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Monrovia – Controversial talk radio presenter Henry Pedro Costa has lambasted President George Weah, among other things, asserting that the Liberian leader has flagrantly violated the country’s Constitution and is allegedly stealing the country’s money to build for himself several compounds, reasons for which he (Costa) says he does not respect the president.
In a video recorded by Costa, a copy of which Punch FM/TV Online Service has obtained, the loquacious talk show host disclosed that some individuals from President Weah’s political party, the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), have of late been calling on him to accord the president some respect as he goes on with his advocacy style of radio presentation on his widely listened-to Costa Show aired on Roots FM 102.7, a station owned by him.
He said the partisans of President Weah’s CDC wants him (Costa) to go ahead and criticize the president for all he wants, but they are cautioning him to do so with some bit of respect.
But Costa retorted that he would not respect a president who does not respect the Constitution of the Country, as well as not respecting himself, indicating that those calling on him to respect President Weah, who he said does not respect the organic law of Liberia, are the kinds of people who make their leaders to become dictators.
“I don’t respect George Weah. When George Weah starts to respect himself, then I will respect him,” said Costa, who added that respect is earned.”
Costa is of the belief that just because an individual occupies the office of president does not mean all citizens in the country have to respect such person, adding that respect must rather be earned.
“…I do not respect the president, and I want you to know how I feel about this… and I want George Weah to hear it. I have no respect for him. When he behaves himself, I might begin to respect him,” he said.
“He’s president, but that doesn’t mean I should respect him – absolute nonsense! Anybody tell me that nonsense again I will cuss you. I will not respect no president who does not respect himself.” Costa maintained.
‘Constitutional violation’
Stating reasons why he would not accord the Liberian leader an ounce of respect, Costa started off by stating that President Weah is a violator of the country’s chief law, and as such, he would not give respect to such president who would flagrantly violate the law of the land.
Referring to President Weah, Costa stated, “You break our laws… You violate the Constitution of the country and some of you sit there and say respect the president, respect the president.”
“Does the president respect you? If George Weah respected us as a country and people, would he have sent his friend as ambassador without confirming him – does he respect us? Costa asked.
“The president recently violated the Constitution that he swore an oath to uphold – are you thinking? The man swore an oath to uphold and defend our Constitution he recently went ahead and nominated and commissioned an ambassador to the United States without confirmation – a violation of Article 54b of the Liberian Constitution. So George Weah, he ain’t respect the constitution, that me must respect him? I don’t respect the president,” Costa said.
“If George Weah swore an oath on January 22, 2018 to uphold and defend the Constitution of the Republic Liberia, if he can openly [and] flagrantly violate and disrespect the Constitution then that me must respect George Weah!”
He added: “This president does not respect the Constitution he swore an oath to uphold and defend. I do not respect the president. Respect that’s not force… He’s president but I am not forced to respect him. I don’t respect this president, until he begins to command my respect.”
He noted that respect is not compulsory, it is earned by the way one conducts him/herself, stating, “George Weah just disrespected the most important law of our land, the Constitution of Liberia – if George Weah does not respect our Constitution, that me must respect George Weah.”
“We took one poor boy from Gibraltar, we made him president of our country, out of a sudden he thinks the country is for him – violating the constitution of our country,” Costa said.
“Do Not Respect Weah Movement”
Costa, who insists that he absolutely has no regard for President Weah then announced that he was launching a movement through which to instigate more disrespect against the Liberian president, stating, “From today on, I am launching the Do Not Respect Weah Movement. That is the movement I am launching – Weah does not respect himself so we should not respect Weah – respect is earned.”
Costa maintains that by just being president is not enough for Weah to automatically command his respect, saying, “look at you behave in a disrespectful way, in a criminal way. You are building properties all over the place you can’t demonstrate how you earned the money, and you expect an intelligent man like me to respect the president when the president does not respect himself.”
I do not respect the president. The president has got no respect for himself, and so I do not respect him – so I’m launching a movement do not respect Weah, until Weah begins to respect himself.
“A president that steals”
Costa alleges that under his less than one year rule, President Weah is engaging into stealing the country’s money, noting that this is one of the reasons why he will not respect the Liberian head of state.
While terming as nonsense calls from Weah’s partisans for him (Costa) to respect the Liberian leader, the vocal talk show presenter further alleged, “You must be stealing then I must respect you? You come to power you stealing, you building houses all over the place.”
Costa wonders from where exactly President Weah got the money to be on a construction spree of numerous deluxe structures in several different locations in the country.
