TUBMANBURG: As if it were an intentionally planned pattern, Liberians in all provinces of Liberia are unanimous in their appreciation of President George Manneh Weah for what they describe as redemptive and relieving his streams of development strides which cut across the country. Just recently, as the campaign was period announced by the National Election Commission, Montserrado County which was first to be mobilized by the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change behind the president’s reelection, was lavishly expressive in acknowledging and appreciating the regime’s works in six years. The campaign began in Montserrado County, not only with the president seeking votes and wooing support from the electorate, but also equally with commendations and heaps of gifts from the citizens in appreciating the president for his transformative development programs. As the CDC campaign entered the western flank of the country, beginning with Bomi County on the second leg of tours, the scenario is clearly repeating itself: the citizens adorning and extoling the President, bathing him with gifts and praises, as The Analyst reports.
Early signs in Bomi County that the President will receive an usual gesture of being so appreciated by the citizens emerged from the electrifying welcome that he and entourage received at the Po River Bridge, the boundary between Montserrado and Bomi Counties.
In the maze of celebrations and ululations, the citizens were quick enough to highlight what the Liberian leader has done for them and still intends to do for them if he is re-elected to the Presidency.
As the President and his supporters moved along the Poor River to Tubmanburg route, the citizens were quite welcoming not in their thunderous campaign songs and battle cries but also in acknowledging what they called the massive development carried out by the President in his first term.
At stoppages and ceremonies held in Jenneh, Klay and Guis Town before the largest gathering of the citizens took place in Tubmanburg City, the citizens showed so much affection for the president, proving gifts in cloths and food to appreciate him and his administration.
At the Tubmanburg program which was attended by the local county authority, the legislative caucus, traditional rulers, women groups, professional groups, partisans and supporters of the Coalition for Democratic Change, various stories of President Weah’s phenomenal achievements in the county were echoed from one speaker to another.
Traditional rulers of the county were first to open the floor with lavish commendations and praises for the President. They thanked the Almighty God for allowing the citizens to peacefully co-exist and granting President Weah the wisdom to properly lead the country.
The spokesperson of the chiefs said the county would continue to be grateful for the dignity which the president has restored on the traditional rulers with the means of mobility (vehicles) and other support to traditional instruments; the appointment of prominent sons and daughters of the county to important positions in Government, as well as the peace the president was able to sustain among the entire citizens in the country.
Mr. Sando Duwakai who spoke on behalf of the youths of the county enumerated a lot of achievements by the President to ensure that the young people of the county are given a platform to actualize their dreams.
Duwakai said such interventions include the payment of WASSCE fees which has lessened or alleviated the burden of poor parents and the tuition free initiative for public tertiary institutions in the country which according to him has increased the number of students in public institutions.
He used the occasion to also appeal to the President for the “decentralization of the sports parks,” as they, Bomi youth, are also in need of such facilities in the county.
The women groups were not left out in showering praises on the President for the support he has given to the women in the county to undertake some of their projects.
The leader of the group, Madam Bendu Domah, specifically mentioned nurses housing quarters constructed by the President which have in no small way positively impacted on the welfare of the people as well as the number of women appointed in the government.
She said they have vowed to work for the re-election of the President through a number of their auxiliaries and appealed to the President to assist them with means of mobility and logistics to adequately enable them to work towards his re-election.
Her statement was crowned with the gowning of the President as a sign of appreciation for what he has for the people of Bomi.
The local chapter of the Liberia Marketing Association (LMA) through its President, Jenneh Vincent, also heaped praises on the President for the market structure built in Tubmanburg as well as providing the enabling environment for the businesses to thrive.
The LMA presented a bag of locally produced gari (farina) from their cooperative as their way to show the President that they were determined to promote Liberian owned businesses when elected.
The Campaign Manager for the CDC in the county also had fond words for the President. Mr. Sando Johnson said President Weah should rest assure about Bomi support because the level of achievements attributable to him were enough to ensure that he gets re-elected.
Sando said the people of Bomi County were resolved to re-elect the president in a one-round victory.
Also speaking at the occasion, was an auxiliary group called Varney Sirleaf Movement for the Re-election of President Geopge Manneh Weah. They also pledged their unwavering support to the President, saying they will go all out to make sure the president maintains the presidency on October 10, 2023.
In a statement read by Miss Jumah Divine, spokesperson of the group, they enumerated several projects across the various sectors including but not limited to the elevation of the Bomi County Community College to a university status, the provision of electricity to the county since 1990, the return of the Western Cluster, facilitating the takeover of the Sime Darby Palm Oil company by another investment group, the free tuition and payment of WASSCE fees, provision of street lights, free medical surgery, the construction of nurses quarters, among others.
The incumbent Representative of District #1 and also a candidate for re-election, Madam Finda Lassanah was also not short of huge praises for President Weah. She said Dr. Weah is a man of his words.
According to here, President Weah stood by her during her representative election in 2021, noting that he is true leader who believes in development.
She said having benefited from the kindheartedness of the President and seen the number of development initiatives of the President, she has no alternative but to endorse and support the President’s re-election bid.
She lamented the frustration she experienced at the hands of the Unity Party which first betrayed her late husband, Senator Lahai Lassanah and then nearly destroyed her own political career.
She said she was “drawing a red line between the former Vice President Joseph Nyuma Boakai whom she described as her uncle but unfortunately has not helped her to actualize her dreams.
When he also took the podium, Senator Snowe summarized the reasons why Bomi County is grateful praised President Weah, stating that the Liberian leader is not someone who play dirty political games with people.
He said though he and President Weah have been very close for more than 30 years now, they have also had rough times politically which have always being on principle.
He recounted the bitter experience he had with the president during the 2020 mid -term senatorial race when he contested against the candidate of the president as well as when he did not support Weah during the 2017 presidential elections.
“President Weah has demonstrated time without number that he is a great leader and a trusted friend. I did not support him in 2017 because I left he would not be good leader, but he has proven me wrong,” Snowe stated. “And so, it is fair enough to come back to you today the people of Bomi. I told you in 2017 not to vote for Mr. Weah. But after a fair assessment I have found that indeed I was wrong in my assessment of him. Now I tell you, President Weah is a good person and deserves your vote for all the good things he has done for this county which other presidents before him could not do.”
Senator Snowe promised to vote for all the candidates who are being supported by the President including Senator Morris Saytuma who is seeking re-election.
He said he was also pleased with the commitment made by the President to reconstruct the Bomi Highway.
“I am sure this will be done because President Weah is someone who does not say what he won’t do.”
President Weah in his remarks thanked the people of Bomi for the appreciation and encouraged them to continue to believe in him because there were so much to be done again for the country if elected.
“I came to you in 2017 when you did not know me better, and you trusted in me and voted for me,” he said. “Today, after six years, you have seen the impact of development on you as people—something you have enumerated yourself. I urge you to put that trust in me because the best is yet to come for Bomi and Liberia.”
He called on the people of Bomi County to ignore politicians who are masquerading as rescuers and fixers—people who have no history of helping the people of Liberia.
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