23 January 2018

LIBERIA MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Pres. Weah Names Foreign Affairs, Finance and State Ministers as First Appointments in Government, Sources: Daily OBSERVER, FrontPage Africa, and The New Dawn

President George Weah Monday made his first appointments to his administration. Those nominated are Nathaniel McGill,​ Minister of State & Chief of Staff; Gbehzohngar Findley, ​Foreign Minister; Samuel Tweah, ​Finance Minister; Charles Gibson, Justice Minister; Major-General Daniel Ziankahn (Rtd), Defense Minister; Prince Johnson III, Chief of Staff  of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) with the rank of Major-General; and Sam Mannah, Press Secretary to the President. The following nominations are subject to confirmation by the Senate.

Meanwhile, President Weah has directed that Information Minister Lenn Eugene Nagbe, Education Minister George Werner, Internal Affairs Minister Varney Sirleaf, Inspector General of Police Gregory Coleman, and the Director-General of the General Services Agency (GSA), Mary Broh will hold on until further notice.

All other ministries and public corporations according to the presidential directive will be supervised by the Human Resource Director of those entities until further notice. Read more

Liberia’s New President, George Weah, Promises Greater Freedoms and Equality, Source: FrontPage Africa

President George Weah has promised to work with the Legislature to provide clarity on some fundamental issues including land rights, freedom of speech and how national resources and responsibilities are going to shift from Monrovia to other parts of the country. “The people expect better cooperation and more action from their government.  We can do better, together,” he said Monday at his inaugural ceremony in Paynesville as Liberia’s new president. He  recalled that Liberia is a country founded by men and women who left the United States in search of freedom and equality, however, “that vision of freedom, equality, and democracy has not yet been fully realized.”

For President Weah, the inaugural ceremony signaled more than a peaceful transition from one democratic administration as it marks a transition from one generation to a new generation. “It is indeed a confirmation that democracy exists in Liberia, and that, it is here to stay,” he said.

He continued: “We have arrived at this transition neither by violence nor by force of arms.  Not a single life was lost in the process. Blood should never be the price tag for democracy. Rather, this transition was achieved by the free and democratic will of the Liberian people, guaranteed by the rule of law.” Read more

Weah calls for unity, Source: The New Dawn

President George Weah says his government can do better when there exist unity and cooperation among the branches of government backed by unity among the citizens while pleading with the citizenry that it is time to put aside political differences and work together. "The people expect better cooperation and action from their government. We can do better together," President Weah said Monday, 22 January, minutes after taking the oath of office as Liberia's 24th elected president at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Paynesville outside Monrovia.

The Liberian leader says the inaugural gathering also celebrates an important precedent that Liberians can and will rely on established institutions and the rule of law to resolve their political disagreements. Read more

“This is Your Government” –President Weah, Source: Daily OBSERVER

President George Weah, in his inaugural speech, promised to lead Liberia from a country of entrenched divisions to a unified country with a future of hope and prosperity. “It is my task, duty and my honor to lead this nation from division to national unity, and toward a future of hope and prosperity. I have here taken an oath before you, and before the Almighty God, to uphold our constitution and to preside over this government and country to the best of my abilities,” President Weah said.

The president reiterated that his greatest contribution to Liberia as President “may not lie in the eloquence of my speeches, but will definitely lie in the quality of the decisions that I will make over the next six years to advance the lives of poor Liberians.”

He acknowledged that his ascendancy to the presidency would not have been possible if the young people and the market women had not supported him massively. In this regard, he said, “This victory could not have been possible without the support of the youth of this country, the women of this country, especially those who make their living by selling in the markets. To all of you, I want to say a heartfelt thank you.  This is your government.” It is for these people that the President intends to construct the greatest machinery of pro-poor governance in the history of this country.

The Liberian leader continued: “I will do more than my fair share to meet your expectations. I ask you to meet mine, for I cannot do it alone.”

President Weah noted that during his administration, Liberians will discover a new sense of fairness and integrity; a new love for country and for each other—this love, he said, will turn public servants and government officials into national champions for change, adding: “A love that will bring back home Liberians scattered far and wide across the globe – many of them highly skilled, talented, and experienced – to join us in building a new Liberia.” Read more

‘Liberians Should Trust INCHR’, Source: Daily OBSERVER

The Director for Complaints, Investigation, and Monitoring at the Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) has challenged Liberians to have trust and confidence in the commission by taking complaints on human rights violations to the entity instead of taking the law into their own hands. Fetol Siakor said the failure of individuals to follow the orders of appropriate authorities can sometimes lead to violence or conflict in a society that undermines growth and development.

