– President Weah hopeful of re-election amid massive endorsement
By: Jerromie S. Walters
Monrovia, Liberia: As the previous mandate that was arranged with enthusiasm, hope, and aspirations approaches its climax, a new resounding mandate has been guaranteed by supporters of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) to President George Weah, to contest as its standard bearer in the upcoming October 2023 general and presidential elections.
At an elaborate event dubbed “Weah2023” mid-Saturday, February 4, 2023, thousands of supporters of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) trooped their way in to the Antoinette Tubman stadium in central Monrovia and joyfully congregated to officially endorse President George Weah for his second term coming up in October of this year.
Jubilantly receiving the party’s mandate, the Liberian Leader accepted the nomination as Standard Bearer of the Coalition to lead the party and seek a second six-year mandate from the Liberian people. He, however, promised to step-down at the end of his second term mandate in 2030 in keeping with constitutional limit.
“I am therefore both pleased and honored to accept your nomination of me as your standard bearer and to lead our party in seeking a second six-year mandate from the Liberian people. “I am certain that with your full support and backing, our victory is assured,” he said.
In addition, President Weah welcomed new supporters of the CDC, as he described the party as the right place and as a party that works, a party that serves, a party that achieves, a party that succeeds, and above all, a party that wins!
“We also want to welcome, with open arms, all of our partisans who once left us to seek what they mistakenly thought were better opportunities in other political parties, only to discover that there is nothing better than the CDC.” This is where you belong, and this is where you will remain. Welcome back home. “We love you,” he added.
He continued, “Then we want to recognize and appreciate our new young auxiliaries and our new first-time coming-of-age members.” “We will employ your youthful enthusiasm to increase our membership and strengthen our capability.”
Conspicuously, the President reflected on his ascendency to power a few years ago, recognizing the struggles of loyal Cidians and how they lawfully persevered to obtain their victory.
“Just over five years ago, Liberians went to the polls and participated in presidential and legislative elections, the results of which represented a major shift in the underlying fundamentals of the Liberian political dynamic. “In an orderly, lawful, and peaceful manner, Liberians voted, in overwhelming numbers, not just for a change of administration, but for a change of regime,” he reflected.
He believes In a quiet and determined way, Liberians exercised their franchise to bring about a Change for Hope and voted for a change in governance that would restore hope to the underprivileged, the poor, and the traditionally disadvantaged in our society, whose needs and aspirations had never been given appropriate priority or attention by previous administrations.
“At the end of a long campaign, when the results were announced after the run-off, it became clear that the pendulum had swung in the direction of youthful leadership and that the paradigm had shifted in favor of change and transformation,” he stated.
He characterized his victory in 2017 as the dawn of a new era in Liberian politics, a new era in which the Liberian electorate had given a landslide victory of over 85% to the Coalition for Democratic Change.
However, he narrated that the challenges of leadership over the last five years have been enormous, but in each and every one of these challenges, he found opportunities to make things better and to bring permanent improvements to the lives of all Liberians.
Judging from said backdrop, he emphasized that the transformation agenda, as captured in their national development plan, the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD), is on course but will take some time before it is fully realized.
“However, over the past five years, Liberia has made tremendous progress under our leadership.” In the implementation and management of the Pro-Poor Agenda, we have taken many bold initiatives in order to bring about the transformative change that Liberia needs to grow and prosper. Some of these initiatives have represented new strategic approaches to development, and some of them again were tried and tested formulas for nation-building. “But they were all designed to work together to lift Liberia and Liberians to a higher standard of living,” he maintained.
President George Weah won his first election in October of 2017, after he conceded solid victories in 14 of the 15 counties of Liberia in the run-up to the election.
He defeated former Vice President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, after he attempted to do so in 2005 as a presidential candidate and in 2011 as the vice presidential candidate of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC).
Full speech
REMARKS BY HIS EXCELLENCY DR. GEORGE MANNEH WEAH PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA ON THE OCCASION OF HIS NOMINATION AS STANDARD BEARER AND
POLITICAL LEADER OF THE COALITION FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE THE ANTOINETTE TUBMAN STADIUM UNITED NATIONS DRIVE
MONROVIA, LIBERIA
FEBRUARY 4, 2023
Her Excellency Madam Clar Marie Weah,
First Lady of the Republic of Liberia;
Her Excellency Chief Dr. Cllr Jewel Howard-Taylor, Vice President of the Republic of Liberia,President of the Liberian Senate, and
Vice Standard Bearer of the Coalition for Democratic Change;
The Chairman, Officers, and Members of the Mighty Coalition for Democratic Change,
the Ruling Party of Liberia since 2018;
Fellow Partisans;
CDCians;
WEAHsians;
The new Auxiliaries;
Our Talented Musicians
New Political Parties joining the Coalition for Democratic Change;
New First Time Voters Registering with the CDC;
Traditional Leaders here present;
Our Women and the Girls of CDC;
Members of the Fourth Estate;
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen:
Just over five years ago, Liberians went to the polls and participated in Presidential and Legislative elections, the results of which represented a major shift in the underlying fundamentals of the Liberian political dynamic. In an orderly, lawful, and peaceful manner, Liberians voted, in overwhelming numbers, not just for a change of administration, but for a change of regime.
In a quiet and determined way, they exercised their franchise to bring about a Change for Hope, and voted for a change in governance that would restore hope to the underprivileged, the poor, and the traditionally disadvantaged in our society, whose needs and aspirations had never been given appropriate priority and attention by previous administrations.
At the end of a long campaign, when the results were announced after the run-off, it became clear that the pendulum had swung in the direction of youthful leadership, and that the paradigm had shifted in favor of change and transformation.
