“Sanction or No Sanction, We will vote for George Weah”: Citizens scream as President Weah ends his country tour.

As President Weah climaxed his country tour with Montserrado, groups from different parts of the districts he visited came out to show their support for him.
Of all the people that came out was a group with a slogan that relates directly to what the citizens did in 1997 with former President Charles G. Taylor.

During the 1997 elections, citizens chanted slogans like “If you kill my Ma, you kill my Pa, I will vote for you.” This slogan was a way of supporting Charles Taylor. It told the world that they would still vote for him no matter how many lives Taylor took away. Imagine that 😢.
Our international partners have always used that statement to remind us (Liberians) to always stand against bad governance and not to side with it.

Have Liberians learned from the past? Probably No! Liberians continue to behave in a way that sends a wrong signal to the outside world that we are not serious about holding our leaders accountable for bad governance.
Yesterday, August 16, 2022, a group of young people were seen in a video happily singing and chanting the slogan “sanction or no sanction, I will vote for George Weah.” Their motto is directly in line with the recent sanction that the U.S government placed on three senior government officials.

As you may be aware, on August 15, 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Liberian government officials Nathaniel McGill, Sayma Syrenius Cephus, and Bill Twehway for their involvement in ongoing public corruption in Liberia.
These youths’ action of hailing corrupt government officials is a clear indication that some Liberians are not ready for any positive change. Read the full article: Breaking: US Government Sanctions Senior Liberian Government Officials for Public Corruption

How has the public reacted?

Many people have attributed these youth’s actions as ignorant and belle-driven due to the extreme poverty in the country. Henry P. Costa, a staunch government critic, took to Facebook to express his frustration upon viewing the video.
“The chanting messages in this video woefully remind me of the 1997 elections when they chanted, ‘you killed my man, you killed my pa, I will vote for you.’ Liberians will never learn! Poverty is their portion.”

He continues: “A nation of deplorable people who worship their political masters that subject them to grinding poverty and oppression. Many days, I am tempted to just give up. The endless cycle continues; one bad, corrupt, greedy and wicked bunch of politicians after another. When will it ever end?! No one truly knows. Too sad!!”
Click the link to watch the video on our Facebook page.