as you did Jorge Costa, causing him a bloody face and a broken nose in the infamous Porto vs Milan game. You also cannot credibly refute claims that you contributed and helped to direct the activities of the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL), a factional group in the Liberian civil war, including paying for logistical support in 2002 for MODEL rebels to travel from the Ivory Coast ports to Sinoe County in Liberia, to fight against Taylor’s Government. May I remind you that Liberians died in that military misadventure.
It is also reported that you rented fishing boats and provided guns and ammunitions estimated at USD150,000 to MODEL, and much earlier in 1999, you provided food and supplies costing between USD20,000 to USD25,000 to the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Development (LURD), another rebel group in the Liberian war.
It has been further claimed that you did so to foster your long-held ambition for the Liberian Presidency as initially suspected by Former President Taylor, whose unconstitutional removal you supported. Mr. President, I did not go to Buduburam personally, just as I did not financially-support, participate in, and or direct the activities of any warring faction in our country’s long years of wars. However, contrary to your assertions, I was not perched in a tower in Atlanta but rather running the entire operations of Coca-Cola in all of Africa and assisting, where I could, Liberians fleeing from the crisis. What we do for our people should not give us a sense of entitlement to the presidency as you seem to have. However, the question is, after reportedly fueling the crisis which led to their refugee status; were your visits to refugee camps really about the Liberian people or to paint yourself as a savior, in furtherance of your political agenda?..
In reactions to both men words of war, Liberians who spoke to the GNN-Liberia urged them to stop what they are doing, and further called on the Liberian leader to play maturity, and do away with reacting to whatever is said about him; he is the leader of Liberia and must disregard whatever is said about him, noting that both men must ceasefire, it is time to forge ahead peacefully.
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