By Socrates Smythe Saywon | Smart News Liberia
MONROVIA – Former Executive Mansion Chief of Protocol Finda Bundoo has found herself at the center of a political firestorm after publicly thanking President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and the Government of Liberia during her father’s funeral while making no mention of former President George Weah, a development that has triggered backlash within the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) and exposed fresh signs of internal division.
What was expected to be a solemn farewell to her late father on Saturday, July 18, instead evolved into one of the CDC’s most controversial public episodes in recent months, with the party’s Youth League boycotting the funeral, members of its Women Congress expressing dissatisfaction, and supporters fiercely debating Bundoo’s loyalty to the former ruling party.
During an emotional tribute, Bundoo reflected on what she described as one of the most difficult periods of her life and thanked several individuals whom she said stood by her when others did not.
She paid special tribute to Representative Thomas Fallah, saying he defended her when she felt abandoned.
“When things were not OK, Thomas Fallah stood by me. Big brother, Papa, forget about politics. At the time, you stood by me and said, ‘She is my own.’ Thomas, I have come to say thank you.”
Bundoo also publicly expressed gratitude to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and the Government of Liberia, saying she was thankful they allowed her to bury her father despite what she claimed were efforts by unnamed individuals who wanted her imprisoned.
“My thank you to the government is for allowing me to bury my father because they never wanted me to bury my father. They said I must be at South Beach.”
She questioned why anyone would wish such hardship upon her.
“What wrong did I do?”
Bundoo also thanked former Foreign Affairs Minister Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah Sr. and former Minister of State Nathaniel McGill for supporting her during what she described as a heartbreaking period, while adding that those who failed to reach out would answer before God.
She concluded her tribute by saying she had learned an important lesson from her experiences.
“I have learned my lesson. I don’t owe anybody anything.”
Although Bundoo never declared any change in her political allegiance, her decision to publicly praise the Boakai administration without mentioning former President George Weah, under whom she served throughout his presidency, quickly became the center of political discussion both inside and outside the CDC.
The controversy deepened after the CDC Youth League announced that it deliberately boycotted the funeral, claiming the party had been sidelined throughout the funeral arrangements.
According to the Youth League, members initially visited Bundoo after her father’s passing and informed her they intended to return with a larger CDC delegation to formally express condolences.
The group also claimed CDC National Chairman Janga Augustus Kowo visited Bundoo but alleged the visit did not receive what they considered an appropriate reception.
After returning from the party’s anniversary celebrations in Grand Gedeh County, Youth League members said they repeatedly attempted to arrange another meeting with Bundoo before eventually being informed that she wanted the funeral to remain strictly a church service rather than a political event.
According to the Youth League, Bundoo requested that no CDC T-shirts, party insignia, or political regalia be worn during the ceremony.
The Youth League further noted that although CDC National Chairman Janga Kowo attended the funeral, he was not invited to deliver an official tribute on behalf of the party.
Based on those circumstances, the Youth League said it concluded that the CDC was not welcome and therefore decided to boycott the funeral.
Members of the CDC Women Congress also reportedly expressed disappointment, arguing that the party was not adequately recognized during the funeral proceedings.
Some attendees said they did not see the CDC listed in the official funeral program, while others voiced frustration that Bundoo concluded her tribute without mentioning former President George Weah, a figure many supporters expected to be acknowledged given her years of service in his administration.
The backlash quickly spread across social media, where some CDC supporters questioned Bundoo’s loyalty to the party, while others defended her right to express personal gratitude during a family funeral.
Responding to the criticism, Bundoo’s daughter, Zondette Jallah, strongly defended her mother, accusing critics of politicizing a family’s moment of grief.
She argued that her mother’s remarks were those of a grieving daughter rather than a politician delivering a campaign speech.
Jallah said grief affects people differently and maintained that Bundoo should not be condemned for expressing personal experiences while paying tribute to her late father.
She also rejected suggestions that her mother had turned against the CDC.
“NOBODY AND I REPEAT NOT ONE SOUL IN CDC IS AS LOYAL AS MY MOM! NOT ONE SINGLE ONE!”
Jallah further accused critics of deliberately twisting Bundoo’s words and insisted that the funeral was intended solely to honor her grandfather’s life, not to advance any political agenda.
She urged the public to show compassion instead of exploiting the family’s loss for partisan debate.
Despite that defense, the controversy has intensified debate over internal relations within the CDC, with political commentators on social media, especially Facebook, suggesting the incident reflects tensions over loyalty, leadership, and the party’s future following its defeat in the 2023 presidential election.
Comments on Facebook suggest that Bundoo’s remarks, whether intended as expressions of personal gratitude or interpreted by others as a political signal, have transformed a private family funeral into a major political controversy, underscoring how deeply partisan divisions continue to shape Liberia’s political discourse.
