The National Civil Society Union of Liberia (NACSUL) has seriously taken exception to what it termed as media attacks against the person of Finance and Development Planning Minister Hon. Samuel D. Tweah, Jr. by three National youth and Student Movements including the Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY), the Liberia National Student Union (LINSU) and the Mano River Union Youth Parliament, Liberia Chapter (MRUYP-LC).
NACSUL, in a press statement signed by its President, Mr. Henry AS Williams said the allegations that Minister Tweah and his team of technicians at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning are incompetent and unfit to lead the Country’s fiscal policy by these three statutory Youth and Student Movements as baseless, unsubstantiated and only intended to besmear the hard earned credentials and reputations of these technicians who are working tirelessly along with their international partners including the IMF, the African Development Bank, the World Bank Group to resuscitate the Liberian economy.
The group said it does not see any merit of this coordinated and selfish calls for the resignation of the Minister of Finance and Development Planning by these so-called Youth and Student leaders whose actions continue to bring complete embarrassment to the youthful generation of the Country as their calls for the removal of Hon. Samuel D. Tweah, Jr. are not only selfish but are straightly based on personal gains, meaning, “what they can put in the pockets and merry-make while the various youth and student chapters in the counties are non-functional.
“The National Civil Society Union of Liberia (NACSUL) wants to inform the Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY), the Liberia National Student Union (LINSU) and the Mano River Union Youth Parliament, Liberia Chapter (MRUYP-LC) that the current economic hardship is not only limited to Liberia but is a global problem that started since 2014 during the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease(EVD) which paralyzed several economies especially around West Africa and subsequently the 2020 outbreak of the Corona Virus which is still crippling several developed countries around the World especially in Europe and the Americas least to say Africa with Liberia in particular”, NACSUL said.
NACSUL said it was challenging the youth groups critiquing Mr. Tweah to clearly state to the Liberian people since the regime of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to the current regime of President Dr. George Manneh Weah, what are the tangible projects have they undertaken around the Country to directly benefit the youth and student community since their placement in the National budget nearly fifteen years ago.
Investigation conducted by NACSUL, the release continues, indicates that the leaders of these groups collect their allotments from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning under the pretense of targeting projects but pocket these monies for their personal aggrandizements with no single project or initiative to benefit our vulnerable young people in the various counties.
“Contrary to the assertions by these so-called youth Groups who just sit in Monrovia and collect monies from officials of government and pocket it with no impact to their constituencies, the Liberia’s Finance, and Development Planning Minister, Samuel D. Tweah,Jr. based on his magnificent work has bagged several local and international awards with the latest being the “Best African Finance Minister of the Year 2020 Awards’’, by the United Kingdom-based African Leadership Magazine”, the release said.
NACSUL therefore call on the Minister of Finance and Development Planning never to be deterred or distracted by these negative criticisms coming from the youth and student groups who are being fully sponsored by members of the opposition to launch attacks on the Weah administration as we as Civil Society and the people of Liberia still have explicit confidence in your leadership and ability to transform the economy of this Country through your economic policies which we think will provide more jobs for the unemployed youths and put food on the tables of the ordinary masses.
The National Civil Society Union of Liberia (NACSUL) used the medium to draw its attention on the recent comments attributed to Lofa County District one Representative Francis Sakila Nyumalin threatening that there will be a setting up of an interim arrangement to replace the Weah administration if Lofa County Senator-elect J. Brownie Samukai is not certificated by the National Elections Commission.
“NACSUL thinks this reckless and conflict-sensitive statement by Representative Nyumalin, a sitting Lawmaker which was also backed by another Lawmaker of Montserrado County Representative Yekeh Kolubah must be condemned by all well-meaning Liberians and we call on the National Security Agency (NSA) to immediately invite these two lawmakers for questioning as no one is above the law”, the group said.
The civil society group said the case involving Senator-elect J. Brownie Samukai is currently in Court and called upon the Opposition Bloc to be patient and await the outcome from the Court rather than pointing accusing fingers to the Weah-administration that it is the mastermind of the delay in the certification of the Lofa County Senator-elect and former Defense Minister J. Brownie Samukai.
NACSUL said it believes that the issue of Mr. Samukai is legal than political and there are laws on the books that a convicted criminal like in the case of Senator-elect J. Brownie Samukai who was convicted by the high Court for stealing the AFL pension money cannot assume public office and we must all adhere to the laws and allow justice to take its course.
NACSUL also condemned the recent arson attacks on the home of Associate Justice Joseph Nagbe and the compounds of the National Elections Commission in Monrovia and blamed it on the opposition for the ugly acts. The release said such acts will only derail the the relative peace and stability we have been enjoying since the inception of the President George Manneh Weah led administration.
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