--Former official makes demands
President George Manneh Weah is being pressured to answer to the fight against corruption, amidst allegations of his alleged failure to battle graft.
Liberia's former Chief of Protocol and former Montserrado County Electoral District #8 Representative Amb. Rufus Neufville has accused Mr. Weah of miserably failing the Liberian people in the fight against corruption.
"Weah must answer to the Liberian people regarding his fight against corruption," Neufville told local broadcaster OK FM Tuesday, 21 March 2023 during a live interview.
He argued that President Weah was overwhelmingly elected to fight against corruption.
Neufville believes that if Mr. Weah must once redeem his lost image, he must answer to the fight against corruption.
"The fight against corruption is the fundamental reason why President Weah was elected and he has to answer how far he has [gone] in that fight," Neufville suggested.
He alleged that President Weah is still lagging in the fight, lamenting that there are several audit reports submitted to his office and the Legislature with no concrete actions taken.
Neufville acknowledged that President Weah cannot be everywhere at the same time, but he also noted that he receives several reports that need to be forwarded to the Ministry of Justice for prosecution.
"The GAC [General Auditing Commission] did her work and submitted findings to you, if you so desire of changing Liberia as being claimed, act on those reports that are before you," Neufville challenged Mr. Weah.
He noted that the problem Liberia has had over the years hasn't been a road issue because the late President Samuel Doe and the former ruling Unity Party's governments constructed roads.
He added that the issues have never been about giving school fees, saying the fundamental problem in Liberia has been corruption by individuals to the detriment of the majority.
"This should be the fundamental problem a president must solve. If President Weah can make a good move in the fight against corruption by submitting the audit report to the Ministry of Justice, start prosecution, detain people, then he can once more become a celebrity," said Neufville.
Using soccer analogy to advise the former Liberian international soccer icon, Amb. Neufville told President Weah that if you are a coach and you want to have a good team, you must first evaluate all of the players and their wings on the field.
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To grade the Weah-led government, Neufville said he has to look at every sector. Under health, he suggested that this government has zero because all of the hospitals and major clinics allegedly do not have medical supplies.
According to him, most of the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that were providing aid to Liberia have left.
At the same time, he lamented that the government's support for the health sector is very low.
Regarding education, he also graded the government zero, alleging that the education system has gone from bad to worse.
As for the road, Neufville noted that the government has a passing mark because major Public Works projects are being implemented.
On agriculture, he claimed that the government has failed massively. On his overall grading of the government, he said it is below the passing mark of 70%.
Notwithstanding, Neufville said the government still has a few months to elections, and he believes that it can put up several policies if it is serious about winning the pools this October.
