True to his constitutional responsibility as enshrined in Article 58 of the Liberian Constitution, President George Manneh Weah on Monday delivered his Fifth Annual Message during the 5th Sitting of the 54th Legislature where he presented the legislative programs of his administration for the coming year, and reported on the State of the Republic, covering the economic condition of the Nation, including expenditure and income. But hardly had President Weah ended his 2 hours 45 minutes long-winded speech when a flurry of reactions started flooding the public space about his “dull” delivery. Prominent among the reactions was a surprising repartee from Mr. Taa Wongbe, former advisor to Alternative National Congress (ANC) political leader Alexander B. Cummings, who decided to mainly chide the opposition camp. Taa’s contention is that despite the poor oratory prowess of the Liberian president, Liberians might likely reelect him in 2023 because the opposition that the masses had pinned their hopes on to replace President Weah at the polls are even more confused and divided among themselves.
“The truth is the president reads like a 3rd grader. It’s bad! Very bad! The other truth is that over 70% of the country and even some of the “educated” ones read just like that! The last truth is that everyone knew this and the people still elected him! It says a lot about how we make decisions.
“I couldn’t understand the yama yama (distorted) things from the speech…but one thing I know, Liberians may elect this man again because the opposition has not presented a clear alternative. They are behaving exactly how the president reads – No hay No tay (confused)! They are a bunch of sophisticated and educated people knifing each other and they haven’t produced a single coherent policy with a clear vision of how to turn things around. Additionally, their actions and inactions haven’t served as a good example of what to expect from their leadership and governance,” Taa Wongbe remarked sarcastically.
Mr. Wongbe further called on President Weah’s critics, especially the opposition camp, that continue to see problems with his reading ability, to leave him alone and put their own house in order.
“Leave the president reading and present your case! He’s the president! He already has what you want! How do you plan on getting what he has? How do you clean up the mess within the opposition and show good examples of leadership and more importantly how do you plan to turn things around?” Taa Wongbe wondered.
Taa’s reaction comes against the backdrop of tons of caustic comments that flooded the Internet, criticizing President Weah’s oration when he delivered his State of the Nation Address (SONA).
“The sad truth is, five years later our President still reads like a 1st grader. I would’ve said 4th grader but Dapoto (her son) would be insulted,” fumed ANC stalwart Attorney Moriah Yeakula on her social media wall.
As for Frank Freeman, President Weah just wasted the Liberian people’s time on a speech that could be read for a maximum one hour 20 minutes if had prepared before mounting the podium.
“The man is just dull. He was there counting words like ABC student,” Freeman stated caustically.
Despite the snide comments from critics, some Liberians praised President Weah for his 5th SONA, noting that the President touched on the key issues affecting the Liberian people.
“The vast majority of the people want to hear what the President has done and not how he reads. They who elected him understand when he reads. The hard truth is the opposition has no priority. Until you learn from the past, Weah is the option!” Attorney S. Patterson Blamo of Monrovia stated emphatically.
James Momo for his part completely agreed with Mr. Taa Wongbe’s assertion, especially the second paragraph of his comments which shows exactly why he (James) will vote for President Weah in the next election.
“Years plus, the opposition can’t show the Liberian people why we should remove President Weah and elect them. As I see it now sir, President Weah’s victory in the next election will be as easy as ABC,” Mr. Momo declared.
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