Relationship Sour?

-As Weah, Ellen Angrily Response To Each Other Over Missing Billions

By Reuben Sei Waylaun

What appears to be a serious ‘sour relationship’ is said to be ensuing between former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and her ‘political darling boy’ as they throw ‘jibes’ at each other over the alleged disappearance of LRD16 billion banknotes.

The nation has been galloped into serious issue over the reported disappearance of huge banknotes of the nation’s currency. According to the report, the money arrived in the country between November 2017, the administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and August 2018 the administration of President George Manneh Weah.

Following the alleged disappearance of the reported LRD16billion, several Liberians including some top officials of the governing CDC pointed accusing fingers at former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, but she responded by questioning the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country which may have prompted the jibes between she and her successor.

In her respond, the former Liberian chief executive said “the Central Bank has already done an investigation on the direction of the Minister of Justice. Why haven’t they released the report of the investigation? Why are they sitting on it? Has the President realized what he has done to the country? The reputation of the country is also at stake. They’re talking about 16 billion, do they know what the GDP of this country is?”

“I’m angry, I’m shocked. When it comes to the government I say this is our country, we have a new President. We all must support him for the good of our country. I’ll like to call on the government – even that the country’s reputation and innocent people’s reputation has been questioned – they must go back to the media and say that the investigation is concluded and the evidence and facts are known, they must go back to the media and correct it,” she told the BBC.

This response according to those around the office of President Weah didn’t signal well for him, but has to exercise restraint due to the timing of the 73^rd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) where he made his maiden appearance as president of Liberia.

However, upon his return to the country from the UNGA during an intercessory program for his safe arrival, the Liberian leader used the opportunity to angrily respond to his predecessor, particularly the statement that talks about the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.

“People talking that we don’t know the trouble that we have caused for the country. Our government has caused nothing… can you imagine [that] people saying that we don’t know the GDP of this country; we don’t even know what GDP is? But the GDP they know, 12 years Doe Community doesn’t have light. They know the GDP, but roads from here to Sasstown, it’s not there. If you know the GDP, you don’t know what GDP is? If you know the GDP but you don’t develop your people, then who are you?”

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the monetary measure of the market value of final goods and services produced in a period of time, often annually or quarterly. Nominal GDP estimates are commonly used to determine the economic performance of a country or region, and to make transnational assessments.

With these angry responses to each other, Liberians and other political pundits believe that the once ‘sweet relationship’ between former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and her ‘political darling boy’ during the 2017 presidential and legislative elections is said to be ‘sour’

It was alleged during the 2017 elections that the former president ignored her party, the Unity Party of her Vice President, Joseph Nyumah Boakai for support to George Manneh Weah of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC).