The world over, especially in Africa, with its rich cultural heritage that places a high value tag on women, First Ladies are dubbed “the mother of a country.” Liberia, since its founding, being no exception to such honorary acceptance of the wives of those who ascend the nation’s highest seat in its Executive Mansion, the First Lady, has from time in immemorial functioned as a sort of twin-mother to all Liberian family and individual Liberians.
It is beyond this backdrop that is underpinned on this belief system as a nation and people, that we at Punch FM/TV online service are on bended knees making this passionate plea to our First Lady and the “Mother” of every Liberians, Mrs. Clar M. Weah, that you play the motherly role expected of you, in landing a truce in the lingering feud between your husband, President George M. Weah and scores of his friends that he once played along with on the senior national football team of Liberia.
Bad blood reportedly set in between President Weah and his former playmate James Salinsa Debbah, who is said to also be the Liberian leader’s cousin, and others, including Jonathan Boye Charles Sogbie, Kelvin Sewbe et al, when these former players of the Lone Star opted not to support the presidential quest of Weah, both in 2005, when he left the soccer pitch and took his first shot at ascending the Executive Mansion, and again in 2017, a last attempt when he succeeded in winning more than 60 percent of the votes in a controversial presidential runoff election.
Since then, even though these former soccer players who said at the time that they did not, in their opinion, believe Weah was better prepared to steer the ship of the Liberian nation-state, juxtaposing him with the many other Liberian politicians then in the race with him, the cohesive cord of love and camaraderie that once magnetically held them together and propelled them off and on the soccer pitch to have made Liberians proud whenever the red, white and blue flag was being flown as well as wherever they played or they went together, has now broken and been replaced with a wedge of bitterness, manifesting in deep-seated unforgiveness, being largely blamed on President Weah, who many believe should take the lead in being conciliatory with his friends, if not now his former friends.
Since taking power almost a year now, although he has said times without number that he has close to his chest reconciliation as one of his major deliverables to the Liberian people, even going as far as standing on the international stage recently during his median appearance at the UN General Assembly telling the whole world loud and clear that his administration is endeavoring to build a harmonious society and sustain peace at home, President Weah, has on numerous occasions missed glorious opportunities that have been availed to him to reconciled back to himself and on the broader national reconciliation pedestal these former players, who he once had as his trusted friends that he lost to politics.
For an example, in July of this year, as Liberia prepared to celebrate its 171st independence anniversary, at President Weah’s behest, a Special Independence Day “reconciliation” football match was organized, when the president specifically requested that former players of Liberia’s two traditional soccer archrivals Invincible Eleven (I.E.) and Mighty Barrolle, who include the former Lone Star players, James Debbah (former player of Mighty Barrolle); Boye Charles, Papie Sumo, and Kelvin Sewbe (all former players of the IE Majestic Sports Association), were excluded from the organizing stage, and were never accorded the slightest courtesy of being formally invited, but players who are by far their subordinates, were accordingly informed and made to spearhead such event.
Critics of the Weah’s administration are of the view that such “Reconciliation” football match, was a very splendid idea, judging the fact that never before has Liberia that is so divided upon many lines; tribal, social, religious, class, and of most recent political, ever so copiously needed reconciliation than now. Especially so, under the administration of a populist president as Weah, the critics maintain that it behooves the Liberian leader and his administration to now take every step available by stepping up to the plate aimed at taking the lead to reconcile the rest of the people and ensure that all Liberians are once more one people all with the inherent and unhindered right to indivisibly lay claim to this once ‘sweet land of liberty’.
While at the time applauding President Weah for mustering the courage to have charted the course of intending to use soccer to reconcile a country torn apart for so long now, they differ with him for the manner in which he proceeded by not ensuring that Debbah, Boye Charles, Kelvin Sewbe et al were accordingly incorporated in such important national reconciliation effort, with may of the critics accusing the Liberian leader of using an unreconciled approach with the aim of achieving a conciliatory result.
We can do none less but concord with the critics, since indeed that the true meaning of reconciliation is “the restoration of friendly relations,” with synonyms such as reuniting, reunion, bringing together, fence-mending, etcetera, and etcetera. So for President Weah to have voluntarily or involuntarily, played a role in the exclusion from a football event meant for national reconciliation, of these very high-profile former soccer players of national and international repute, who all publicly differed with his presidential ambition, is the least thinkable action of any leader who genuinely seeks national reconciliation.
