Africa-Press – Liberia. The ink on the Farmington Peace Accord had barely dried when President George Weah was allegedly accused of violating the document.
The president had been accused of verbal violence and igniting tension just minutes after leaders of political parties signed the accord, which is intended to prevent violence in the ensuing October 10th elections.
Reginald Goodridge, the standard bearer of the opposition Rainbow Alliance, has disclosed that he was verbally attacked by Weah at the signing ceremony of the peace accord, saying “the president accused him of being a rogue and an arsonist.
“Following the signing of the Revised Farmington River Declaration at the Farmington Hotel, I was approached in an aggressive manner by the President of Liberia, George Weah,” Goodridge, former Minister of Information and Presidential Press Secretary under the Charles Taylor administration, said. “He said to me, and I quote, ‘Goodridge, are you enjoying democracy in Liberia?” I was surprised by the question and loss for words,
“I moved away from the president. He approached me again, and repeated the question several times, ‘Goodridge, I say, ehn you enjoying democracy in Liberia?’ Before I could find an answer, he said to me, ‘look at you. You are a rogue. You stole my car and burned down my house.’ I responded to the president that what he had said was a lie, and there was an intense exchange of words between us,”
If Goodridge’s accusation against the president is true, it would be a violation of Count 6 of the accord, which urges politicians to avoid using language, whether online or offline, that could provoke any type of violence, intimidation, or human rights abuses before, during, and after elections.
The President’s accusation against Goodridge stemmed from an event that occurred in Monrovia during the deadly April 6, 1996, war, when his 9th Street home was set ablaze and two of his vehicles, a blue Mercedes Benz (two-door sedan) and an Isuzu Trooper (Navy blue), were looted by unknown men.
According to reports, the vehicles were reportedly taken by Goodridge, and Abraham Kromah, then Deputy Police Director for CID Affairs at the Liberia National Police, for what they called “safe-keeping.”
The vehicles were later retrieved from two men by Weah’s colleague, Zeogar Wilson, who sent them to the Ivory Coast, which the then world’s best travelers frequented during holidays.
However, a statement from Presidential Press Secretary Isaac Solo Kelgbeh seems to support Goodridge’s accusation against the president.
“ The President simply told him how democracy is thriving in Liberia under his administration,” Kelgbeh said. “The President first told Goodridge about his Benz at the US Embassy during a function both attended, why didn’t he deny it at the time? Everything the president told Goodridge was the truth, not what he, Goodridge, is insinuating. He stole the president’s car and later returned it.”
However, a worried Goodridge noted that the president’s verbal assault on him as a political leader in the opposition community in the presence of his armed bodyguards and other members of his government places him in harm’s way and puts his life at risk.
“This is why President Weah’s false, stupid, and malicious allegations against me personally and the name of my family cannot and must not be taken lightly. My family name, the Goodridge name, has a long and unblemished reputation and legacy in Liberia. We have made major contributions to the progress and development of Liberia for many years, and continue to do so today.”
Meanwhile, Weah’s alleged accusation against Goodridge bears a resemblance to the veiled threat he made against former BBC correspondent Jonathan Paye-Layleh some years ago.
Two months into his reign in March 2018, the President, in an outburst against former BBC correspondent Jonathan Paye-Layleh, accused him of undercutting his (President Weah’s) fight for human rights in Liberia.
When Jonathan asked about the call on the President by Human Rights Watch to address justice for war crimes during Liberia’s civil war, the Liberian leader said in a furious tone: “When I was working for human rights in Liberia, you were one person that has been against me.”
The President did not elaborate on how his peace efforts were undercut by the journalist, who later told the Daily Observer in an interview that it was the fourth time President Weah has attacked him for allegedly being against him.
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