MONROVIA – The Executive Mansion in Monrovia, through deputy presidential press secretary, Smith N. Toby, has replied former presidential press secretary, Jerolinmek Piah, over his recent claim that President George Weah is a cultist.
In a recent social media comment while reacting to a Facebook post from a fanatic of Unity Party’s standard bearer Joseph N. Boakai (JNB), Therry Genesis regarding the wearing of a black beret by the Liberian leader, Piah, the media advisor to JNB’s campaign team, accused President Weah of being a cultist, who has blood on his hands.
Although Piah, who served former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf as her press secretary, did not elaborate, he intimated that President Weah would be made to account.
Genesis, himself, a former official of government who served during the Johnson-Sirlef era, had posted on Facebook that while President Weah’s supporters were wearing blue or red colored berets, the Liberian chief executive chose to wear a black beret recently at a certain campaign function of the ruling party, which he (Therry) suggested was a sign of death, and that the President was therefore, a cultist.
Piah then, under the tread of Genesis’ post, wrote referring to President Weah: “Not just a cultist, but a killer with bloody hands. He will be made to account!”
Howbeit, in a telephone interview with Smart News Liberia (SNL), current deputy presidential press secretary Toby, contrary to Piah’s claim, stated that President Weah is not a cultist.
Toby pointed out that while the Executive Mansion would not want to dignify Piah’s assertions, neither the ex-presidential press secretary nor anyone else determines what President Weah wears, especially during the campaign period in a major electioneering year.
“The President wearing black [beret], who decides what the President wears?” Toby quipped.
He blasted Piah and Genesis, terming the pair as being among opposition politicians that want to gain relevance at the expense of President Weah.
“So, those who want to seek relevance at the expense of what the President wears would be doing themselves more harm than good. We are in the election mood, and the President remains in that mood,” Toby emphasized.
He noted that the Liberian leader being in a campaign mood can wear whatever he chooses on campaign trips.
“The President is in campaign mood – so, he wakes up in the morning, and everyone else is wearing blue, he wears white; so [that] there is a distinction as to where the President is. So, if everyone is wearing red in a gathering, how do you distinguish where the President is [when] the President is not uniformed separately,” Toby added.
Toby divulged that what President Weah wears on campaign trails, will not be exactly what his partisans and supporters are wearing, adding, “No one determines his regalia – his partisans understand, Liberians understand it, except for those from the opposition, who interpret what he wears the way they interpret it. But the President is not a cultist.”
Further dismissing Piah’s and Genesis’ combined claim that wearing a black colored beret suggests President Weah is a cultist, Toby slammed Piah for allegedly wearing what he (Toby) called a semi-military suit, indicating, “So, if Piah wore a military suit and posted on Facebook it means he’s a militant? Is he [a] part of the people planning coup around Africa? Because, I saw him [a] few days ago in semi-military dress code – so, does that entail that he is a military man or he is a militant?”
“So, we should stop judging people as to what they wear – and President Weah is not a cultist,” Toby stressed.
