WILLIAM Q. HARMON
Africa-Press – Liberia. Former BBC Africa Service reporter who once accused President George Weah of threatening his life has endorsed the presidential bid of the main opposition leader, Joseph Nyuma Boakai.
Paye-Layleh says Boakai is the most capable and competent of the two choices left in the presidential race, which goes to a run-off on November 14, and, as such, it is only expedient to support the former Vice President, whom he believes will lead the country on the right trajectory.
The incumbent president, Weah, and the leading opposition candidate, Boakai, had a tight race in the first round of the election. However, neither of them could obtain the required 50% of the total votes needed to win the first round.
In a statement issued on October 26, Paye-Layleh said: “With no dislike for the other side, I have today formally endorsed the presidential bid of Amb. Joseph N. Boakai.
The former BBC correspondent and President Weah had a rough patch around the beginning of the Weah administration.
Less than two months after his inauguration, President George Weah accused journalist Paye-Layleh of antagonizing him when he was fighting for human rights in Liberia.
The accusation was made on March 22, 2018, at a media stakeout with the visiting United Nations Deputy Secretary General, Amina J. Mohammed, and other foreign dignitaries, where the BBC reporter asked if the UN was willing to support efforts in Liberia to set up a war crimes court like it did in Sierra Leone.
The president’s accusation prompted the veteran international journalist to request the presidency explain how he (Paye-Layleh) was against President Weah.
But in reaction to his call for explanation, President Weah’s office issued a press release a few days later, saying that “during the fourteen years of civil conflict, he (Paye-Layleh) and others were bent on undermining his efforts by depicting a positive image of the carnage.”
It has been about five years since the public showed spite toward the president, but Paye-Layleh continues to lead a quiet life, especially after he returned from the United States, where he stayed briefly in fear for his life.
He told a local radio station at the time that the president’s accusation put him at risk, given that many of Weah’s followers consider him an idol.
“I am scared. I am threatened. President Weah is a popular president; he has many followers who may add so many interpretations and act against me” he said at the time.
The Center for Media Studies and Peacebuilding (CEMESP), the Press Union of Liberia, and individual journalists at the time expressed concerns about the president’s remarks.
Paye-Layleh also reported the situation to the British Broadcasting Corporation’s “high-risk” department.
Many believe that the President’s accusation against the veteran journalist constrained him to practically take a back seat or put himself under the radar to leave the public glare.
Many also believe that his endorsement of the rival opposition means that Paye-Layleh now wants to see the back of a man who has diminished his morale and put him against many who adore the President.
Paye-Layleh said in his endorsement statement: “I have considered a lot in deriving this decision. I will be in Bong and Nimba, urging the people there to think of Liberia and vote for Boakai. We need socio-economic stability, improved relationships with the outside world, especially with our traditional partner, the USA, dignity in labor, and respect for the rule of law.
“Thankfully, at least five of us who recently contested in Nimba District Eight, including the winner, Hon. Saye Mianah, are standing fully with Amb. Boakai. It’s not about us and what we want individually. It’s about the dignity of the place we call home. I wish Liberia a peaceful election,” Paye-Layleh’s statement concluded.
Source: Liberian Observer
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