-Diaspora-based Former PUL Leaders Sound Alarm
MONROVIA – Former leaders of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) are sounding the alarm, warning that Liberia is gradually descending into conflict amid growing political agitation and tension. In a statement, they expressed concern over the increasing lawlessness at anti-government demonstrations, citing the December 17, 2025, protest in Monrovia, where protesters attacked and vandalized vehicles, and several individuals were wounded. They also pointed to the December 18, 2024, fire that ravaged the Capitol Building as an example of how quickly tensions can escalate. They criticized both the ruling Unity Party and the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) for fueling tensions through social media platforms. As THE ANALYST reports, the statement urged President Boakai to prioritize competence, professionalism, and integrity in appointments and to establish a special economic policy think-tank to address pressing economic issues.
The PUL leaders urge President Boakai to prioritize competence, professionalism, and integrity in appointments, and to establish a special economic policy think-tank to address pressing economic issues. They also call for the government to release the resolution from the Liberia Annual National Diaspora Conference and to support mainstream media.
In a joint statement, the ex-PUL leaders stated: “We, former leaders of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), wish to express grave concern regarding growing political agitation and tension in Liberia. This could easily degenerate into civil unrest in the fragile post-war country that is recovering from 14 years of civil war, which cost the lives of an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 people, and the entire Liberia almost completely destroyed.
“An example of how the growing political tension in the country could easily erupt into violence and property destruction was the December 18, 2024 burning of the Capitol Building. According to reports, the huge blaze that ravaged the historic Capitol Building erupted in the wake of attempts to remove Counsellor J. Fonati Koffa as Speaker of the House of Representatives, amid the high political tension generated during the power struggle. Former Speaker Koffa and several other opposition members of the National Legislature are being prosecuted in a politically charged trial for their alleged complicity in the fire, which is estimated to cost $8.6 million in damage.”
They said what is becoming a source of grave concern is the increasing lawlessness at anti-government demonstrations by opposition elements resulting in scuffles with the police, such as the December 17, 2025 protest in Monrovia, at which protesters reportedly attacked, vandalized vehicles, and several individuals were wounded.
“We are equally alarmed by growing local media reports, magnified by social media posts and broadcasts, regarding various levels of threats to individuals and to the country as a whole,” the legendary journalists indicated.
They added: “Liberia risks becoming the Wild West of social media, where individuals and groups post or broadcast falsehoods that are injurious to someone’s reputation or threats to physically attack others, with impunity. It is becoming a norm for government officials, including spokespersons, to make derogatory or vulgar public utterances and to openly threaten critics or perceived political enemies, including journalists.
“The latest example is the new Speaker of the House of Representatives, Richard N. Koon, who publicly threatened to “grab and jail journalists” in November. Speaker Koon later apologized, following a groundswell of public condemnation for his street level way of talking down to journalists.”
They further noted that operatives of the Boakai government and the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) led by former President George M. Weah, bear the greatest responsibilities for the rising political tension in Liberia.
The ruling UP and the CDC are operating or supporting separate social media platforms, where each side is generally spewing insults and propagating messages of hate against the other, they stressed, indicating that “More disturbing is the fact that while some social media operators on both sides use vulgar language against their opponents, government officials are also regular panelists on some of the platforms.”
“Instead of providing more funding to further enhance progress being made at the Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS), and to resuscitate the virtually dormant Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT), the Boakai government, like that of the past Weah government, is also making the same fatal mistake by funding unprofessional social media operatives, while failing to build a good working relationship with the mainstream media, critically needed to manage public expectations.”
They continued: “We view with trepidation that an increasing number of democratically elected governments are being deposed in military coups in the West African sub-region, amid high public disaffection against such governments. This is why Liberia cannot afford to slip back into the dark days of military rule or civil war due to failure of leadership to address matters of pressing national concerns, especially the economic plight of an overwhelming majority of the people, including tens of thousands of struggling ex-combatants, compounded by growing reports of corruption within the government.”
The former PUL leaders asserted that despite the government’s impressive accomplishments at the international level, including Liberia’s election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), much is left to be desired regarding its domestic policies.
“For example, the ongoing debates related to the national budget have exposed many shortcomings regarding how public resources are allocated and expended, amid allegations that the national budget is being used by certain government officials to siphon public money, at a time of stagnant wages for ordinary civil servants.
“We note that one of the major shortcomings of the Boakai administration is the failure to articulate the gains that have been made since assuming power. It appears that the government has problems with proactively framing its accomplishments in a way ordinary citizens would positively relate to.”
They recommended that the government contracts seasoned professional journalists, who will work with MICAT and the Executive Mansion Press, to craft a communications strategy woven around the government’s ARREST Agenda.
“We also recommend that for future appointments to leadership posts at MICAT, LBS, and the Public Affairs Department at the Ministry of State, including the communications advisor to the president, among others, there should be serious consideration for the appointment of individuals with professional journalism background,” said the three journalists. “We call on President Boakai to be strategic and forward-thinking in his appointments, which should focus on competence, professionalism, and integrity, and not on the basis of partisanship, ethnicity, among others.
“Our logic is simple: Just as someone with a professional legal background is usually considered for appointment as minister of justice, or someone with a medical background is appointed minister of health, it is prudent that those managing the government’s public information dissemination in this modern era must have professional journalism background, and not just political talking heads.”
They observed that it is becoming obvious that the government’s poor management of the mainstream media and close ties with unprofessional social media operators is having a detrimental effect on the government and the country as a whole.
The ace journalists observed that a recent example regards the public statements made by Stanton Weatherspoon, a talk-show host on the social media platform Spoon Network, in which he admitted to intentional misinformation, disinformation, and political propaganda presented under the guise of journalism against the Weah Administration, with the complicity of individuals now in power in Liberia.
“We condemn this unprofessional conduct and believe it has harmed free political discourse in Liberia. It has also weakened public confidence in the mainstream media, which is facing grave economic distress,” they said. “Nevertheless, we urge Liberian journalists to be mindful of their professional obligations in the discharge of their duties.”
The Liberian diaspora-based journalists called on the government to publicly release the resolution from the first ever Liberia Annual National Diaspora Conference, which was launched in the US by President Boakai in September 2025.
“We are surprised that the resolution from such an important government-funded conference was not prepared before the conference ended and has not been publicly released since,” the added, calling on President Boakai to set up a special economic policy think-tank to provide guidance to the President in dealing with prevailing economic and fiscal issues or challenges, with a focus on giving some relief to the economically deprived masses.
According to them, their press statement is to also draw attention about the state of the Liberian media to long-standing partners of the PUL, including the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). We will not hesitate to seek the support of our international partners for the imposition of sanctions against political actors in Liberia who will disrupt the peace or attack the media, as was the case in the past.