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| Weah believes his ballon d'Or is a unifying symbol |
Peace Ambassador George Weah’s approach to peace-building in Liberia---preaching peace through sports to heal a brutally wounded country – has come under serious criticism from Nimba County Senator Prince Johnson; a veritable miss-kick was what Weah’s soccer jamboree amounted to, as far as what this prominent Nimba County spectator says he saw, watching the show from the sidelines.
Launching his brand of the peace and reconciliation initiative last week in Monrovia, Weah went to work to assemble some 40 foreign guests: predominantly past and present soccer stars, including some of Africa's greatest footballers – Roger Milla, Patrick Mboma, Yaya Toure and Kolo Toure, Michael Essien, Oumar Dieng, Emmanuel Adebayo, Samuel Eto'o, Didier Drogba, among others. The stars graced the June 22 peace match during which Weah displayed his ballon d’Or, hoping that all these would help to reunite Liberians.
Though Weah intends to begin pushing around the country, across ethnic, gender, religious, social and political lines, Senator Johnson is of the conviction that last Saturday’s festivities were a major misstep on the part of the Peace Ambassador.
Senator Johnson believes parading ex-soccer stars around Monrovia was “only a waste of taxpayers’ money.”
Though Weah intends to begin pushing around the country, across ethnic, gender, religious, social and political lines, Senator Johnson is of the conviction that last Saturday’s festivities were a major misstep on the part of the Peace Ambassador.
Senator Johnson believes parading ex-soccer stars around Monrovia was “only a waste of taxpayers’ money.”
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| Senator Johnson believes Weah's only intention was to eat "taxpayers' money" |
He argued that the process should have begun primarily with a consultative meeting convened by Weah with traditional leaders of the 15 counties; and it should have included former leaders of those who were fighting against each other during the country’s civil war, “instead of bringing footballers here to do merry-making.”
“No traditional leader or faction leader was invited and that was a sign of disrespect to our traditional people,” Senator Johnson said.
In his mind, a national peace initiative must not sweep aside key players at home who have the power to effect change. This is why he argued that the process should have kicked off with the traditional and faction leaders at its helm.
“His priority should not have been bringing footballers here to eat our taxpayers’ money. It should have been (more about) the traditional leaders and faction leaders; not to eat our money by bringing those footballers,” the Senator insisted.
But in sharp response to the Nimba County Senator’s claim, the national chairman of the Congress of Democratic Change (CDC), Nathaniel McGill, asked rather rhetorically: “Why you think Weah and Drogba were used by UNICEF as peace ambassadors?”
“It is unfortunate that leaders of political parties are trying to politicize this peace thing. Ambassador Weah invited the traditional leaders. [On the other hand], Prince Johnson was among those who brought mayhem to this country. I think this a reckless statement,” he said.
But, political pundits spoken to by the Observer are less emotionally charged over the issues that have been raised for, or against George Weah’s style in launching of his peace initiative; they believe that there are some valid arguments on both sides.
Take Prince Johnson, for example, who seems concerned with George Weah kicking off his peace effort with non-actors to the Liberian conflict: soccer stars from around Africa. “But, should it matter how an exercise that will definitely have an extended (long, complete) life-span, begins?” Why should former warlords get top billing (be paraded around like stars) at the outset (the beginning of the show) only because they decided to go to war,” someone asked?
“While the war was no tea-party, and those who carried it out no heroes---even though they might think otherwise---no major peace effort is going to sideline forever those who must be brought together at some point, if the process of forgiving and forgetting must get underway. But let them wait their turn---and hold their peace,” one observer pointed out.
On the other hand, as one pundit pointed out, “this is George Weah’s show, and he is making the call. We must not forget that soccer is his strength and he must use his assets to lay the foundation for his work by showing that he can command the attention, support and respect from notable figures outside of this country. It does not hurt bringing a few of his supporting cast from the world of soccer to pep him up.
“Let Prince Johnson take a seat and watch the show,” said another. “PYJ waged his war when and in the manner he saw fit. Many lost their lives in the process. And though Prince Johnson gets a lot of tongue-lashing about the war, he still goes about enjoying his freedom.”
“No traditional leader or faction leader was invited and that was a sign of disrespect to our traditional people,” Senator Johnson said.
In his mind, a national peace initiative must not sweep aside key players at home who have the power to effect change. This is why he argued that the process should have kicked off with the traditional and faction leaders at its helm.
“His priority should not have been bringing footballers here to eat our taxpayers’ money. It should have been (more about) the traditional leaders and faction leaders; not to eat our money by bringing those footballers,” the Senator insisted.
But in sharp response to the Nimba County Senator’s claim, the national chairman of the Congress of Democratic Change (CDC), Nathaniel McGill, asked rather rhetorically: “Why you think Weah and Drogba were used by UNICEF as peace ambassadors?”
“It is unfortunate that leaders of political parties are trying to politicize this peace thing. Ambassador Weah invited the traditional leaders. [On the other hand], Prince Johnson was among those who brought mayhem to this country. I think this a reckless statement,” he said.
But, political pundits spoken to by the Observer are less emotionally charged over the issues that have been raised for, or against George Weah’s style in launching of his peace initiative; they believe that there are some valid arguments on both sides.
Take Prince Johnson, for example, who seems concerned with George Weah kicking off his peace effort with non-actors to the Liberian conflict: soccer stars from around Africa. “But, should it matter how an exercise that will definitely have an extended (long, complete) life-span, begins?” Why should former warlords get top billing (be paraded around like stars) at the outset (the beginning of the show) only because they decided to go to war,” someone asked?
“While the war was no tea-party, and those who carried it out no heroes---even though they might think otherwise---no major peace effort is going to sideline forever those who must be brought together at some point, if the process of forgiving and forgetting must get underway. But let them wait their turn---and hold their peace,” one observer pointed out.
On the other hand, as one pundit pointed out, “this is George Weah’s show, and he is making the call. We must not forget that soccer is his strength and he must use his assets to lay the foundation for his work by showing that he can command the attention, support and respect from notable figures outside of this country. It does not hurt bringing a few of his supporting cast from the world of soccer to pep him up.
“Let Prince Johnson take a seat and watch the show,” said another. “PYJ waged his war when and in the manner he saw fit. Many lost their lives in the process. And though Prince Johnson gets a lot of tongue-lashing about the war, he still goes about enjoying his freedom.”
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