Bility Backs Boakai Drug Fight  -Calls for Justice And Transparency

MONROVIA: The Citizens Movement for Change (CMC) has endorsed President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr.’s decision to personally lead the investigation into the recent multi-million-dollar cocaine seizure, while urging transparency and accountability throughout the process. The opposition party’s position is significant because it seeks to remove the issue from partisan contestation and frame narcotics trafficking as a national emergency requiring collective action. At stake are public confidence, institutional credibility, and Liberia’s ability to prevent criminal networks from exploiting its territory. While welcoming presidential intervention, the party insists that the investigation must produce tangible results and full disclosure. The debate now centers on accountability and public trust. THE ANALYST reports.

The Citizens Movement for Change (CMC), through its Political Leader, Hon. Musa Hassan Bility, has welcomed President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr.’s decision to take direct leadership of the investigation into the national drug crisis and the recent major cocaine seizure at Roberts International Airport.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the party congratulated the President for responding to what it described as its call for direct presidential intervention.

“We congratulate the President for responding to our call to take direct leadership of this matter. That is exactly what Liberia needs at this time,” the statement noted.

The CMC argued that the issue transcends partisan politics and requires a united national response.

“This is not a time for politics,” the party declared, adding that while political actors may disagree on issues such as fiscal discipline, corruption, governance, infrastructure, and public administration, the drug crisis demands national unity.

According to the party, Liberia must confront the crisis as “one country, one people, and one family.”

National Emergency

The CMC described the drug crisis as a national emergency rather than an ordinary law enforcement issue.

The party warned that narcotics trafficking threatens Liberia’s future by endangering children, destroying families, weakening communities, corrupting institutions, and risking the country’s international reputation.

“It is a direct attack on the future of Liberia,” the statement asserted.

The party maintained that traffickers, financiers, facilitators, and protectors involved in the narcotics trade must understand that Liberia cannot become a safe passage, storage ground, or marketplace for drugs.

For that reason, the CMC called on all Liberians, regardless of political affiliation or institutional background, to support efforts aimed at defeating drug trafficking.

The party appealed to government officials, opposition figures, civil society organizations, the private sector, religious bodies, and traditional institutions to rally behind what it termed a serious national effort against drugs.

Warning Against Politicization

The CMC cautioned against politicizing the drug crisis, recalling previous periods when narcotics issues became subjects of political contestation.

According to the party, political rhetoric in the past failed to address the underlying problem and did little to protect young people affected by substance abuse.

“We remember clearly what happened when the drug issue was treated as a political weapon in the past,” the statement said.

The party argued that the result was the continued suffering of families and communities, while the country remained in search of lasting solutions.

It therefore emphasized that its own position is centered on justice, accountability, and the protection of Liberia’s youth.

Demand For Full Accountability

While welcoming President Boakai’s intervention, the CMC insisted that the investigation must not become another unresolved inquiry.

The party argued that the urgency demonstrated by the President must continue until a credible, transparent, and publicly accessible outcome is achieved.

According to the statement, Liberians deserve answers regarding the origin of the drugs, the route used, the handlers, financiers, facilitators, local contacts, airport links, and any institutional failures that may have contributed to the shipment’s movement through Liberia.

The CMC further maintained that the investigation should follow the entire chain of responsibility from origin to destination.

“We expect the investigation to follow the full trail, from origin to destination, and not stop with small actors while the powerful escape,” the party declared.

It added that any person found culpable, whether a public official, private citizen, security actor, businessperson, political figure, or foreign collaborator, should face the full weight of the law.

Due Process And Public Confidence

The party also called for adherence to due process, stressing that the fight against drugs must remain both strong and lawful.

According to the CMC, transparency and justice must proceed together, with government balancing investigative integrity against the public’s right to information.

The party said public confidence will depend on visible seriousness, honest communication, and eventual prosecution of those responsible.

Looking ahead, the CMC disclosed that it intends to publish the first draft of its national manifesto in the coming weeks.

The document, it said, will outline proposals addressing prevention, law enforcement, border security, rehabilitation, community recovery, family support, and protection of vulnerable youth.

Liberia Must Stand Together

Despite its political role, the CMC emphasized that the present moment is bigger than party competition.

The party argued that the crisis concerns Liberia’s future, the welfare of families, and the safety of communities threatened by narcotics trafficking and organized criminal networks.

It pledged to work alongside government, civil society, religious institutions, youth groups, women’s organizations, and international partners to confront the challenge.

“We call on all Liberians to support a serious, non-political, transparent, and uncompromising fight against drugs,” the statement concluded.

The party ended by urging national unity, warning that drugs destroy families, communities, and nations, and insisting that Liberia must confront the threat together.