Monrovia — Regular enterprise actions throughout components of Monrovia had been paralyzed on Thursday, July 17, as 1000’s of Liberians gathered in a large, peaceable protest demanding accountability and reform from the administration of President Joseph Boakai.
By Emmanuel Weedee-Conway
The march, organized below the banner “Sufficient is Sufficient,” drew a various crowd that included college students, well being staff, academics, market distributors, motorcyclists, and odd residents annoyed by what they described as worsening governance and deepening financial hardship.
Led by the Solidarity Belief for a New Day (STAND) and the “We The Individuals” motion, the protest was spearheaded by the previous Congress of Democratic Change (CDC) Chairman Mulbah Ok. Morlu and different outstanding civic actors.
Protesters converged from totally different components of the nation, marching by key areas of the capital, Monrovia, to current a petition of grievances and calls for to the federal government. Chief amongst these calls for was a name for both President Boakai or Vice President Jeremiah Koung to personally obtain the petition. Neither of the 2 high leaders confirmed up.
As a substitute, Consultant Gizzie Ok. Kollince and Senator Momo Cyrus — designated by Home Speaker Richard Koon and Senate Professional Tempore Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence respectively — had been despatched to obtain the doc. However the crowd, visibly agitated, rejected each envoys, citing what they described as a critical lack of credibility and ethical authority on the a part of Speaker Koon, whom they accused of defying the Supreme Courtroom and being entangled in bribery allegations.
The absence of President Boakai or his Vice President was interpreted by protest leaders as a deliberate act of disrespect to the 1000’s of residents who stood peacefully within the rain ready to be heard.
Addressing the group on the climax of the march, lead organizer Morlu issued a powerful post-petition assertion, warning the President that continued silence wouldn’t go unchallenged. He described the choice to delegate the petition reception to tainted officers as “a direct insult to the Liberian individuals,” declaring that if there is no such thing as a formal acknowledgment or response inside fourteen days, protesters will return in even larger numbers and with extra assertive calls for.
“If the President was genuinely unable to attend, the Vice President — although himself not with out controversy — might have been a extra acceptable delegate, if just for the truth that he was duly elected. However deciding on somebody below authorized and moral clouds was a deliberate act of disrespect. We’re hereby giving President Boakai fourteen days to publicly acknowledge and start appearing on the ‘We The Individuals’ petition. Ought to he fail to take action, we are going to return with a second wave of protest — greater, louder, more durable, and fully uncompromising,” Morlu warned.
In his concluding remarks, Morlu underscored the historic nature of the demonstration, calling it the biggest peaceable civil society protest in Liberia’s current reminiscence.
He mentioned the unity, order, and objective of the protest despatched a robust message not simply to the federal government however to the worldwide neighborhood that Liberians are not keen to stay silent amid hardship and corruption. “What occurred in the present day was historic. The individuals of Liberia won’t ever be ignored,” he declared.
The petition offered by the protesters was far-reaching, laying out a sequence of complete calls for. Among the many calls for was a name for the speedy prosecution of senior authorities officers accused of corruption, together with Mamaka Bility, who serves as Minister of State with out Portfolio and is linked to irregular involvement within the controversial Putu Iron Ore concession and procurement irregularities.
Others cited included Sylvester Grigsby, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, accused of economic mismanagement and unauthorized spending, Mo Ali, Managing Director of the Liberia Water and Sewer Company, who protesters say inflated venture prices, and Roland Giddings, the Public Works Minister, blamed for awarding main street contracts with little or no execution.
Protesters additional demanded impartial audits of all main authorities businesses and concession agreements signed inside the previous two years. They referred to as for the dismissal and prosecution of Police Inspector Basic Gregory Coleman, accusing him of presiding over a regime of brutality, illegal detentions, and suppression of peaceable residents.
They referenced particular circumstances, together with the dying of Amanda Nebo, the incident involving Morris Gomo, and the killings through the Kinjor bloodbath in Grand Cape Mount County on February 29, 2024. In line with the petitioners, these occasions weren’t solely avoidable however emblematic of a broader sample of impunity inside the nation’s safety forces.
Additionally among the many calls for had been requires full public disclosure of nationwide contracts and concession agreements, enforcement of tenure legal guidelines to guard civil servants from political witch-hunts, and restoration of constitutionally assured freedoms.
Protesters emphasised the necessity for pressing financial measures to deal with youth unemployment, low wages, and the shortage of entry to training and healthcare. They demanded that wages for civil servants be elevated, public hospitals be geared up with ample provides and personnel, and that colleges obtain correct funding and oversight.
One key level raised was the marginalization of casual staff, equivalent to “keh-keh” and “pen-pen” riders, who the petitioners mentioned have confronted unconstitutional restrictions on their livelihoods.
One other controversial subject raised within the petition was the elimination of former Home Speaker J. Fonati Koffa. Protesters demanded an impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding his ousting, citing judicial interference and govt overreach. They argued that the scenario represents an erosion of legislative independence and judicial neutrality, each of that are important pillars of democracy.
Whereas the protest ended peacefully, the tone of the warning issued by STAND and its allies indicators a possible escalation. Morlu emphasised that the individuals’s endurance has run out and that any additional silence from the Boakai administration could be interpreted as contempt for the residents’ constitutional rights.
He famous that Liberians have reached a breaking level as they take care of surging costs, poor public companies, growing joblessness, and what many view as a authorities out of contact with the struggles of odd individuals.
To date, the workplace of President Boakai has not issued an announcement in response to the petition. Vice President Koung has additionally remained silent, and there was no remark from Speaker Koon or Senator Cyrus following the rejection of their roles as petition recipients. Because the fourteen-day ultimatum ticks down, pressure continues to construct.
