–John Morlu Warns Boakai Gov’t
A proponent of the Unity Party (UP) administration has warned President Joseph N. Boakai and his officials to conduct themselves in a manner that assumes that their administration will be in power for only six years, with a subsequent administration taking over in 2030 that will scrutinize their action.
Morlu emphasized that Boakai and his team should act with the awareness that they may face electoral defeat in 2029 and risk arrest in 2030 if they fail to uphold integrity, warning the “Rescue Mission” to learn from Weah’s grassroots movement, which assumed it would remain in power for 18 to 24 years, which he termed as a fallacy then and now.
He underscored that he holds the belief that former President George M. Weah can put up a good fight and win in 2029, and if that happens vengeance will then be the order of the day. According to him, today there is widespread regret among citizens that Weah gave up power too easily, with a minimal margin of 17,000 vote difference, which has made the country to be divided down the middle.
“True, but in that middle, minus the Rescue Coalition, including myself, Weah has the edge. Let’s not forget that and ignore the potential coalition realignment that could give Weah a big edge. Let’s celebrate seeing people going to prison for corruption and corrupt acts, but let’s not repeat what we are prosecuting because 2029 is right around the corner and Weah could win, again,” Morlu warned.
The former Auditor General claimed that Weah, Samuel Tweah and their allies thought they would remain in power for 18 or 24 years and acted accordingly, disregarding the broader interests. “This should serve as a lesson for the JNB administration,” he further warned.
“Assume your administration will be in power for six years, with a subsequent administration in 2030 that will scrutinize your actions. Sirleaf was fortunate to align with Weah in 2017 against Boakai, thereby avoiding the scrutiny that Weah and his team will face over the next six years.
“Accountability, transparency, and the rule of law are essential but only effective when individuals are held accountable and punished. Sirleaf initially pursued this in 2006 but reemployed figures like Sam Wulu, whom she had previously arrested and pretended to prosecute. Notably, only two instances of actual conviction and imprisonment occurred: Albert Bropleh and those involved in the fraudulent bank account in Sirleaf’s name at Ecobank, transferring $1.1 million and exposing systemic banking flaws,” Morlu observed.
He however pointed out that, despite efforts to prevent large over-the-counter cash withdrawals at the CBL, it resumed under Weah, with US$178 million cashed over the counter, raising concerns about potential misuse of public funds.
“To put this in perspective, the U.S. government spends $163 million annually in Liberia to save lives and improve conditions, while some individuals withdraw millions over the counter at the CBL, perpetuating dependency on American and other donor aid despite Liberia’s 177-year history. We commend Boakai’s initial steps to end impunity and hope he can address both past and current corruption,” he stated.