“from Day One when I got here, I saw market women at the junction, I brought them because it was not the right thing to do; so, I brought them in for us to talk, they gave their concerns and we were able to help them, the same with LU students” Liberian President George Manneh Weah
After more than two hours meeting with President George Weah in an attempt to present their plights to government, organizers of the June 7 much publicized mass protest have rejected a dialogue and will go ahead with their action as planned.
According to the council of Patriots, their plight will be presented to the president on June 7 during the planned mass protest co-named “Save the State” instead of compromise.
The meeting which was attended by several stakeholders including the representative of the United Nations and African Union as well as traditional leaders of Liberia was aimed at resolving on the June 7 protest planners to cancel their plan.
In the days leading to Tuesday’s meeting, some organizers had whispered a list of demands which included the resignation of Finance and Economic Planning Minister Samuel Tweah, who heads the government’s Economic Management Team and Central Bank Governor Nathaniel Patray; the establishment of a war crimes court and prosecution for those accused of stealing government money, notably the missing LD16 billion and the fate of US$25 million intended for infusion in the economy to curb the rising US dollar exchange rate on the market.
President Weah
Speaking at the meeting on Tuesday May 14, 2019 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, president Weah said he and his officials are working on modalities to solve some economic problems Liberia is now facing.
He added that protest and instability was not the best way to solve the current situation the country is faced with. “Now, to do all of these things, the semblance of instability protest is not the way forward”, he added.
President Weah said his administration would never try to stop any citizen from speaking to their government, issuing a reminder that there have already been a handful of protests since his administration took office last January, all ending peacefully.
“Day One when I got here, I saw market women at the junction, I brought them because it was not the right thing to do; so, I brought them in for us to talk, they gave their concerns and we were able to help them, the same with LU students.
The spokesman for the council of patriots Abraham Darius Dillion responding to the president’s statement said they too are concerned about the peace and stability of Liberia.
“The peace and stability of this country is a paramount concern to all of us. Anybody making insinuations that the exercise of a democratic right is a threat to the peace that person is insinuating that they don’t respect the peace because when you remind people and deprive them from the exercise of their rights, sometimes the result can be bad”, he stated.
Mr. Dillon said they are planning a peaceful protest and no one should interpret differently.
UN Resident Coordinator
Mr. Yacoub El Hillo, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Liberia said the Unification Day round-table dialogue between President Weah and members of Council of Patriots (COP) should send a clear message to the world that Liberians are using the force of logic to solve our differences and not the logic of force.
He added: “because when that was last tried in Liberia, we all know what happened here.”
He also expressed optimism that the June 7 protest will be peaceful based on statement coming from COP.
Political analysts in Liberia have been saying the Council of Patriots has different motive under their sleeves but COP members have reechoed that they are up for peace.
