MONROVIA: An unimpeachable source has hinted the resurfacing of the brawls that have attended the inception of the government of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) between President George Manneh Weah and his Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor when both officials were said in beef for a considerable length of time.
According to our sources, President Weah has been shying away from speaking to Vice President Howard-Taylor at major occasions in recent times.
This become conspicuous to public glare at the signing of the Book of Condolence in honor of the memory of the Late Commissioner General of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), Thomas Doe Nah, where their body languages, the attitudes and respective personalities were obvious repulsive and repugnant towards each other, especially seeming that the President is in beef with VP Taylor.
According to some officials who attended the ceremony at the Headquarters of the LRA, President Weah and Vice President Howard-Taylor sat by each other at the ceremony and an unusual posture ensured where both of them portrayed a feature of strangers sitting side by side throughout the time interval the program lasted.
It was said that after both of them have signed the Book of Condolence which started with President Weah and followed by VP Taylor, unusually, they sat down side by side without any form of conversation or facial contact that normally occurred where the two top citizens will be conferring and comparing notes as proceedings at an occasion progressed.
“They both put up a straight face as we say in the Liberian parlance, no one was talking to each other, no one was looking in the direction of each other. Perhaps the only thing one could observe they had in common was the black outfits they had on which represented the state of mourning they were in just like other mourners, family members, well- wishers, among others”, an official of government who craved not to be named in the paper told The Analyst last night.
What was amazing at the program was the manner in which President Weah left without a word or wave even to his Vice President. After Jewel came from signing to sit, President Weah woke up and asked: Where is the bereaved family? The family members of the late Commissioner General were shown to him, he went and shook hands with them, and suddenly left without minding that he and the Vice President were at the occasion.
Vice President Taylor’s countenance changed suddenly as though something had happened, although she eventually left at the end of the occasion.
The see-saw relationship existing between President Weah and VP Taylor has been raising some concerns in the polity especially at the time they are exiting the scene. Shortly after their inauguration in 2018, friction developed between two of them and lasted for a very long time in the administration despite some reported moves to reconcile them.
There was an appreciable reconciliation that was said to have taken place coming to their re-election bid and both of them were seen in the public campaigning vigorously for votes across the country.
Those you were close to both of them however said there was nothing fundamentally concretized to mend their fences except the thin line of reunion to push their joint pursuit to get re-elected for the second term. It was reported that despite VP Taylor showing seriousness to put things behind and move ahead with their common electoral cause, some people close to the President exerted all efforts to thwart a move for genuine reconciliation between the two top leaders of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC).
“Nothing solid was between them to suggest that all was well. The VP was sidelined in most of the decisions taken with respect to how to pursue their re-election campaign. Almost everything she put forward was denied and that seriously affected their chances and as they say, everything should be history as they lost and will individually feel the impact of losing state power”, said a top government official who was said to have played a significant role to reconcile both of them but did not succeed.
No doubt as they are leaving power, what is certain is their strained relationship is going to impact adversely on the future and prospect of the CDC making a serious comeback to governance. Any chance of the party surviving and crossing the hurdles of being in opposition for the next six years and probably beyond will depend on how quickly both of them can seriously put away their differences and forge a common goal for the future. Time will tell.
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