Monrovia – President Joseph Boakai last week clocked one hundred days in office, bragging of undertaking massive developments during the period, including undertaking major road corridor projects totaling about 783.5 km in Bong, Lofa, Bomi, Gbarpolu, Rivergee, Grand Bassa, Sinoe, Maryland, and Grand Kru Counties.
By J.H. Webster Clayeh (0886729972)[emailprotected]
President Weah also said his administration has made strides in meeting targets in education during his regime’s 100 days. However, opinions are divided as some Liberians believe President Boakai’s predecessor, George Weah, achieved a lot compared to Boakai.
FrontPage Africa gauged the views of Liberians regarding the performances of President Boakai and the former Liberian leader.
Leroy Achie Ponpon, Rights Activist
“We have been following the governance process of our country looking at the comparative analysis between the former President Weah administration and the current President Boakai’s 100 days and President Boakai’s 100 days is something that we are still trying to find, where he has started from, we cannot see anything regarding tangible and deliverable and achievable.
There was no outcome with respect to what the 100 days, and can’t point to. We are discouraged because the 100 days do not give us any reason to believe that President Boakai is prepared for the task ahead.
The 22 million US$ that President Boakai said he spent is questionable. The first 100 days of the President’s administration we were in the dry season. It is the rainy season that produces mud, we want to believe there was no reason why 22 million was spent. We were in the dry season and so there was no reason why 22 million US$ was spent. President Weah 100 days, we saw that the Doe Community road had commenced, and we saw the completion in the first 100 days of President Weah.
All the Executive Orders that were passed by the President are a political game that the President wants to demonstrate that he is in control, and he is not in control. The Weah administration, rice was being brought by 3,200 to 3,300 Liberian Dollars. But the Boakai administration even though he passed Executive Order, there has been no price reduction and so the issue of the bread and butter is being challenged. Gas is also on the increase despite the Executive Order passed on gas. During the 100 days maybe, President Boakai was still asleep because nothing can be pointed to as real deliverable.
The President talked about auditing the NSA, he put a halt to that. He talks about doing a whole lot that until now we are yet to see what the 100 days will be. In the 100 days of the President, there is still a struggle for civil servant salary, there are a whole lot of dismissal from civil servants. He is causing more damage than what he should be doing.”
Theodore N.S. Nana, Vendor Selling on Randall Street
“President Boakai-led administration’s 100 days is a fiasco. All the things that he talked about like cars will not get stuck in the mud has not come to reality. We have seen cars getting stuck in the mud in River Gee, Lofa, Grand Gedeh and other counties. This is the major thing he spoke about, but it did not happen.
He was able to put people down from their workplaces, taking people who were selling from the streets. Street vendors who are looking for their daily bread for themselves and their families.
The prices of all the basic commodities have increased. The price of rice, which is our staple food, has changed, gas prices have increased. He has achieved this by taking the vendors from the streets.
The major achievement of President Boakai is that the War Crimes Court he recently signed. That is the only major thing so far. When it comes to our national development, he has done nothing. By this time during the 100 days of President Weah, we would have seen the paved road in the Doe Community area, houses being roofed in Gibraltar, road rehabilitation of roads in Rehab where President Boakai is residing and other places. So, if you are looking at President Boakai and former President Weah, I think former President Weah has scored more than the current President in terms of national development.”
Kelfala Kanneh, Chairman of the Center for Intellectual Freedom on Carey Street
‘What we expected from President Boakai, he underperformed on the basis of the promises he gave us before. To say, drug is a national emergency, no car will get stuck in the mud, the issue of sanitation. These are key promises he gave to the Liberian people most especially the issue about drugs. We are not seeing any support given to fight against illicit drugs. The issue of roads is a mere buff. It was a political statement.
Go on the highway, those deplorable roads that former President Weah left are still the same. If I were to grade him on his first 100 days, I would give him 60. President Boakai did not perform.
President Weah came with the zest, with that power, he was zealous to perform, he started on a fine note. The issue of the military hospital, he broke ground for so many roads and he constructed so many communities’ roads. After 100 days former President Weah started misbehaving, we saw corruption on the wide skills.”
Augustine T. Varney, University of Liberia Student
“If you look at the 100 days achievement between President and former President Weah, I would say President Boakai got more points than Weah. No one can tell me that within the 100 days of President Weah he constructed roads. Within the 100 days that Weah took over there were some missteps. He broke down his residence and rebuilt it but under President Boakai, you can see that the guys are seriously working to make sure what President Baokai promised will come to reality.
When the President took over, he made sure that the road leading to those counties that he spoke about he was trying to fix was the road in Lofa, Gbarpolu, River Gee and other account areas.
The President is trying to fix the bread-and-butter issues but what I observed is that the previous government had businesspeople that they were dealing with by then. Now, President Boakai is trying to how best he can make things easier for the Liberian people. There are still challenges in these areas but I’m sure that in the next six months from now things will get better.”
