MONROVIA – The “Lead or Leave” protest organized by Solidarity and Trust for a New Day (STAND) which took place December 17, 2025, has ended in controversy, with protesters expressing frustration and disappointment over the failure to deliver their petition to the government. Despite months of planning and publicity, the protest drew a relatively small crowd of around 40-50 people, and the organizers’ insistence on presenting the petition only to President Joseph Boakai led to a stalemate. Aimed to highlight issues such as corruption, economic hardship, and human rights concerns, the protest was marked by a heavy police presence and tensions between protesters and authorities. While the protest remained peaceful, the inability to deliver the petition has left many feeling disenchanted and questioning the effectiveness of the movement, as was the previous July 17, 2025 protest. The Analyst’s matthew turry reports.
The Solidarity and Trust for a New Day (STAND) through its Leader Mulbah K Morlu has on Wednesday, December 17, 2025 held its much publicized protest under the banner “Lead or Leave”
Nearly four months of publicity about a day set aside into the minds of many people that Wednesday, December 17 “Lead or Leave” Protest organized by STAND headed by former Chairman of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) Mulbah K Morlu was a heaven-come-down event.
Indeed, the debates over whether or not the protest was necessary consumed the Liberian discourse and left odd impressions about the day. Finally, it is all over—others say not completely over. Stalemate over last-minute demands are still lingering and portending possible showdown depending on what Government responsibility for security and order will react to those demands.
The public, especially ordinary December 17 Protesters remain divided yet again over who’s to blame for the protesters’ petition remaining on its shelf.
The long-awaited protest finally took place on December 17 as agreed by the government of Liberia and the organizers of the protest dubbed, “Solidarity and Trust for a New Day (STAND)”, where protesters march from Congo Town to Capitol Hill to petition the government of Liberia.
It was planned more than 90 days in advance. News of the protest took center stage of almost every discourse around the country. The organizers noted that the protest was going to be nationwide but that was not the case. Their stated purpose was to call the Government attention to some of the many “ills” in the country.
Prior to the much talk about December 17, there were a lot of calls from many Liberians who in their minds the date of the protest was not timely due to festive season ahead.
Many Liberians were of the thought that there would have been a grand negotiation between both parties so as to halt the protest. But calls from domestic actors in Liberia could not stop the protest from taking place.
In spite of the numerous calls, the protest took place under what many termed as “peaceful” both in recognition of the role of the security apparatus including the police and the protesters themselves.
Said Mary Kolleh an observer: “I was afraid to the extent that I told my children to stay indoors, but what I saw made me to believe that there is a high degree of tolerance from this government and the protesters.”
It appears the politics of the protest did not play well for the organizers. With overwhelming publicity spanning more than 60 days, one would have thought that the organizers would have pulled a mammoth crowd as anticipated.
Observers believe that the number was just around a small size of between 40-50 persons.
In spite of the peaceful nature of the protest, it failed to yield the expected results that Liberians anticipated on Wednesday.
The organizers at the first instance noted that they were not going to present their petition to the officials except the President.
The organizers became muddled when one group called for the reading of the petition, while another insisted on presenting to the President.
With the petition not presented to the government, many Liberian became dismayed with the organizers citing what they called the egos, selfishness and political influence as the basis for not presenting their petition.
“How can you insist that only the President you want to read the petition to? Was it a part of the petition or are we not law abiding enough” said George Davies a protesters who expressed his frustration over the attitude of the organizers.
The end game of the protest was not what many Liberians expected. No doubt, it was a peaceful march, but the last-minute U-turn by the organizers killed the expectations of thousands of Liberians who felt insulted by the outcome.
While the organizers failed read the statement, there are others who believe that their time were wasted on Wednesday and going forward, they will “no longer participate in any protest with a confused bunch of people”.