Monrovia — Renowned Liberian human rights advocate Vandalark Patricks has cautioned former President George Manneh Weah and his supporters against misconstruing the opportunity provided him to speak to cross section of students at the prestigious Harvard University as a means to rehabilitate corrupt leaders.
Patricks is also an alumnus of the Harvard University based in the United States. On May 27, 2021, he earned a master's degree in Public Administration (MPA) and served as Vice President for Policy and Community Affairs of the Africa Caucus, a leading institution at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Mr. Weah has been invited to speak at Harvard University's Africa Development Conference expected to take place on April 13, 2024. He was invited by two prominent campus organizations, including the Africa Caucus,
Since the invitation was extended Mr.Weah, who is also the Political Leader of the CDC, there has been mixed reactions among his supporters and critics. His supporters are embracing and welcoming the invite, while critics believe that he does not deserve it due to the massive corruption and bad governance which characterized his six-years in power.
In a statement posted on his official Facebook page over the week end, Mr. Patricks observed that Mr. Weah does not merit the leverage provided him to speak to intellectuals at Harvard.
"Why does Weah find pride in this invitation now? What is the logic behind CDCians celebrating Weah's invitation to speak at an event organized by two student groups at Harvard University? Weah and his supporters ought to feel shame for their actions. For six years, Weah plundered the nation, sidelined the intellectuals, and expelled some from the country for criticizing his governance. He not only undermined their academic credentials in the public sector but also deliberately appointed unqualified individuals to oversee Ivy League graduates with superior public sector qualifications, some of whom were Harvard graduates."
He added that Mr. Weah and his Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) spent six years indulging in "buga music, intentionally neglecting to send even six capable ministers from his administration to attend Harvard University--a place he and his followers are now proudly celebrating."
This, he noted is an ethical transgression, and Mr. Weah and his celebrants should feel deep remorse.
No genuine appreciation for education
Mr. Particks said if the former Liberian leader had a genuine appreciation for the esteemed education and reputation of Harvard University, he should have invested substantially in sending some of the nation's brightest minds there.
He added that such an investment would likely have lent credibility to his current celebration of speaking at a prestigious institution.
According to him, leveraging an invitation to Mr. Weah to speak at Harvard University as a significant achievement is questionable and arguably not a mark of resourcefulness, noting that, "this is a fraud!"
Mr. Patricks recalled that Mr. Weah was accused of betraying the trust of many, who elected him to power in 2017, something, which contributed to his defeat in the 2023 general elections.
"It remains to be seen what message he intends to convey to the discerning audience at Harvard. Will he publicly admit that his defeat in 2023 was due to poor governance during his presidency? Remember, a man who secured a resounding 62% victory in the 2017 elections saw his popularity drastically diminished in less than six years because of widespread corruption, arrogance, and the intentional sidelining of the intellectual class that could have defended and aided him in governing the country effectively."
Will be embarrassing
He maintained that though delivering a speech at Harvard is a prestigious honor, it can also be a pitfall, as some public officials have found themselves in situations so embarrassing compelling university authorities to intervene with police assistance.
"If you are a thief and get invited to Harvard, you must be prepared for the lashes. If you lack public narrative skills to articulate effectively and with compelling coherence, the audience will descend on you harshly and this is where leaders in the past got things scattered when they got invited to speak at Harvard."
Mr. Patricks maintained that it is quite regrettable that "a man once elusive for a university-wide speaking engagement is now content with a quasi-invitation to speak at Harvard's periphery."
He claimed that Presidential peers of Mr. Weah including Nana Addo of Ghana and Paul Kagame, among others, were honored to speak at Harvard while serving as presidents, reflecting their commendable public service to their nations.
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He noted that their speeches were remarkable, yet they faced sharp criticism from top students for their problematic policies they were executing.
Missed chance
Mr. Patricks further claimed that former President Weah missed the chance to use such a platform to speak and advocate for educational opportunities for the youth or his "Muyan ministers to attend Harvard University like what most African presidents do while in office."
Instead, he added that Mr. Weah focused on music production, pervasive and the systemic corruption under his administration overshadowed potential policy discussions aimed at leading a national reform to protect state coffers, and promote the dignity of Liberia.
"It's disappointing to see the muyah boys and girls, along with Weah, celebrating an invitation to speak at Harvard, an Ivy League University, when they massively failed to provide opportunities for even one student to attend Harvard University when CDC led this country for six years."
