MONROVIA: Apparently aware of the gullibility of a huge portion of the Liberian public, particularly in the face of the crucial elections, the Coalition for Democratic Change, is not holding back in reacting quite robustly to what appears to be a new propaganda ploy of their opponents who are not only blaming the administration for the increasing the pace of the country’s drug market in recent years, but also directly accusing the First Partisan, President George Manneh Weah, for playing a direct role.
Playing a strategic role as the principal deputy, Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor has come in strong defense of the ruling establishment, particularly President George Manneh Weah, against the “false allegations” coming from some people in the opposition community.
The opposition politicians have been accusing the President of being involved in the importation of drugs in the country to destroy the young people, but Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor describes such allegation as preposterous and inconceivable.
According to VP Taylor, it is not possible for the President to be making a lot of intervention in the future of the young people and at the same time be the same person destroying them with drugs.
VP Taylor came to the defense of President Weah yesterday in Bo Waterside when she came on stage to make a brief remark before introducing him to the people.
She said she was not surprised that some people will go to the lengths of trying to tarnish the character and reputation of “the best President ever” in the name of politics to score cheap points towards the ensuing general elections that the President is poised to win.
“And in Nimba County some people said the President is bringing in drugs. How is that possible? You know drugs are destroying our people and you know what the President has done?” the CDC Vice Standard Bearer asked rather rhetorically.
“As of September 1, 2022, there are six rehabilitation centers across the country to deal with the young people facing the drug challenge. Is that the President that wants to spoil the lives of young people?” she continued. “If the President does not like young people, he will not provide opportunities for tuition free studies at our higher institutions, he will not pay WASSCE fees for the young people.”
She acknowledged what she called a “critical request” from a young man who asked the President to help extend the University of Liberia to Sinje in order to bridge the gap of accessing higher education by the students in the Grand Cape Mount.
VP Taylor said the President, being proactive for the cause of the young people, was going to look at the request seriously, discuss it with the relevant authorities with the view of coming up with a positive response.
“If the President does not like the young people,” she asserted further, “how then is he taking this seriously and why has he been making a lot of intervention to promote the interest of the young people?
“Remember we are in the election season and those who are desperate to win when they don’t have the chance will grab anything to score cheap points. Sadly, this kind of game will not fly.”
She re-echoed her plea to the people to go out on October 10, 2023 to elect President Weah on the first round and save the country of additional budgetary allocation that will take away money for development.
She added: “If we go second round then the money for the market you are asking and others you requested will not be possible immediately.”
She further said in every game, like in politics, you don’t change a winning team during half time stressing that for the first 6 years, President Weah has performed extremely high “in the first half and now that we want to achieve more, you don’t need to change the winning team during half time against the second half”.
VP Taylor reiterated the President that it was exciting being entrusted with the destiny of the country by the people when the President went to them in 2017 without seeing anything from him and that he performed well in the six years beyond their expectation and the second term will be even more.
“As the President has been saying, when he went to you in 2017, you trusted him with your votes without seeing anything on hand, and he did not disappoint you. Now that you know he has done beyond what others did not do, I think it is fair enough that you give him more time with your votes for him to win the second time.”