Statement by Reginald B. Goodridge, Sr., on the Verbal Assault by President George Manneh Weah

 

My Fellow Liberians.

It is my honour and privilege to address you today on an incident of a personal nature, but an incident that may have implications for many of my colleagues in the opposition community as we approach the 2023 Presidential and Legislative elections.

At about 3:00 PM on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, following the signing of the Revised Farmington River Declaration at the Farmington Hotel, I was approached in an aggressive manner by the President of Liberia, Mr. George Manneh Weah. He said to me, and I quote, “Goodridge, are you enjoying democracy in Liberia?” I was surprised by the question and lost for words.

I moved away from the president. He approached me again, and repeated the question several times, “Goodridge, I say, ehn you enjoying democracy in Liberia?” Before I could find an answer, he said to me, “look at you. You are a rogue. You stole my car and burned down my house.” I responded to the president that what he had said was a lie, and there was an intense exchange of words between us.

The President made these false allegations in an angry tone surrounded by his bodyguards, in the presence of his wife, Mrs. Clar Weah, Hon. Lusinee F. Kamara, Political Leader of the All Liberia Coalition Party, (ALCOP), and Rev. David Kemue, Political Leader of the Democratic People’s Party of Liberia (DPPL), and others who I cannot easily identify.

In the two days since this verbal assault against me by the president of Liberia, I have made an oral representation of the incident to a number of individuals in integrity institutions, close associates of the president I his inner circle and members of the National Executive Committee of the Rainbow Alliance. 

The general response has been one of shock, dismay and alarm. Many are questioning the motive of the president, especially moments after he affixed his signature to the Farmington River Declaration which states among other issues on page 3, count 6 and 8, under the heading, Campaign Management, as follows:

Count 6: “Refrain from making or causing to make in our names or that of our party, or coalition, any public statements, pronouncements, declarations or speeches, or use of language, online or offline, that have the propensity to incite any form of violence or intimidation and human rights abuses before, during and after elections…” 

Count 8: “Refrain from on and offline disinformation, fake news and online manipulation that will influence or polarize public opinion or promote skepticism towards the electoral process and institutions and, in the end, undermine the integrity of the democratic process.” 

The fact that the president violated the Farmington River Declaration a few moments after he made a keynote address and pledged that he and his government will abide by the letter of the agreement is cause for concern, not only for the Rainbow Alliance, but all other opposition political institutions.

Moreover, the president’s verbal assault on me as a political leader in the opposition community, in the presence of his armed bodyguards, and other members of his government in the wake of speculations of extra-judicial killings of auditors and other persons in Liberia serves as a license to have me killed. 

This is why President Weah’s false, stupid and malicious allegations against me personally, and the name of my family, cannot, and must not be taken lightly. My family name, the Goodridge name, has a long and unblemished reputation and legacy in Liberia. We have made major contributions to the progress and development of Liberia for many years, and continue to do so today. 

I, as the icon of this proud family at this point in time, will not stand idle and allow my family’s name to be tarnished by bold face lies and allegations by a president, who himself is alleged to be subject of investigation by international intelligence agencies on account of suspected shadowy deeds. By his actions, Mr. Weah has lowered the prestige of the presidency and spoiled our sovereignty by his ineffective leadership. 

We recall 43 years ago, good men from decent families in Liberia were falsely accused of rampant corruption. They were subject to a mockery trial by a kangaroo court and executed like animals. This country has never been the same since those dark days. Many Liberians are today regretting that sad incident. 

Today, the president of our nation, is repeating that same deadly tactic on me and my family. If he is allowed to succeed, I guarantee you, he will not stop there. He will come after other leaders in the opposition community because he knows that the days of his failed presidency are numbered.  

These false and malicious allegations that President Weah has made public were first uttered exactly 27 years ago today on April 6, 1996. It was a lie then. It is a lie today. And it will be a lie 1000 years ago.

In order to ensure that President Weah and his surrogates do not continue this lie, I am today informing the Liberian people that I will file a lawsuit in the courts of Liberia against Mr. Weah for Libel, and Defamation of character; and I will be seeking a remedy of $27 million United States Dollars in damages. We are aware that Mr. Weah is immune from certain judicial processes from the lower courts, due to executive privileges as President of Liberia. But we will file this case, keep it on the record and patiently wait until Mr. Weah leaves office, which we expect will be sooner than later.

Make no mistake, we will not hesitate to bring legal charges and seek damages for $27 million United States Dollars, against any of Mr. Weah’s associates, any member of his family, and any member of the CDC who repeats the false allegations and blatant lies that Mr. Weah has leveled against me, whether in the media, in person or on any of the social media. Let it be known that you have sufficient warning.

In the meantime, we are filing a formal complaint of Mr. Weah’s actions with the Ministry of Justice, the National Elections Commission, the United Nations Special Representative in Liberia, the ECOWAS Commission, and the Embassy of the United States of America, among others. 

I have made this statement today knowing fully well that we are dealing with a government that has no conscience, a government that does not care for human rights, a government that does not care for the lives of its citizens, and a government that does not care for the livelihood of the children of this country. We are fully aware that the government is insensitive to the mysterious and extra-judicial killings of auditors, security personnel and other peaceful Liberians. 

I stand with all the bereaved families of this nation who have lost their loved ones who tried to provide sacrificial services to our great country, and at the same time pursue life, liberty and happiness. I realize that my life is at risk for taking this bold stand against an incompetent leadership that thrives on lies, intimidation and violence to maintain power and continue to plunder our economy at all cost.

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Many of my colleagues have advised me to, in the Liberian way, ‘just leave this thing; just remain silent, one cent can’t make noise, you can’t sue the president, you are fighting a losing battle. To all of which I say thank you for your kind advice. However, what advice do you have for Mr. Weah who was the first to attack me, and continues to spoil our country every day?  

We have allowed a lot of things to just be so, let us leave it, so much so that our nation is sinking to the lowest rank among the comity of nations. Our nation is dying slowly, our people are dying slowly. Therefore, I, Reginald B. Goodridge, Sr., Standard Bearer of the Rainbow Alliance, after seeking the guidance of God Almighty, cannot, and will never just let it be so.

We will not just leave it alone. We will continue to fight to keep the powerful people accountable for their actions; to let them know that every Liberian is not a fool, that every Liberian is not afraid to take a stand for the future of our beautiful nation. 

Let this day be put in the record. My statement today is in response to the President of Liberia, Mr. George Manneh Weah, who, out of the clear blue skies, decided to walk over to me aggressively, and pick a fuss with me in public. To be silent about this assault on my person and the name of my family is not my portion. To be silent about the possible threat to my life is not negotiable. 

I want to salute a few of my friends and colleagues, especially the brave women of our Alliance who are standing with me today, and who encouraged me to go public with this matter, to defend my integrity, to defend Mama Liberia. With God Above our rights to prove, We will overall prevail. I THANK YOU.

About the author:  Reginald B. Goodridge, Sr. is Standard Bearer of the Rainbow Alliance of Liberia.

Editor’s note: The views expressed in this commentary are solely of the author and do not necessarily represent that of the Daily Observer newspaper.