Mr. President, you are as aware as well as we are, that no matter how talented any other former Liberian footballer would be, while Debbah is still alive, sound, well, fit and is in Liberia, that anyone would speak of organizing a “reconciliation” football match involving Barrolle, and leave out this man, who has indisputably left an indelible print on the sands of time as far as football and Barrolle are concerned in this country – A man who was literally treated as a ‘god’ for Barrolle and supporters of the “Kanyon-Pepper Boys” due to his exceptional display of unimaginable football skills that landed him tons of laurels and silverware, some of which are his unbroken record of being Liberia’s Most Celebrated soccer player, and the country’s all-time highest scorer, both at club and national team levels.
Mr. President, the same goes for Boye Charles, with whom you have had a long-‘standing beef’ dating back to your days on the pitch, compounded by both of you now subscribing to different political ideologies and you find yourselves on different sides of the national political divide – Kelvin too, was left out – He did not play for I.E., but I am aware that he did play for Majestic, the feeder side of I.E., and since the club is jointly known as the I.E. Majestic Sports Association, meaning I.E. the senior side is no different from Majestic the junior side, it would not have done any harm, especially in this “reconciliation” mode to have incorporated your friend of many years, who politics had just stolen from you. Yes, Mr. President, Kelvin’s inclusion in this process would have made more sense of the occasion as a truly reconciliatory venture and not a vindictive campaign, especially so that Kelvin was suddenly dismissed from his job at the Youth and Sports Ministry immediately you took over as president of Liberia.
Therefore, Madam First Lady, for too long now, this impasse has longered between your husband and these men whom he once called friends, beakonning onto them several times to make a pass to him and he in turn passed them many times on the soccer pitch, so we plea with you to kindly speak to his conscience to open his arms and embrace them once again like Joseph did during biblical days when he forgave and hugged his brothers who sold him into slavery prior to him becoming an Emperor in Egypt.
Madam, please tell your husband, there is power in forgiveness, and as the leader of a group people that have gone through a lot a deserve reconciliation at all cost, now is the time that he leads by example, by firstly reconciling with these men who were his best friends until politics drew a long line between them and place them on different sides of the Liberian political divide, if he must successfully lead the national reconciliation drive.
As mother of the nation, Madam First Lady, please let Mr. President know that politics aside, these men who are no doubt his friends some at club level and others at the level of the national football team the Lone Star, like all others including those who supported his presidential ambition, chose to, in accordance with the dictates of politics and their constitutional rights exercise their freedom of association with the political institution of their choice.
Please tell the President Madam First Lady, that elections have long come and gone, and that now is the time that he retrospects and realizes that though he and these men were on two different teams on the field of politics, they all once donned the same jersey and played on the same national team on the soccer pitch in the past – please, Madam First Lady, remind your husband, the former World Best, Europe Best and Africa Best footballer that never must he forget those glorious days of Liberian soccer, when he served as the leader of the national team, and even had the honor most respectfully to have had the Liberian people referring to the Lone Star as the “Weah-11”, which was the Liberian people way of revering you for your numerous contributions to the nation on and off the pitch, both locally and internationally.
Tell him also Madam First Lady, that he is now the leader of the whole nation, and as such, the president of all Liberians, and that these former players of the Lone Star who did not support his presidential bid are included – his decisions, therefore, should now be compassion driven, especially when he speaks in the context of reconciliation – because when compassion is lacking, the outcome of whatever one wishes to achieve will definitely be flawed.
Madam First Lady, please let Mr. President know that if he fails to reconcile firstly with these men who were once his closest friends, with whom he even danced the “Cha-Cha Slide” dance and engaged in other wild social escapades, but are now your political rivals, very strong reactions will be generated as is now being done on all ends of the political spectrum – and say to him whether he believes it or not, he will not be spared barrage of criticisms for this and it will cause a significant harm to his agenda for reconciliation and that this may not just deal his administration a heavy blow but will cause the Liberian people a further deepening divisions that may spark off in the country.
Using your God endowed persuasive gift as a wife and mother double, please also tell the President, that compassion is the basis for an alternative approach to decision making, and if he cannot have compassion on these men who are his long-time friends turned political foes, to at least look them in the face and invite them for a mere soccer match or give them a post each in his administration, who would ever believe in his ability to reconcile this intensely divided country.
