MONROVIA – Former Representative Acarous Moses Gray has condemned the Unity Party government for what he terms continued disrespect towards the Standard Bearer of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), ex-President George Manneh Weah. Gray highlighted that the government consistently fails to recognize Weah as a former President at national events.
Gray’s comments come amid public speculation that organizers of the National Unification Day ceremony invited Weah but referred to him as “Ambassador Weah” on the program sheet. The former Montserrado County representative and CDC stalwart told reporters on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, that regardless of personal feelings, Weah should be addressed by his former presidential title.
Gray emphasized that whether or not Weah was officially invited to the Unification Day program held at Invincible Sports Park, the use of the ambassadorial title instead of “former President” demonstrates divisiveness and disrespect.
Gray also recounted an incident following the 2023 elections when Weah, upon his return to Liberia, was allegedly disrespected by officers of the Executive Protection Service (EPS) at Roberts International Airport under the Boakai-Koung administration.
“The immediate former President, President Weah, has been consistently disrespected. The former President is the former President. You go to heaven and come down, by protocol extended, any invitation that is extended you have to say the former President. You invited the former President to that gathering. He was not addressed,” Gray stated.
Gray insisted that even if Weah had sent a representative to receive any honor on his behalf, protocol dictates that he must be addressed as the former President of the nation in any speech delivered at the occasion.
Gray argued that Liberia cannot be governed effectively if former national leaders are willfully disrespected, noting that such behavior demonstrates the country’s divisiveness under President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s administration.
In response, Deputy Information Minister for Press and Public Affairs, Daniel Sando, clarified that the National Unification Day event did not include any plans to honor former President Weah. Minister Sando informed reporters that the event’s program did not mention Weah and had only about seven or eight agenda items to allow attendees to leave early and enjoy their holiday.
“I think there are lots of misconceptions hovering around on social media and the radio stations, which is bad for our country. The event yesterday was a national event and the program souvenir is available for even journalists who covered that program. Nothing of Mr. Weah was mentioned in that program,” Sando noted.
Sando explained that a group called “Brighter Future Foundation” organized a separate event on May 13, 2024, at the University of Liberia, where former President Weah and other prominent citizens were invited to be honored for their contributions to the country.
“Regardless of who the organizers are, I really do believe that when people come together, spend their resources, their time and energy to plan to recognize you, you have to honor them as opposed to bastardizing them because they didn’t address you as a former President, and this and that,” he noted.
Sando described the misconceptions about the event as a calculated attempt by members of the opposition CDC to distract citizens from the true purpose of National Unification Day.
