MONROVIA, Montserrado – Darius Dillon, vice chair for political activities of Liberty Party, has described the August 16 meeting between President George Weah and opposition political parties as a waste of time.

On August 13, an Executive Mansion press statement announced the one-day forum between the government and opposition political parties with the hope of advancing ideas that could promote the spirit of national unity and political tolerance.

The press statement quotes the president as saying that he strongly believes that the government and opposition political parties’ collaboration is required for national cohesion and development.

However, Dillon says the president is being disingenuous in his call for ideas from the opposition. He explained that the three collaborating opposition political parties (Unity Party, Liberty Party, and the Alternative National Congress) have been making constructive suggestions in recent times, but the government has not listened to them.

In fact, Dillon said government officials often responded in ways that suggest that the government is not interested in their suggestions.

“Some government officials take photos and post them on the social media telling us to shut up,” he said, in a reference to a Facebook post by Information Minister Eugene Nagbe featuring Finance Minister Samuel Tweah and Minister of State Nathaniel McGill. In the photo, Nagbe and Tweah were seen making a shush gesture and the photo was accompanied by the caption, “Shut up… divide and rule will never work. We are focused on delivery and not foolish gossip.”

Moreover, Dillon said the letter from Weah inviting opposition political parties to the meeting was vague and contained no information about an agenda. As a result, he said attendees lacked knowledge about the specific issues the president wanted to hear them speak on.

He said three executives from each political party were invited to attend the meeting. The three major collaborating opposition parties were represented separately.

Dillon noted that the meeting, which was intended for opposition political parties and the president, was not only filled with cabinet members and deputy ministers, but also with inspectors from the Commerce Ministry.

He noted that the president should have clearly explained the basis for his meeting, which he did not do. Instead, Dillon said the president simply said he wanted to hear from the opposition parties.

It is not clear how many parties were represented at the meeting, but leaders of Unity Party, Liberty Party, the All Liberian Party, the Liberia National Union, the Movement for Economic Empowerment, the Movement for Reconciliation and Democracy, and the Alternative National Congress were present. They were each allotted three minutes to put forward suggestions.

Dillon mentioned that he did not understand why the president invited Nathaniel Blama, the political leader of the Liberia National Union, whose party collaborated with CDC during the elections and who was later appointed as head of the Environmental Protection Agency.

In addition, he said Maxwell Kimayan, who represented the Movement for Economic Empowerment, had also pledged his support to CDC and was appointed as deputy minister for foreign affairs.

“Instead of the two government officials addressing critical national issues, they praised the president,” he said, adding that the meeting should have been with opposition parties that offer constructive criticisms, not people who praise the president daily.

Dillon also frowned at the president’s admirers who he said at some stage of the meeting, reminded Weah of his days as a celebrity: “If that was what the president wanted, then our presence in the hall was useless.”

Dillon himself left the meeting early as other opposition leaders were putting forth their suggestions. For his action, he has received sharp criticisms from members of the governing Coalition for Democratic Change, including the deputy information minister for public affairs, Eugene Fahngon.

But Dillon has said he was not the only one who left early. He noted that that the veteran politician, Togba Nah Tipoteh, also left the hall early.

“I got up quietly, walked to the entrance of the hall and left the meeting with no announcement of a protest and disruption,” Dillon told Roots FM on Friday. “There were others who also left the meeting and why [are] they not being talked about?”

Fahngon had posted several critiques and insults on his Facebook page, including, “When you drop out of third grade, you will walk out of a state meeting because you are ignorant.”

He also wrote in Liberian colloquial English: “Dillon, Your refuse to go to school. You wan put mouf on a president you cannot match in any shape or form.”

The harsh critique of Dillon’s move to leave overshadowed the conversation about the meeting. In fact, the Liberty Party leader said the fact that Fahngon responded in such a manner to his leaving early was proof that nothing meaningful happened during the meeting.

Dillon said the president’s remarks were characterized by a focus on trivialities, including Weah recalling that he had paid for the education of a Unity Party executive, Cole Bangalu.

Moreover, Dillon said Weah wondered why members of the opposition were not helping him to advance the issue of dual citizenship, which he said would help develop the country and enable his son, Timothy Weah, to play for the country’s national team. As The Bush Chicken’s sports reporter Kla Wesley has previously reported, Timothy Weah can represent the Lone Star without being a citizen of Liberia due to his father’s connection to Liberia. However, in order for this to happen, the younger Weah must not make an appearance in a FIFA-sanctioned match for the U.S.

Dillon also said the president gave a discouraging view on the fight against corruption, saying that corruption is difficult to fight because most Liberians are related.

Moreover, Dillon said Weah said he had expected the opposition executives to come to the meeting to tell him the number of companies they had brought to the country and the corresponding number of persons employed.

“Are these the issues the president invited the opposition political parties’ executives to a meeting for?” Dillon asked, adding that he predicted that the meeting would bring about no new change and would be a waste of time.

Featured photo by Zeze Ballah