By Bockarie Musa
He was once a feared rebel fighter in Liberia’s 14 years brutal civil war, but today Joshua Milton Blahyii alias “General Butt Naked” mounts the pulpit to preach the word of God and refers to himself as an “Evangelist”.
In the wake of Liberia’s historic presidential and legislature, he has publically endorsed the candidacy of incumbent Vice President Joseph Boakai of the ruling Unity Party (UP).
He told this reporter in an interview broadcast on a local radio station, that Baoakai is the only candidate best suited to replace outgoing President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, because he is politically experience and has the integrity.
Boakai is due to face the main opposition party, CDC’s candidate Senator George Weah in the November 7, 2017 runoff elections.
While former General Butt Naked doesn’t like to be linked to his gruesome past as a savage fighter on the battle field, he won’t hold back from exercising his democratic franchise to vote and is openly declaring his choice for political candidates in both the presidential and legislative races.
Years ago, Blahyii admitted to Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) that he committed some of the worst atrocities but asked his compatriots for forgiveness.
He was said to have had mystical powers to disappear from enemy forces in the heat of battle.
Blahyii explained that he denounced violence back “in 1998 after accepting Jesus Christ as my personal savior” and doing everything to maintain that trend, as “violence and war is considered the work of the devil.”
But former Gen Butt Naked, who fought for the defunct ULIMO-J anti Taylor rebel group, was recently accused by supporters of one of the candidates in the Sinoe County’s legislative race of involvement in violence that erupted after the October 10 polls.
But Blahyii has denied the claim by the incumbent Representative of the district Matthew Zarzar that he (Blahyii) was among the people that attacked his (Zarzar’s) supporters who were on a peaceful celebration in Karmo Town to mark his victory.
One person was killed and several others wounded in the incident.
The ex-rebel turned “born again Christian” however dismissed the claims as “baseless and was designed to tarnish his hard earned reputation and undermine my credibility build over the years as an ordained preacher of the Gospel.”
Blahyii openly admitted that he was fully backing candidate Shadrack Saywon, who opposed Zarzar, but maintained that he was never present at the scene of the violence and “never incited anyone to behave disorderly.
But he said the incumbent lawmaker chose to implicate him (Blahyii) because he refused to support him in the election of the incumbent lawmaker.
According to him, lawmaker Zarzar failed to address the plight of the people of the district during his term of office. He claims that the population of the area liv in abject poverty and lack safe drinking water and healthcare delivery.
The ex-rebel fighter also said that “I put my weight behind” the opposition candidate Shadrack Saywon to bring about peaceful change and end the suffering of the people in the local district.
Saywon, former Gen Butt Naked said was “a God-fearing person who used his hard earnings over the years to bring development to the area.”