By Our Reporter
President George Manneh Weah recently took the Liberian media to for what he called “providing misinformation to the public on the rice situation,” but a prominent Journalist Jonathan Paye-Layleh has accused the Liberian leader of using the press as scapegoats
Speaking during his tour of rice warehouses at the Freeport of Monrovia, the President told the media: “You are giving misinformation to the citizens, and this is your country too,” he asserted. “If anything happens, all of us will be vulnerable. So it’s wrong when the press is giving misinformation.”
“I came here to verify the reported rice shortage as reported by some journalists. What I see here, the stockpile of rice, is contrary to what is reported to the citizens,” he said.
Yes, a huge stockpile of rice was seen in the port warehouses, but the recent media reports were based on a glaring shortage of rice in the stores and shops with hike in prices where the commodity was available, something confirmed by local rice dealers.
President Weah said it would have been important had the media “gone to the Freeport of Monrovia to inquire from the importers rather than reporting that there’s shortage of rice, whereby there is plenty of rice here”.
But in an open letter to President Weah earlier this week, Journalist Paye-Layleh asserted that the CDC government was not being sincere to citizens in the current rice situation in Liberia.
“Dear Mr. President: Good morning, Your Excellency. Instead of you scapegoating the media as presidents have always done in Liberia during crises, your government should be sincere and explain to the public why there can be millions of tons of rice in warehouses at the Port of Monrovia but not necessarily available to the consumers.”
Journalist Paye-Layleh continues in his letter:
“You are aware, Mr. President, that there are laid-down conditions between the importers and the rice sellers in Asia for the release of rice from the Monrovia Port to the distributors and retailers. Importers don’t just release rice to the market. They must meet those conditions before they release rice to us. So just showing warehouses filled with rice does not mean the commodity is actually available, sir. No, it is not. Rice is still very scarce and expensive because of those conditions. So please find out why the constraints. This, again, is a free, patriotic and brotherly advice. Thank you.
Jonathan”