-Weah says “Boakai was sleeping” when he spoke in Senate
By our Staff Writer
The politician widely seen as the political kingmaker in Liberian elections, Nimba County Senator Prince Y. Johnson has called on Liberians to stage a “democratic coup d’etat” by voting for George Weah and his Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) in Tuesday, December 26 presidential runoff elections.
Speaking at a huge rally at the newly renovated Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium in the Monrovia suburb of Paynesville on Saturday, Johnson said voting otherwise would lead to the continuation of corruption and the pillaging of Liberia’s resources.
“We have had economic parasites who have pillaged the country’s resources,” Johnson, who came fourth in the October 10, 2017 first round of elections told the huge crowd.
Senator Johnson, leader of the Movement for Reconstruction and Democracy (MDR) led an attack against the incumbent Vice President Joseph Boakai of the ruling Unity Party (UP) that Weah continued.
He dismissed the VP’s earlier claim that Weah was mute during Senate plenary session in the past three years.
“Joe Boakai sleeps even in the Liberian Senator,” the Nimba County Senator claimed.
The CDC Standard Bearer later mounted the platform leading the singing of Liberia’s national anthem, after which he said, “We are ready to take state power. We have kept hope for the past 12 year, now hope for change has come.”
Then Weah sharply reacted to claim by VP Boakai that since he entered the Senate three years ago, the CDC leader has not once raised his hand during Senate session or sponsored a single Bill. The Senator is presided over by the Liberian Vice President.
But Weah rubbished the claim saying, he has raised his hand on a number of occasion citing his position on reducing the high cost of Liberian passport, reducing the tax burden on citizens and the situation with the school system in the aftermath of the deadly Ebola Virus.
“Whenever I put my hand up in the Senate, Boakai was sleeping.
According to the football icon-turned politician, it’s not on all occasions that he would speak on issues because he did not want to be redundant, when he goes along with a particular position raised by his Senate colleagues.
“I don’t need to talk but my action speaks,” Weah added.
The CDC presidential candidate also launched an attack on UP Boakai’s declaration promising to create 50,000 jobs in his first 150 days in office.
For Weah,, this promise is a deception, when VP Boakai and his Unity Party ‘was unable to create even 10,000 jobs in their 4,380 days in power.’
The CDC presidential candidate urged his opponent to be honest to the Liberian people, while himself promising to invest in agriculture to create more jobs and improve education if elected on December 26.
He told Liberian voters that “I don’t want to tell you things out of the ordinary” but at the same time promised to raise Liberia to a develop country status..
“You’ve given them 12 years, what have they done? Joe Boakai failed us, UP failed us,” he said.
To the Liberian voters, he said: “Don’t listen to their rhetoric..This time is our time,” adding that power will go back to the people.