Published: September 7, 2026
MONROVIA — Former Executive Mansion Ambassador-at-Large Sheik Al-Moustapha Kouyateh has blasted Liberia’s growing political fixation on the 2029 elections, arguing that politicians are prioritizing their next electoral battle while ordinary citizens struggle to afford food, school fees and other necessities.
Kouyateh, writing Sunday, Sept. 6, on his official social media page, questioned why political leaders are already consumed by an election more than three years away instead of confronting the immediate economic hardships facing Liberians.
“2029 has become more important than the survival of the Liberian people,” Kouyateh said, warning against what he described as governing through future promises while people struggle in the present.
“For God’s sake, we are in 2026, not 2029! Do you know how many Liberians will starve, suffer, or die before we get there if we keep pretending people can live on promises?”
Kouyateh’s criticism comes as political activities surrounding the 2029 presidential and legislative elections increasingly take shape, with ruling and opposition politicians holding consultations, retreats and other engagements around future alliances and electoral strategies.
But Kouyateh argued that the country’s immediate problems — including poverty, food insecurity, education costs and political divisions — deserve greater attention.
“Why are some of our leaders obsessed with elections while division is breeding hatred among our own people? Why do they keep demanding our attention for campaigns and politics when we are struggling to feed or pay school fees for our children today?” he asked.
“And the real insult? All parties have betrayed us,” he added.
Kouyateh also took aim at Liberia’s management of its natural resources, accusing successive political leaders of entering concession agreements without delivering sufficient benefits to ordinary citizens.
He argued that the country’s natural resources belong to all Liberians but have been “mortgaged” under arrangements labeled concessions while the population continues to experience economic hardship.
“We have resources. We have a small and productive population, yet we remain beggars, and among the poorest countries in the world because too many people lack patriotism and only see the state as a personal bank account,” Kouyateh said.
The former ambassador said Liberia’s challenges are not rooted in politics itself, but in how political power has been exercised.
He argued that leadership should be measured by accountability, empowerment, development and the protection of citizens rather than speeches and the defense of contracts he believes enrich powerful interests.
“Politics is not a curse, but it has been used like a curse. It has been turned into a weapon to steal, to delay, and to distract while ordinary citizens suffer,” he said.
Kouyateh also questioned whether repeated changes of government have translated into meaningful improvements in the lives of ordinary Liberians.
“How long will we keep waiting for ‘regime change’ to get little change in our pockets just to survive? What is the guarantee that we will even make it to 2029, when the majority are living on expectations, not prosperity?” he asked.
He concluded his message by calling on citizens to demand greater accountability from their leaders.
“Arise, Liberians. Enough is enough.”
Kouyateh’s post drew reactions from several citizens who echoed his concerns about economic hardship and political priorities.
Abraham David said Kouyateh’s message strengthened what he described as a collective determination to ensure Liberia does not remain a “beggar nation,” but becomes a country where prosperity is more broadly shared and politics serves as a tool for empowerment.
Another commenter highlighted the difficulties some families face in meeting education costs.
“Continue speaking the truth till they understand our cry. Right now, as I am speaking, I have not been able to put my kids in school,” the commenter wrote.
Archie MarindaRights Karpah also questioned why political leaders are openly discussing the next elections when they remain years away.
“Well penned down, Ambassador. Why will any serious leader be thinking or openly discussing about the election period when the time isn’t near?” Karpah wrote.
Karpah went further, accusing the current administration of losing focus on the promises that brought it to power.
“Right now, no vision, no plans for rescuing the country. Their only plans are to protect their jobs, concessions, and selfish interests. Only heartless and greedy leaders behave in such a manner.”
Kouyateh’s intervention adds to an emerging debate over Liberia’s political priorities as maneuvering toward 2029 gathers momentum, while questions over jobs, household incomes, education costs and the broader economy remain central concerns for many citizens.
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