“A president that steals. A president that steals our country’s money. Where the he– you think George Weah got the d-m- money from to build houses all around the place. Who in this dry town here able to build three, four, five compounds at the same freaking time. Where does he have the money from? It’s our d-m- money, it’s our d-m- money Weah is stealing,” Costa insisted.
“Look at the man, this poor…country, everywhere he travels he’s flying a d-m- private jet. Does he respect our meager resources? Does he respect us? The poor people in this country, does he respect them?” He asked.
“Your sit down there and say George Weah loves the country, loves the country. What has he done for the country? Built himself palaces all over the place. He’s traveling in private jet across the world – everywhere he goes he travels in private jet – in one year, he spent over a million dollars on foreign travels. In one year, over a million dollars on travels and you sit there telling me I must respect the president…” Costa said.
He continued: “Why did he go to Senegal? To go campaign for Macky Sall to get reelected as president – what benefits does that bring to us; helping Mackey Sall to get reelected – going to present a freaking Africa Best [footballer] award to Mo Salah, what benefits does it bring to us? Then some of you sit down there and say we must respect the president.”
Costa further said: “He should bring himself back here and sit in this d-m- country and try to make this economy to work, for the sake of the people who love him and voted for him.”
“The people are suffering in this country. He gets on the plane and goes to Senegal. How does presenting an award to Mo Silah benefit us? He spends our money, flies a private jet to go to Dakar to present a freaking award – how does that benefit us, how does that benefits us?”
Costa called on President Weah to sit in Liberia and fix the country whose economy is fast disintegrating just a little under a year of the retired footballer’s rule – “That’s the reason why he wanted to be president.”
Costa averred that Weah and his officials are poor and were given power by the Liberian people, but all they are doing is to steal, adding, “His officials, poor a–es from nowhere who had nothing, are building properties and buying compounds all over the place.”
“That’s why you should never take a poor ass and make them president. Never make that mistake no more. Never make that mistake no more; you take poor people who ain’t got nothing – no vision, no money, no nothing you make them president, that’s what you get when you do that,” said Costa.
He revealed that amidst his constant vocal stance against excesses of the government, officials of both the ruling party and Weah’s administration are calling him via phone and sending him emissaries to get have him barked down and get him on their side, but Costa said he wants nothing to do with the allegedly corrupt president and his officials.
“Your mosquito CDCians on Facebook can be making big mouth while your bosses can be calling and crying…” Said Costa, stating, “Let me tell you something; I want to have absolutely nothing to do with these bunch of rogues. I will continue to blast them – just the way they behave that’s just the way I will deal with them – the way they steal the money that’s the way I will deal with them – I will soak it to them every day.”
“The President needs to be disgraced”
Costa said he is on a campaign to disgrace President Weah and his officials who he alleged are indulging into corruption while majority of the Liberian people languish in poverty.
Said Costa: “And your think they are not bother? They are bother, and you know what they are bothered by? They are bothered by the fact that I can disgrace them, I can disgrace the president because the president needs to be disgraced.
“Yes! The president needs to be disgraced, that’s what I do – I disgrace them because they are bunch of rogues, they are bunch of heathens, all they came to do was to steal and that’s what they are doing,” he added.
“And I will disgrace them. If they want sue me, let them sue me. But I will deal with them,” said Costa, who made it clear that he would sign with the Weah administration no deal that seeks to silence him. Vowing also never to be bothered or have any talk with any member of the administration in such direction
“I will disgrace them. The way they behaving that’s how I will do it. I will suck it to them every day,” added Costa, while bragging that he was not afraid to speak truth to power, especially since he’s on a campaign to disgrace President Weah and his band of allegedly corrupt officials.
Prior to Weah’s ascendancy to the presidency in 2017, Costa was a fierce critic of the former footballer turned politician, but the political commentator would later somersault to pledge support to the Weah administration weeks after he was sworn into power, a support (Costa) says he now regrets ever giving to the CDC-led government.
“When he became president, I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I gave him the support for 10 freaking months – and I regret doing that because it was a waste of time,” Costa confessed in the video.
Costa came under incessant public condemnation for declaring support for the Weah-led government after he previously took to the airwaves on countless occasions to vilify Weah, even being on record for stating that he (Weah) was unfit to rule the country.
Regarding Costa’s assertions, Punch FM/TV Online Service sent deputy presidential press secretary Smith Toby a request of response, but the presidency failed to reply up to press time.
