By Mark N. Mengonfia– mmenginfia@gmail.com
MONROVIA-The Government of Liberia has described as sheer lies, a chapter written in a book titled “George Weah: The Dream, The Legend, The Rise to Power.
Responding at the Ministry of Information regular press briefing in Monrovia, Liberia’s Minister of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT), Ledgerhood Julius Rennie said although the act carried out by Emmanuel Clarke and Isaac Vah Tukpah, Jr., is punishable by law, but the Government of Liberia was not pursuing him as was claimed by many on Social Media and talk shows in Liberia.
The Information Minister intoned that Mr. Tukpah was without the appropriate travel documents and was attempting to cross at the time that the borders were officially closed.
Minster Rennie said,” This claimed the attention of the assigned immigration officer who acted in accordance with law and decided that he be held for safety reasons, given the late hours of his surreptitious attempt to leave the country.”
Additionally, Minister Rennie quoting the Liberian leader said, “The President has said Mr. Tukpah is not being sought after by the Government, and he is, therefore, free to live in Liberia or travel out of the country if he so chooses.
The MICAT boss said there is legal recourse, whether here, Guinea, Serra Leone, Ivory Coast or in the United States of America.
Minister Rennie added that the decision to push for redress in the matter is left to the President’s family and all those slandered.
Since Chapter 13 of the book, George Weah: The Dream, The Legend, The Rise to Power was made public by Henry P. Costa; many have criticized the action of the authors of the piece of literature.
Many have described their action as being rude to womanhood while others are having different views about it.
Women groups including politicians who are serious rivals to the first family have publicly condemned the book’s chapter which said derogatory things about the president and his wife.
Grand Bassa County Senator, Nyonblee Kangar- Lawrence wrote these words on her official Facebook page.
She said, “I am disheartened by disclosure of alleged intimate details about the First Lady of Liberia in a book attributed to Emmanuel Clarke and I. Vah Tukpah.
Whether true or not is irrelevant; we must never use politics as an excuse to come into the public space and violate another person’s privacy in such a manner.
Disrespecting the First Lady in such a manner is vile and repulsive. This is bad for our country, regardless of our political differences. I call on partisans of Liberty Party and the women of Liberia to join me in condemning this continued assault on women in our country.”
Alexander B. Cummings who heads the Alternative National Congress (ANC) is the last boss of Mr. Isaac Vah Tukpah.
Although he asked his former Chief of office staff to resign, these are things he said about the issue.
“This morning, I asked for and received the immediate resignation of my Chief of Office Staff.
This is, despite the fact that a book that is the object of my concern was written long before Isaac joined our team. Since joining the team, Mr. Tukpah has served with diligence and professionalism, and I have come to respect and admire his work. My decision was not taken lightly because I value Isaac’s works and contributions.
However, the standards of alternative leadership for our country that we have set for ourselves, now and in the future, are particularly higher than usual, and we are determined to maintain it. It means we must stand with all those who are right, when they are right, even if they are not our friends, and refuse to stand with those who are wrong, even if they are our friends and workmates. I will continue to do so because this is the example of the quality of leadership that our country desperately needs to change course, and improve the lives of Liberians.
The book, co-authored by Mr. Tukpah, reveals an alleged discussion by a husband, Mr. George M. Weah of his wife. The revelation of the alleged discussion exposes a deviant behavior in our society in the continuous disrespect and denigration of girls and women; I find the publication of the alleged discussion to be an error of judgment which in itself has the effect of enabling and fueling such reprehensible behaviors of men disrespecting women. This certainly does not excuse the alleged disrespectful and privately invasive discussion by a husband of his wife, which I find to be disgraceful and offensive.
In our response to the President’s SONA, I spoke about the need to cleanse the soul of our nation. As leaders, and especially as men, on issues of gender and equality of women, which stains the nation’s soul, it falls upon all of us, especially men, to be good examples for those younger than us who look up to us, beginning in our own families. We must always show the highest consideration and respect for women and girls, especially our wives.
I can only hope that the alleged discussion, by our new President, as revealed in the book about his wife is not true. If it is, it is unacceptable, distasteful, and a bad example, which should not be tolerated.”
There are people who have called for Mr. Tukpah to be prosecuted, but the Government of Liberia said the Chief of Staff in the office of the political leader for the Alternative National Congress (ANC), Alexander Cummings, Isaac Vah Tukpah left Liberia Wednesday onboard SN Brussels for the United States of America, diplomatic sources told this paper late Wednesday.
“Mr. Vah left last night on board SN Brussels for the United States,” the source who declined to be named said.
It can be recalled that Mr. Vah was prevented from leaving Liberia early Tuesday by the Liberia Immigration Service by 11:45 PM without any valid travel documents to an unauthorized border point near the Liberia-Sierra Leone border.
He resigned following a book’s publication he co-authored with Emmanuel Clarke last year December in which unpleasant language was printed against the First Lady of Liberia, Clar Marie Weah. He was asked to resign by Mr. Cummings.
Madam Weah is a Jamaican-American who has been married to President Weah for over two decades.
Pages of the book titled: “George Weah: ‘The Dream, The Legend, The Rise to Power’,” were published last December 2021, and posted to Facebook by one of President Weah’s staunch critics — Henry Pedro Costa. Costa himself has used profane language against President Weah and his parents on radio and on his social media page. He escaped Liberia a few years ago after he was wanted to answer criminal charges.
He was released on Wednesday by the Liberia Immigration Service after he was brought to Monrovia.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Information Culture and Tourism noted that he was never arrested by the government and that he was never charged
Comments are closed.