MONROVIA – Signs on the wall appear to suggest that the honeymoon between Stanton Witherspoon, the owner of Spoon Network (media) and the Unity Party under the stewardship of President Joseph Nyumah Boakai might be sliding down the gutters as criticisms against the government continue to heighten.
Witherspoon campaigned and used his resources, including money and media outlets to see Boakai become President and make George Weah one-term President on grounds that Liberia was in crises that did not appear to be ending soon under the former football superstar.
On his popular online show, “The Spoon Talk” Witherspoon and his most of his fellow panelists bastardized President Boakai for what they called the many inaccuracies, misrepresentation of facts and failure to deliver a comprehensive Legislative Plan for year already in operation.
“I think the President’s State of the Nation’s Address was a disappointment. The officials have agreed to lie to President Joseph Nyumah Boakai. His advisors are not doing well. The President, maybe, is not in charge. It is disappointing. It is painful. It is hurtful to hear that the Liberia Telecommunications Authority trained youth in cyber security,” Witherspoon expressed his disagreement, noting that cyber security training is not cheap neither a few days thing that anyone can easily do.
It can be recalled that in December 2024, the Unity Party-led government announced the graduation of 10,000 youth following a few days of computer training. The project was a signature project for President Boakai and, in his remarks, the President said it was his own way of empowering the young people in this digital age.
To Witherspoon, it was a mockery that the author(s) of the President’s speech mentioned it as an achievement when those trained barely understood what they were doing lest mention having knowledge in cyber security.
“Cyber security training is not ten days program, not even ten weeks. Who put that in the speech? Maybe they gave the President the wrong speech today to deliver,” the chief executive officer of Spoon Network said.
He alleged that it could be that someone within the government could be operating as a covert spy with the sole intention of destroying the image of the administration. “The want to destroy the legacy of Joseph Nyumah Boakai, and the President has fallen into it.”
“The President said from February 2024, the price in rice dropped. Who lied to the President?! how much for a bag of 25kg rice in the market now? This is an embarrassment. Did you hear anything about fight corruption? The President spoke about the GAC reports and with all the documents on his desk, I thought he could have said “we have taken step on these things.”
Witherspoon expressed disappointment in the President for not doing enough to hold other government officials accountable, even though he has dismissed Amin Modad, former Commerce Minister and Patrick Worzi, former Executive Director of the Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Reintegration Commission (LRRRC) on allegations of grave wrondoings.
“His nephew, Abdullah Kamara who is now the acting head of the Liberia Telecommunications Authority is on the corruption reports released by GAC but the President is doing nothing about it. Kamara is said to have be associated with some controversial US$6 million,” the Spoon Network owner said on his show (Spoon Talk).
He said the rule of law is not protected in the interest of the public.
Witherspoon added that the absence of the Justices of the Supreme Court at the SONA was a slap in his (Boakai) face, noting that the Court does not want to be entangled with the errors of the Excutive Branch.
“There are hyenas around the President and they are leading him into trouble,” he emphasized.
Vandalark Patricks, a human rights advocate also on the show as a panelist expressed disappointment that Boakai is failing to proceed in accordance with the rule of law.
Like Witherspoon, Patricks said the absence of the Justices of the Supreme Court was a clear indication that the government is not proceeding in the right direction.
“The main problem we have in this country is lack of respect for the rule of law. The Constitution says there are three branches and they should operate independently but through coordination with each other for the smooth functioning of the state. Non is allowed to usurp the function of the other but the Executive got involved with the debacle on Capitol Hill. The Executive is responsible for the ongoing crisis at the Legislature,” Patricks said.
There is a longstanding leadership crisis at the House of Representatives with majority of lawmakers, including opposition lawmakers from the same political party as embattled Speaker Jonathan Fonati Koffa, seeking his removal from office. For three months the majority bloc spent time at an expensive hotel strategizing to remove Koffa from the post of Speaker. They have refused to sit under his gavel and have proceeded in dismantling every structure, including committees appointed by him.
The Supreme Court ruled into the matter by stating that all actions taken outside of the main chambers of the House are ultra vires but the ruling has not been heeded to.
Patricks said the ruling was ambiguous and that has led to the deepening of the crisis, especially so with the Justice Minister, Oswald Tweh interpreting the ruling as a decision favoring the majority-encouraging the President to work with them (majority).
The human rights advocate added that the Supreme Court should have provided clarification so as to prevent people from misinterpreting its ruling.
Koffa has refused to resign and he continues to call on his colleagues to meet in the main chambers so as to conduct the normal proceedings to provide him the opportunity to exonerate himself of the allegations levied. The majority group has rejected the call and has elected Richard Koon, Montserrado County District #11 Representative as their Speaker.
Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah who from the onset stood up with Koffa, later abandoned the Grand Kru County District #2 Lawmaker and joined the majority bloc.
Samuel Jackson, a London-trained Liberian economist said President Boakai is failing early because he has no good advisors.
For Acarous Gray, former Representative of Montserrado District #8, it was a victory for the rule of law when the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court did not attend the President’s address to the Legislature.
Gray said for the fact that the three branches of government are finding it difficult to sit at the same venue and peacefully discuss national issues clearly indicate that the country is deeply divided. Gray is a member of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change.
He disclosed that it was embarrassing that President Boakai did not deliver his Legislative agenda at the time he was delivering his over one-hour speech but the Executive Mansion had to post it on social nedia afterwards.
With the exception of Al-Hassan Fadiga and Rudolph Bropleh who said it meant no harm that the Justices of the Supreme Court did not attend the SONA, all nine other speakers, including Witherspoon said it was embarrassing and shameful.
Fadiga is now serving as the Minister Consul for Press and public Affairs at the Liberian Embassy in France. His twin brother, Hassan Fadiga was appointed deputy director for the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) but was relieved of his post along with his former boss, Abraham Kromah for their lack of understanding each other to work for the country.
The panelists said, while there may be some gains, situations in the country remain dire and troubling. “We did not campaign against George Weah to have the same things repeating in the country,” Witherspoon said.
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