President Weah, VP Taylor Criticized Amid Failure to Condemn Shocking Attack on PYJ’s Church

Monrovia – Despite a plethora of condemnations raining down on the Youth League of the National Patriotic Party (NPP), Liberia’s two most senior citizens, President George Manneh Weah and Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor have refused to condemn the youth’s unlawful action.

The NPP is headed by VP President Jewel-Howard Taylor as its political leader and standard bearer, and it is a constituent party of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), headed by President Weah.

On Sunday, May 21, the NPP Youth League, dressed in their party’s regalia, carrying banners and placards and chanting anti-PYJ and pro-war crimes court slogans stormed the Christ Chapel of Faith, disrupting normal services.

Senator Johnson and his congregation were left stranded in the Church’s compound for some time before exiting.

He quickly accused the CDC of orchestrating the plan to assassinate him because he broke ties with them, and switched allegiance to former VP Joseph Nyumah Boakai.

Senator Johnson’s Movement for Democracy and Reconciliation (MDR) blamed ex-president Charles Taylor former fighter for being hired by the CDC to execute the plan to assassinate its founding father.

Several opposition parties including the Unity Party, Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), and Liberian People Party among others condemned the attack.

Similarly, other civil society and prominent groups condemned the attack.

The Association of Liberian Journalists in the Americas (ALJA), urged the Liberian government, to with immediate effect, institute a probe into the disruption of the regular Sunday morning worship at the Christ Chapel of Faith Ministry of Nimba County Senator, Prince Y. Johnson.
ALJA called on President Weah and the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) government to “muster the courage to arrest and prosecute those individuals who bear responsibility for this reckless and misguided action”.

Similarly, the Nimba County’s Council of Elders said, “it is deeply disturbed and profoundly troubled that certain individuals of the “ruling establishment” resolved to sow seeds of political confusion in the country by invading the church premises of Senator Prince Yormie Johnson, and rained threats, insults and intimidations at him while he was preaching the gospel, thereby forced the congregation to abandon its peaceful worship and flee from the premises of the church.”

The Independent National Human Rights Commission (INHRC) said, “The action by the group of youth under the banner of the National Patriotic Party (NPP) Youth Wing to disrupt church services at the Christ Chapel of Faith was awful and should be condemned. INCHR reminds all Liberian politicians to avoid using young people to create havoc and chaos during this electoral period.”

The Commission called on the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to take immediate steps to ensure those that are involved in these violent acts are arrested and prosecuted consistent with due process of law.

Despite these condemnations and recommendations, President Weah, following the happenings of the country from the Executive Mansion remains mute.

The President has refused to speak on the issue. His office through the presidential press secretary has not issued any statement.

The Vice President’s outburst against Senator Johnson, many believed instigated the incident, refused to directly condemn the incident.

VP Howard-Taylor recently warned Liberians that a victory for the Unity Party’s standard bearer Amb. Joseph Nyumah Boakai and his running mate Senator Jeremiah Koung in the October polls might land Senator Johnson the presidency.

VP. Howard-Taylor said it is an open secret that the former Vice President has a fragile health condition, and if elected president, he might die in office. And when that happens, Senator Prince Johnson will run the show, instead of Senator Koung, who is being dubbed as Johnson’s “political godson.”

In a snap interview with reporters at the Capitol following the attack against Senator Johnson, VP Howard-Taylor condemned any act of violence leading to the October 10 Presidential and Legislative Elections but failed to mention the attack against the Church.

When pressed by reporters if those behind the incident were truly members of her party, she refused to respond and walked towards her waiting motorcade and sped away.

Meanwhile, critics say the two top Government officials and ruling CDC partisans’ continued silence proves Senator Johnson’s right in his allegation against them.

“All this thing that is happening, the President has not spoken. He has not condemned it. As the leader and father of the nation, the President should have spoken against such behavior and call for calm. But his continued silence is troubling. It shows he doesn’t care about anything,” a caller on the Kool Morning Ride said.