By Archie Boan
Monrovia, Liberia – August 26, 2025
Liberia’s Minister of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism, Hon. Jerolinmek Matthew Piah, has sharply responded to comments made by the Political Leader of the Liberian People’s Party, Cllr. Tiawon Gongloe, who recently criticized his role Minister of Information and questioned President Boakai’s priorities during a recent visit abroad which he Gongloe described as a “Legalized Theft”.
Cllr. Gongloe, a former Solicitor General and Minister of Labor, argued that the role of the Information Ministry is not to “attack critics or defend mistakes,” but rather to educate and inspire Liberians about government policies, programs, and constitutional duties. Gongloe invoked the legacy of the late Dr. Edward Beyan Kesselly, who served as Minister of Information under President William R. Tolbert in the 1970s.
According to Gongloe, Dr. Kesselly used the Ministry as a platform to mobilize and empower Liberians through simple, clear communication of government initiatives. He recalled slogans like “The soil is a bank,” “Grow more food,” and “From mat to mattress,” which, he argued, resonated deeply with ordinary citizens. Gongloe suggested that today’s Ministry should focus on similar public education rather than political sparring.
But Minister Piah dismissed the criticism as misplaced and politically motivated.
“Councilor Gongloe would have just inquired, before even coming to the press,” Piah said. “For a man who served in government before as a full-fledged cabinet minister… to be suggesting that the President is supposed to put a pause on attending TICAD 9 in order to meet a U.S. congressman confuses me. What did he learn when he was a cabinet minister? What country was he preparing to run?”
Piah further suggested that Gongloe, who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2023, was letting politics to overshadow his legal expertise.
“He’s supposed to be one lawyer par excellence, but the politics is taking over him while he walks around with his broom, instead of focusing on the law which is supposed to be his strength,” Piah added. “This man wanted to be president of a country, and now he wants to make the president appear petty.”
