By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor
If Vice President Joseph Boakai thought for a second that due to the proximity of the township of Clara Town on Bushrod Island to Central Monrovia, residents there would have received him in in grand style, he was in error. The Unity Party Standard-bearer for President got a rude awakening Wednesday afternoon (July 12th) when irate residents of the township chased the Vice President out of their community.
Boakai was reaping the sour grapes of the political malaise of the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf regime that most Liberians believe failed. The residents of Clara Town, like many other Liberians, are taking the blunt actions of rejection straight up with Vice President Boakai, who many believe is contesting to continue the third term of Madam Sirleaf Johnson.
It all started, when a youth group, under the banner, “Friends For The Future” invited the 74 years old presidential candidate for endorsement of his presidency. The day was expected to be a festive one with the exuberance of political platitudes.
But the unsuspecting Boakai and his entourage were taken storm of angry youths. The demonstrators thronged the main street but not for celebrating Boakai. The crowd started their anti-Boakai screaming and chants from the Clara Town Store and proceeded to the Clara Town Hall where Boakai was mesmerizing himself with what should have been a jolly good day for his campaign.
The young people barricaded the Matthew Sonnie Public School, the venue of the endorsement and sucked the festive energy out of the ceremony. The atmosphere in the area transformed and Boakai security details became rather uneasy.
Realizing the potential risk, the organizers with help from the Executive Protection Service (EPS) invited the riot police to provided protection for the event. The demonstrators unwillingly briefly abandoned their quest, as though, they have forgotten their plans. The program was hurriedly held with fear screaming on the faces of attendees.
Clara Town is where the George Manneh Weah, the Standard-bearer of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) was born. It was there Weah also started his football (soccer) career.
Since the entry of Senator Weah in Liberian politics, Clara Town and many slump communities have been transformed to his favorite voters-poll stronghold.
As attendees of the program were making their way out of the hall, the demonstrators in their numbers stormed the grounds, this time with placards, throwing plastic bags of water at the convoy of the Vice President and entourage.
Tensions heightened within few minutes, things went downhill quickly, the elite Emergency Response Unit of the Liberia National Police speedily spread in the street, chasing out demonstrators and bystanders in order to have the vice president flee the scene.
The demonstrators did not only go after Boakai and his team but members and officials the Friends For The Future, launching missiles and anything that they could lay their hands on. Petty traders along the Clara Town Store were forced to abandon their markets, while students took to their heels in a “feet-help-the-body” fashion.
Veep Boakai had earlier engaged the street with waving to people who were standing within the corridors of the school vicinity, during the melee the aging vice president leaped in his presidential vehicle and driven away as fast as they could.
The demonstrators alleged that since the ascendency of Boakai to the Liberian vice presidency, he had never visited nor had he shared their poverty’s plight. They argued that the Unity Party led administration had nothing to offer the Liberian populace but total poverty, deaths, poor education, and that Liberia has been reduced to a worst place on earth to live.
John Wleh, one of the protestors, said the visitation and the subsequent endorsement of Boakai is a mockery to them and total disrespect. He added that they as young people will not tolerate the vice president and his Unity Party led government.
“Unity Party and Joseph Boakai think we are stupid. After eating our money for the past 12 years, he as the second man in command and the third man have formed another means to continue eating our resources, while we sit, live and eat poverty. This must stop and it will stop today,” he said in anger.
This is first of kind for the impending 2017 Representatives and Presidential elections, for aspirants to be booed and chased out of a community event by demonstrators.
