CDC Left Us with Drug Ghettos”: Ex-Weah Supporter Says Boakai Is Cleaning Up the Mess

Monrovia, Liberia: The CDC failed the young people it promised to help and left communities struggling with drugs, according to one of its former loyal supporters, who now credits President Joseph Boakai with cleaning up areas the Weah administration neglected.

Youth leader George Dankwa Jr. turned his criticism on his former party during an interview with journalists in Monrovia over the weekend, giving the Weah administration three out of ten and Boakai’s government eight.

For Dankwa, the difference is visible in his former community, where he said drug ghettos that operated under the CDC government no longer exist.

“Where I was living before, under the CDC, drugs had far ghettos all over,” he said. “Under President Boakai today, you go there, you don’t see nothing.”

His accusation puts the CDC’s record on youth welfare and drug control at the centre of his break with the party. He said the former administration failed both to confront the drug crisis and to provide jobs for young Liberians.

Dankwa also referred to “DOC” while describing conditions under the previous government, saying the situation had changed under Boakai.

“So when we tell you that there’s a transformation that is taking place, there’s no argument,” he said.

His ratings and claims about the disappearance of drug ghettos were based on his observations. The account provided no nationwide figures to establish the extent of those changes.

Despite giving Boakai higher marks, Dankwa warned that the current administration was creating problems for itself through poor communication, slow job creation and the conduct of some officials.

He said unemployed citizens had legitimate frustrations and should not face insults from those appointed to serve them.

“Many people are not working because you haven’t provided jobs. So you go and insult people,” Dankwa said.

“It could be the President, it could be the Minister. We want President Boakai to do the right thing.”

He also raised concerns about the government’s handling of the Monrovia Consolidated School System teachers’ dispute.

Although he defended Deputy Information Minister Daniel Sando, Dankwa said officials must do more to control the conduct of those serving under them and prevent public exchanges from descending into insults.

His criticism extended to opposition politicians, particularly Alternative National Congress leader Alexander Cummings.

Dankwa called Cummings “very deceptive,” accusing him of following criticism raised by Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe in his attacks on the government.

He dismissed Cummings’ leadership credentials and predicted that he would not become president in 2029.

Commentator Simon Freeman also came under attack. Dankwa called him a “political dwarf” and claimed he had failed to offer substantive arguments during his radio appearances.

Responding to critics who accuse him of being a paid agent because of his support for Boakai, Dankwa pointed to his previous financial contributions to the CDC.

“I paid my due before — L$2,000. I am not paying due currently as you speak because I am supporting the current regime,” he said.

He promised to produce his dues book the following week to support his account of his former commitment to the party.

Dankwa maintained that Boakai deserved credit for the changes he had witnessed, while insisting that the current government must address unemployment, improve its communication and treat frustrated citizens with respect.