Monrovia — The Secretary-General of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), Jefferson Tamba Koijee, claims that Liberia has turned into a "plantation of massacre" since the Unity Party returned to power in January 2024.
According to Koijee, recent comments by the Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism, Jerolinmek Piah, that four auditors were killed under the CDC-led government are a distortion of the present-day reality, where every move by state security apparatus leads to the death of ordinary citizens.
"You succeeded in lying your way to power by claiming that four auditors were killed here. We will not do the same because we are not desperate for power, as demonstrated last year when we peacefully handed over power to you," Koijee said.
"But the evidence of how you have turned this country into a plantation of massacre remains irrefutable," Koijee stated at a press conference held at the CDC headquarters on Thursday, July 4, 2024.
The Unity Party-led government and the opposition CDC have been embroiled in a war of words after former President George Weah criticized the current administration for not meeting the expectations of the Liberian people. During a live phone-in conversation on a local radio station, former President Weah stated that President Boakai was not the change Liberia wanted and that his administration would not deliver for the Liberian people.
Koijee's comments were in direct response to Minister Piah's recent remarks against former President Weah, in which he said, "Former President Weah should conduct himself properly or we will go after him."
Koijee pointed out that despite claims by the current government that civil servants under the CDC-led administration were made to be beggars, civil servants today are "slaves" being deprived of their livelihoods and, in some instances, killed for standing up for their rights.
He stated: "You said we made civil servants beggars during the CDC-led government. Granted that your characterization of those Liberians was true, at least beggars had freedom and were not killed. Today, motorcyclists are being deprived of their freedom to fend for their families. Ordinary Liberians are being killed for no reason. Workers are losing their lives at the hands of state security officers solely because they stood up for their just benefits. Liberians are being treated like slaves because the government has assumed the role of slave masters, turning the country into a plantation where people are being slaughtered and killed."
Deepening public anger
Under the Unity Party-led government, there has been public consternation over the harsh treatment of Liberians by state security. In February this year, two people were killed by riot police during a protest for better working conditions at the Bea Mountain concession area in Kinjor, Grand Cape Mount County. Recently, a 17-year-old boy was fatally shot by a police officer in Rehab, Paynesville, during a drug raid.
Motorcylists accused the police of shielding behind the government's "No go zone" restriction and confiscating their motorbikes. Marketers and informal business owners have complained of police brutality, accusing the police of beating them and confiscating their goods for selling in the streets. These marketers, predominantly women, termed the government's actions as insensitive, arguing that instead of initiating programs to improve their lives, the government is bent on mistreating them as they struggle to earn a living and send their children to school.
Koijee vowed that the CDC would not sit idly by and allow "political desperadoes" to continue to terrorize the people of Liberia.
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"The Unity Party signed a social contract with the people of Liberia. We will ensure that they live up to the dictates of that contract. Anything contrary will not be tolerated," the CDC Secretary-General stressed.
Commenting on the just-concluded "Militant Day" event, Koijee said the CDC would continue to appreciate the resilience of its partisans who endure the challenges of being associated with the party. He disclosed plans to observe a "National Martyr Day" to remember CDC partisans who lost their lives over the years, adding that last week's event was a resounding success and lauded the involvement of every ordinary member of the party.
He emphasized that the event demonstrated that the CDC is not resting and is committed to rewriting, recalibrating, and reinforcing its base to transform "setbacks into a great comeback."