Mr. Siakor wants the public to feel free and comfortable when taking issues that affect them individually or collectively to the commission for proper redress to avoid taking the law into their hands. The INCHR official spoke when he concluded one-day multi-stakeholder dialogue on ‘Complaints Handling Mechanisms’ which the rights commission hosted in Monrovia over the weekend. Read more

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ON LIBERIA

UN welcomes new President’s inauguration as key milestone on country’s road to success, Source: UN News Centre

George Weah was inaugurated on Monday as the new President of Liberia, where the United Nations is set to close its peacekeeping mission in a few weeks after a successful 15-year presence in the West African country.

The new Liberian President took office at a ceremony in the packed SKD stadium in the capital, Monrovia.

“I have spent my life in stadiums, but I have never felt like this,” said the former football champion who is succeeding outgoing President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the first peaceful democratic transition the country has known over the past 70 years. Ms. Johnson Sirleaf led the country from 2006 to 2018.

“With the help of our regional partners and of the United Nations, we chose democracy as our best choice,” underlined the new Liberian President in his inaugural speech.

Leading the UN delegation at the event, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, Mohammed Ibn Chambas, congratulated the Liberian people for the “credible and peaceful election which, for the first time in Liberia, is ushering one elected civilian Government to take over from another civilian Government.” Read more

Peaceful transition in Liberia good for Africa - President Akufo-Addo, Sources: Citi FM Online and Ghana News Agency

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says the peaceful transition of power from one democratically elected government to another in Liberia was a good day for West Africa and Africa. He said the swearing-in of President George Weah, “is an extremely important development in Liberian history, and in West African history...it is a good day for Africa; it’s a good day for West Africa.” "For us in West Africa, I think the democratic consolidation that so many of us are seeking is taking place, and that, democracy is gradually being entrenched stronger and stronger in the body politic of our different states," the President said in an interaction with the media after the swearing-in ceremony at the Samuel Doe Kanyon Sports Complex in Monrovia. Read more

Weah Sworn In As Liberia President, Vows To End Corruption, Sources: Reuters and The Jerusalem Post

George Weah, the former international soccer star who won the presidency of Liberia in December, promised a crackdown on endemic corruption as he was sworn in on Monday (January 22). Weah, 51, said he had been given an "overwhelming" mandate to end corruption in Liberia and said he wanted to narrow the gap between the rich and poor. Growing up in the slums of Monrovia to become one of Africa's greatest footballers, Weah played for top-flight European teams including AC Milan and Paris St Germain. He succeeds Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia and Africa's first female elected head of state, who took power 12 years ago. She is credited with shoring up peace after a bloody civil conflict but criticized for failing to tackle elite graft or do much to lift Liberians out of poverty. Read more

Liberia's new president pledges commitment to one-China policy, Source: Xinhua

Liberia's new president George Weah on Monday reaffirmed the commitment to one-China policy, saying his government would work closely with China. Weah, who took office on Monday, noted the cooperation between China and Liberia and pledged to do more in strengthening the relations between the two countries. In his inaugural speech, the new Liberian leader paid glowing tributes to China and thanked the international community "for their contributions to Liberia's development." The new president has promised to bolster the weak economy and eradicate corruption in the country. Weah took over from Africa's first elected female president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who served a two-term tenure of 12 years. Read more

George Weah: Ex-footballer sworn in as Liberian president with vow to create jobs, Source: Sky News

Former top footballer George Weah has been sworn in as the Liberian president, vowing to use his "overwhelming mandate" to stop corruption and create jobs. It is the first time the country has had a transition of power by democratically-elected leaders since 1944. Mr. Weah won a presidential run-off last month beating former vice-president Joseph Boakai with more than 60% of the vote.

Speaking in front of around 35,000 people in a stadium near the capital Monrovia, Mr. Weah promised to bring Liberians jobs and prosperity. The 51-year-old former world footballer of the year, whose clubs included Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco and AC Milan, told the crowd: "I have spent many years of my life in stadiums, but today is a feeling like no other". Read more

Africa's First Elected Woman President Has Transformed Liberia, Source: Newsweek

On Monday, Liberia inaugurated a new president and the nation’s first female vice president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf ended her presidency the way she began it—shattering precedent. The first woman to be elected president of an African nation has become the first Liberian president in 44 years to yield political power to a freely elected successor. Sirleaf called for democratic elections after serving two terms as president—the maximum allowed by constitutional term limits. Opposition candidate George Weah defeated her own vice president Joseph Boakai handily in a recent runoff election. Sirleaf’s Unity Party now contends she interfered with the elections and violated a requirement to support fellow party members--charges that Sirleaf refutes. To understand the legacy of Africa’s first elected woman president, we must go beyond today’s headlines and examine her 12 years in office. Read more

Disclaimer
 

This media summary consists of selected local media articles for the information of UN personnel. The public distribution of this media summary is a courtesy service extended by UNMIL on the understanding that the choice of articles included is exclusive, and the contents do not represent anything other than a selection of articles likely to be of interest to a United Nations readership. The inclusion of articles in this summary does not imply endorsement by UNMIL.

 

 

 

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