It was the dawn of a new era in Liberian politics, a new era in which the Liberian electorate had given a landslide victory of over 85% to the Mighty Coalition for Democratic Change.
As Political Leader and Standard Bearer of the winning political party, the mantle and responsibility of leading this transformation therefore devolved upon me, when I was inaugurated as the 24th President of Liberia on January 22, 2018.
MY FELLOW PARTISANS, CDCIANS, WEAHCIANS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:
The challenges of leadership have been enormous, but in each and every one of these challenges, I have seen opportunities to make things better, and to bring permanent improvements to the lives of all Liberians. This transformation agenda, as captured in our national development plan, the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD), is on course, but will take some time before it is fully realized. As they say, Rome was not built in one day.
However, over the past five years, Liberia has made tremendous progress under our leadership. In the implementation and management of the Pro-Poor Agenda, we have taken many bold initiatives in order to bring about the transformative change that Liberia needs to grow and to prosper. Some of these initiatives have represented new strategic approaches to development, and some of them again were tried and tested formulas for nation-building. But they were all designed to work together to lift Liberia and Liberians to a higher standard of living.
And now, as we come to the end of the term to which we were elected, it is my intention to seek a second mandate from the Liberian people to continue the good works of our hand, and to complete our unfinished but imperative agenda. I am sure that they will respond positively to our quest. After all, they did this once, based on our promise of Change for Hope. I am sure that they will have even more reason to do so, now that they have seen the “Change That You Can Depend On”.
MY FELLOW PARTISANS, CDCIANS, WEAHCIANS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:
I am therefore both pleased, and honored, to accept your nomination of me as your Standard Bearer, to lead our Party to seek a second six-year mandate from the Liberian People. I am certain that with your full support and backing, our victory is assured.
MY FELLOW PARTISANS, CDCIANS, WEAHCIANS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:
Let me now say a warm and enthusiastic welcome to all those parties who are now here seeking to join our Mighty Coalition! You have come to the right place, Ladies and Gentlemen! You have come to a Party that works, a Party that serves, a Party that achieves, a Party that succeeds, and above all, a Party that WINS!!
We also want to welcome, with open arms, all of our Partisans who once left us to seek what they mistakenly thought were better opportunities in other political parties, only to discover that there is nothing better than the CDC. This is where you belong, and this is where you will remain. Welcome back home. We love you.
Then we want to recognize and appreciate our new young Auxiliaries, and our new First-Time coming-of-voting-age Members. We will employ your youthful enthusiasm to increase our membership and strengthen our capability to take our message to the people.
I also want to congratulate our security apparatus, and to thank them all, both the military and para-military, for the excellent work done in maintaining peace and security throughout our tenure, without violating the human rights of our citizens.
MY FELLOW PARTISANS, CDCIANS, WEAHCIANS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:
I will now speak to you in KOLOKWA:
They say that yor na know nathing. They also say I mysef I na know nathing. So, the very fact that you are following me, who they say I na know nathing, shows that you are stupid.
Well, jes to prove to them that yor know sumtin, I want ask yor a question, and the answer that yor give to dis question will show whether you are clever or stupid, or whether you are smart or dumb. The question I want ask yor, enh, is this:
6 years plus 6 years, that how many years???
12 years!!!
Yor see… yor clever!! Yor know something! Don’t mind these people lying on you, yah?
Let me ask you the question again: 6 years plus 6 years equal what?
12 years!!!
When we came to yor to ask you to vote for us, they say your na know nathing. Yor didn’t go to school, yor don’t know nathing. Even if some of you have been to college, and graduated and all, even if some of you making straight A’s in school, the fact that you are behind me, those people say that you don’t know ANYTHING, that you are stupid to follow JorWeah.
But yor stuck with me, yor stuck with me. And we won! We won!! And we will win again!! They keep accusing you that because yor are behind me, yor don’t know nathing. So, I just want to ask you one question again, then I will let them know whether yor clever or not:
6 years plus 6 years equal what??????
Da 12 years.
You see. Yor clever, yah?
When we went to the Legislature the other night, we mentioned some of the things that we have done over the past 5 years. We did not point out all the things we had done. The list was too long. Because, if I had tried to name all the things that I have done, we were not going to leave that place until way after 9:00 o’clock that night. I spoke for 3 hours and 17 minutes. If I was going to continue to tell the people what all we have achieved together in these five years, hey, Liberian people, we were not going to move from that Capitol Building that night.
Call me Prezzo, we can’t help it. That’s why they just talking. But they forget to know that even if they double their socks, they can’t fit in my shoes. I don’t know for them, but we cool. I don’t know about them, but we cool. Even if they double their socks, they can’t fit in my shoes.
MY FELLOW PARTISANS, CDCIANS, WEAHCIANS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:
On a more serious note, before I close, I want to tell you that if the Liberian people grant me a second term, they should prepare themselves to embrace another leader when that term ends. Our Constitution does not permit third terms, and so I will gladly stand down in 2030, and hand the gavel of the Presidency over to any leader that has been duly elected by the Liberian people. This is a solemn pledge that I make to you today, and it is a pledge that I am committed to honor and respect.
And so today, I accept your call for me to run for second term. I therefore appeal to all Liberians to join me in what you started five (5) years ago. All “n’embêta” of the CDC coalition members, of\ the UP, ANC, and Liberty Party, and all other political parties, are invited to join me in taking Liberia to a new era of Peace and Prosperity. You can COUNT ON THE CHANGE that I have delivered, and I will continue to provide more transformative leadership, in the supreme interest of the Liberian People.
And therefore, I am here today to tell the Liberian people that I will be on the ballot as a Presidential candidate in the next elections.
Finito !!
I thank you!
