His Excellency President George Manneh Weah has descended on ex-President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and former Speaker, J. Alex Tyler, for what could be termed “empty talk” and the “lack of willpower” to develop their home county, Bomi, when they presided over the leadership of the nation. President Weah began to express his disappointment in the former leaders when a cousin of President Sirleaf first expressed disappointment in his aunty, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, for not doing well for the people of her county.
President Weah, who sounded raged, told the people of Bomi during the second phase of his nationwide tour that it was disheartening to see the county backward while his predecessor castigates his development drive, terming it as opulence. According to him, it is the sole responsibility of any educated, wealthy or influential individual to raise the living standard of the people they live among.
“I listened to the young people complaining about the lack of everything. But this county just recently produced the President and Speaker of the Republic of Liberia, but nothing happened for it. For me, these are some of the things I consider opulence—when you live with people and you don’t strive to lift their standard of living. I call that opulence! So, if doing something for the people means opulence, then I believe in opulence.
“I believe that if you live somewhere, make the people to benefit from your upgraded lifestyle, or you live just the way the people live. This is not for news-making, but about doing the right thing,” President Weah noted.
He continued, “I listened to the former President’s cousin, and I’m sure he is disappointed. We, too, are disappointed. But as the President, I can assure you that we will do our best, and you will not be disappointed again. We will do the things that we intend to do, and you will be happy. But there are some things that you will have to pass through your lawmakers to get done—Representative Bishop Johnson, Senators Snowe and Saytumah—I’m sure they will help you.”
Bomi County is home to President Weah’s immediate predecessor, ex-President Sirleaf, and former Speaker Tyler, but perfectly suits what former US President Donald Trump described as a “shit-hole” place, as the county lacks almost all basic social services and infrastructure development.
During the era of President William V.S. Tubman, Harper, the capital of Maryland County, got a perfect city layout, a university, paved roads and a port. Also, during the Presidency of William R. Tolbert, Bentol, the capital of Montserrado and home of the late President, was developmentally transformed to a level worthy of being called a president’s hometown.
The then Master Sergeant and later civilian ruler, Samuel K. Doe, took development all the way to Grand Gedeh, bringing his people up to speed with modern life and building for himself a multi-million dollar mansion in that part of the country. Up to now, the roofing of President Doe’s house still appears new, even though the house has been in shamble for years now.
Today, almost every government official wants to claim that they hail from Grand Kru County because of the speed of development being carried out there, and the prestige President Weah attaches to his home county. President Weah has lighted the streets of Sass Town and promised to pave the streets of Barclayville. Besides President Weah’s initiatives, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Cllr. Jonathan Fonati Koffa, and the Pro-Tempore of the Liberian Senate, Prof. Albert Chie, are all working assiduously to leave a legacy in the county, so that after their tenure in power they can still be proud to call the place their home.
However, Bomi County, which saw its own daughter, Ellen, sitting at the helm of power for twelve consecutive years, and its son, Tyler, sitting pretty as the third man in command for almost nine years, has absolutely nothing to boast of, leaving even the close relatives of those leaders disappointed in the way their people misused opportunity and power.
Touring Bomi County with President Weah, the Hot Pepper observed that Bomi maintains the main street that was paved by ex-President Doe, a few clinics and schools. In President Sirleaf’s village, Julijuah, the Hot Pepper observed that even internet signal only stands when one is at President Sirleaf’s farm and nowhere else.
Observers were left to wonder why Speaker Tyler would choose to build a luxury hotel at Boys Town, Margibi County, and not even have a fitting house in Bomi; why would President Sirleaf boast of living with her people after her twelve years in power when she did nothing for these people.
However, President Weah, with a high level of benevolence, has agreed to come to the aid of Bomi with a number of projects, like he has done for other counties during the first phase of his nationwide tour. The Hot Pepper is aware that Bomi stands to benefit from a modern market building, a women center, street lights and road connectivity with other counties.
