LIBERIA: CONVERSATION WITH GEORGE WEAH AND CDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MONROVIA 000863

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/W-JBUELOW/PDAVIS/DOKEDIJI, INR/AA, INR/B

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/18/2017
TAGS: PINR PREL PGOV KDEM SOCI LI
SUBJECT: LIBERIA: CONVERSATION WITH GEORGE WEAH AND CDC
LEADERSHIP

REF: 05 MONROVIA 1660

Classified By: AMBASSADOR DONALD E. BOOTH, REASON 1.5 (b) & (d)


1. (C) Summary: On July 6, George Weah, leader of the
Coalition for Democratic Change and unsuccessful Presidential
Candidate in 2005, met with the Ambassador to discuss his
views of the current government led by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
He spoke at length about problems the CDC has with the
Sirleaf government, warning that Liberian youth are
dissatisfied and that campaign promises of jobs and economic
development have not been fulfilled. He feels the present
government is not doing enough to engage opposition parties
seriously, is not bringing talented members of the opposition
into government and that the voice of the majority of the
population is not being heard. At one point he suggested that
the country could go back to civil war. End Summary.


2. (C) George Weah, head of the CDC and its 2005
Presidential candidate who lost to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in
the run-off, and two senior party officials spoke with
Ambassador, DCM, and Poloff on July 6. Weah indicated that
he would head to South Africa on July 14 and head back to
Florida (where he maintains a residence) via Haiti
afterwards. In an hour long conversation, both Weah and
Eugene Nagbe, CDC party chairman, spoke about the problems
that CDC has with the Johnson Sirleaf government. The
Government, in their opinion, is not bringing people together
and is not including the opposition parties in the running of
the country. Instead, Weah alleged, the current government
sees the opposition as enemies.


3. (C) Weah continued that the government harasses people
who have a view contrary to that of the ruling Unity Party
(UP) adding that, "you cannot ostracize people and have
smooth government." He underscored that "we are in no way
friends with the Government. We are the opposition." Weah
accused the government of "practicing the same politics that
brought all the political chaos to Liberia." He said that if
the government is not responding, "we have to respond in
another way. We will do what we need to do to survive."
Weah talked of how his constituency, the youth, are having
difficulty in getting jobs adding that they complain to him
that they have nothing to do. Another continuing theme
throughout the discussion was that Weah and his followers
still believe that the election was stolen. Weah claimed
that the international community gave the election to Johnson
Sirleaf and that he accepted that decision in the interest of
promoting peace. Weah stated that he had met with regional
leaders to discuss the CDC's problems with the Johnson
Sirleaf government. He added that he has been invited to
Nelson Mandela's birthday event in South Africa and will use
that opportunity to meet with President Mbeki to discuss the
same issue.

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ONE HAND CAN NOT SHAKE HANDS
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4. (C) Weah claimed that campaign promises of inclusion made
during the run-off election have not been fulfilled. He said
the CDC submitted a list of candidates to the government for
possible inclusion but to date, none have been appointed. He
said the CDC has reached out to the government but has gotten
no response. Weah told the Ambassador that the CDC would
boycott a meeting called by the President with other
political parties stating that there needs to be more than a
photo session. (FYI: Both the CDC and the Liberty Party led
by Charles Brumskine boycotted the meeting and were quoted in
the July 9 papers giving their reasons. End FYI) The
Government, in CDC's opinion, needs to engage "before
problems occur, not after." "We should have been brought in
at the beginning," he added alluding again to the fact that
CDC members were not brought into government. The CDC has
sent a letter explaining its reasons to the President's
office along with suggestions on how to move forward.


5. (C) Turning to the Special By-election on July 10 to fill
the vacant House seat in Grand Bassa's District No. 3, Weah
said he would be campaigning for the CDC candidate Orishall
Gould. (FYI: Gould has a controversial background. He was
fired from the National Social Security and Welfare
Corporation for corruption in 2005. He was tried in 2006 in
a "slam dunk" case in which the jury was purchased.) (Note:
Gould got on 259 votes in the July 10 election and did not
qualify as one of the two run-off candidates for the final
round of voting on July 24.)

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6. (SBU) Weah said his party has been very happy with the
work that the International Republican Institute (IRI) has
done with that election and in capacity building with
political parties. The CDC regularly attends workshops and
training sessions organized by IRI but complained that the
President's Unity Party has been boycotting the working
sessions of the IRI. Eugene Nagbe spoke about the upcoming
municipal and chieftancy elections being a way for people to
decide who will lead them instead of the government
appointing local officials. He stated that the process
started in the 2005 elections must be continued at the local
level.


7. (C) Weah told the Ambassador that he is preparing himself
for the next election by enrolling in DeVry University. he
has taken the entrance exams and is scheduled to start
classes in August. (FYI: Weah's lack of a formal education
was used against him in the 2005 election campaign.) He
stated that he will remain head of the CDC and wants to
remain engaged in the Liberian political arena. The party is
trying to build its capacity to strengthen itself for
elections in the future. Weah said that, "It's not too late,
the Government needs to engage all competent people, not just
members of the President's party."


8. (C) Comment: George Weah was more negative than he has
been since he decided in December 2005 not to contest the
election results. He was certainly more critical of the GOL
than he was in February 2007 when Ambassador met him in
Washington at the Liberia Partner's Forum, a meeting he
attended at President Johnson Sirleaf's invitation. Weah
had met with Pres. Johnson Sirleaf upon his return to
Monrovia and she reported that the meeting was cordial, with
Weah indicating concern mainly about the lack of
opportunities for Liberia's youth -- a concern the President
shares. Weah's more critical tone in his meeting with us and
his public remarks probably reflects three things: 1) his
genuine concern about the welfare and prospects of Liberia's
youth; 2) poisonous advice from his senior advisers - most of
whom just want senior jobs in government and; 3) a desire to
remain politically relevant. Weah's people are not being
"included" in government because the people he has proposed
for senior positions,like CDC Secretary General Eugene Nagbe,
are unfit to hold high office. Nagbe was a Taylor official
who was elevated to Minister of Posts and telecommunications
in the National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL),
where he was suspected of taking kickbacks from cellphone
companies. Posturing aside, Weah is making a valid point, if
the lives (ie. job prospects) for ordinary Liberians don't
start to improve soon, the likelihood of trouble is quite
real. END COMMENT.
Booth