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. -------------- ONE HAND CAN NOT SHAKE HANDS -------------- ¶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.) MONROVIA 00000863 002.3 OF 002 ¶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