Flashback: Partial view of the 56 lawmakers who endorsed the re-election bid of President George Weah
IPNEWS-Monrovia: It all started when a journalist working for Radio T-5 using his smart phone, photographed a group of partisans, who were in a commotion that almost degenerated into a fist fight. Radio T-5 is owned by the ruling CDC Lawmaker, Thomas Fallah.
The commotion erupted on the stage that had been set for the Tuesday, June 13, 2023 ceremony at which some lawmakers of the ruling Coalition, including Representative Fallah, were expected to re-affirm their support for President Weah’s re-election for a second term of office.
Minutes after he took few shots of the scene, a woman, wearing a CDC t-shirt, walked to the journalist and demanded him to delete the photos he had taken of the brawl because his intention was to portray a bad image of the ruling Coalition to the public.
According to other journalists, who witnessed the incident, when their colleague refused to delete the photos, as she demanded, the woman assaulted the journalist, dropping the phone to the ground and subsequently a scramble for it ensued between the two.
While other CDCians rushed to the scene in defense of their female partisan, some journalists, who were on the scene, also rushed there to find out what problem did they have with their colleague.
“He had no right to come here and just start taking pictures without asking for permission. You journalists have the habit of coming here to portray a bad image of our party and we will not condone that,” one of the CDCians said angrily.
When one of the journalists argued that it was a public program and that his colleague under the doctrine of press freedom had the right to take pictures, the CDCians, apparently not authorized by their bosses, responded that there was no such thing like press freedom at the CDC headquarters.
After investigating the journalist for more than sixty minutes, a senior partisan handed the journalist a twenty United States Dollars to repair his damaged phone, resolving the impasse.
Meanwhile, fifty-six ruling Coalition members of the National Legislature on Tuesday, October 13, 2023, have officially re-affirmed their support for President Weah’s re-election for a second term of office in the October 10, 2023 presidential and legislative elections. Almost all of the lawmakers were members of the CDC.
The lawmakers, including House Speaker, Dr. Bhofal Chambers, Senate Pro Tempore, Albert Chie, Deputy Speaker, Fonati Koffa and others, in a joint statement said their support for the President’s re-election is inspired by the significant progress Liberia has made under his administration.
The lawmakers said the President and his Government have specifically made significant progress in the areas of health, education and infrastructure, mainly roads.
In response to the lawmakers’ statement, President Weah said the reaffirmation of support by majority members of the National Legislature is a clear manifestation of the good work he has done and continues to do across the Country.
“I have done better in six years than any other president of Liberia since 1847,” the Liberian leader said amidst applause by partisans and supporters.
During the ceremony, according to an IPNEWS reporter, supporters and partisans of the CDC sang anti-opposition songs that insinuated that some members of the opposition bloc were dealers in human parts, an apparent reference to UP standard bearer, former Vice President Joseph Boakai’s running mate, Nimba County Senator, Jeremiah Koung, who they have repeatedly accused of ritualistic killings.
