Liberia: Letter with Even Less Love Lost for the Evidently Insecure Incumbents

My perverse amusement continues unabated, as news of political unrest reaches my ears. And I come to you to please relieve my puzzlement. 

On the heels of our CAF qualifier with South Africa, I seem to recall a pertinent Liberian expression. What is it? Ah, yes... "Good player don't fight for a jersey." So, here's my question: is Weah still a good player, in your opinion? 

He was undeniably effective under the tutelage of white handlers capable of honing his athletic talent. But now, absent adequate support, he seems to be playing a sandy field mired with stones, and stubbing his toes into stumps. Granted, governance is a mighty sea for any swimmer. But it drowns those who plunge in beyond their depth. Such has been Weah's case, from my perspective. 

But it doesn't matter what I think. I mean, look at me; my analogies are all over the map today! Your opinion of your own standard bearer is of far greater importance. 

Tell me: in his heyday, did you ever watch a game fearing Weah would underperform? Even if his team lost, would you not walk away fully satisfied that his footwork was effective?

Yes, there was that one game he allegedly gave away; but its significance arises from the rarity and staggering nature of that loss. I want you, right now, to close your eyes and imagine the time when he was Superman, and you had limitless faith in his feet. Then open them again and read on. 

If you honestly believed you were the winning team, with viable candidates up and down the ticket, would there have been violence in the streets today? Would your apparent surrogates be intimidating the opposition?* I'll keep up the football analogy, to illustrate my point.

Did you ever fight the fans of the opposite team, at any point in a game, when Weah was on the field? Or did you just lean back with your chest out, knowing your man was coming "press chackla" on them? Because the latter is the carriage of the confident. Anything else - any fighting for unfair field advantage - is a sad statement of your feelings toward Weah.

It is a tacit vote of no confidence in your own man. And it is a self-defeating strategy, signaling to the street that the house can't sell its own product and so must shove it down our throats. 

What ensues - what you do - in the coming months will speak truth to power, all by itself. I won't have to say a thing. I will just go ahead and add some pepper to my popcorn. Butter is no longer enough. 

*As far as I can see, no ruling coalition figures have been targeted.