A heated debate has erupted between Dr. Lester Zomatic Tenny, a former stalwart of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), and Samuel D. Tweah, the former Minister of Finance, over the performance of the George Weah administration compared to that of the current government under President Joseph Nyuma Boakai.
Dr. Tenny, now a critic of his former party, described any claim that Weah’s first year was better than Boakai’s as “an oxymoron.” In a scathing critique, he argued that Weah’s administration launched a “dark economy” fueled by illicit financial activities during its first year in power. “By mid-first year, Weah’s dark economy of laundered and drug money was fully in operation,” Dr. Tenny claimed. “JNB inherited a broken economy where all the fundamentals were in free fall, characterized by severe hemorrhaging of the macroeconomic foundation.”
Dr. Tenny’s remarks have drawn sharp criticism from Samuel Tweah, who accused him of being dishonest and allowing his disdain for former President Weah to cloud his judgment. “Privately, you praise Weah’s economics, yet publicly, you denigrate it?” Tweah questioned in a strongly worded response. “That dishonesty will not serve us well in this country.”
Tweah, who served as Finance Minister under Weah, defended the CDC administration’s economic legacy with various metrics. He argued that the CDC inherited a fragile economy in 2018 and significantly improved it across multiple indices during its tenure. Highlighting data on net international reserves, domestic revenue, debt, economic growth, and inflation, Tweah claimed the CDC administration outperformed the Unity Party’s first year in power.
For example, Tweah noted that Liberia’s net international reserves grew from $110 million in 2017 under the Unity Party to $240 million by the end of 2023 under the CDC. He also highlighted a decrease in inflation from 12.4% to 10.5% and a reduction in the Liberian dollar’s depreciation rate compared to the Unity Party’s tenure. “The Liberian dollar lost 136% of its value under the Unity Party, while under the CDC, the depreciation was limited to 43%,” Tweah emphasized.
On development performance, Tweah claimed the CDC government made significant strides, including community road construction, free WAEC and WASSCE registration, tuition-free education for public university students, and the training of doctors abroad. “Unity Party has nothing to show in year one,” he declared.
Tweah also pointed to the CDC’s commitment to the rule of law, referencing former President Weah’s respect for Supreme Court rulings on tenured officials. “When the Supreme Court ruled that President Weah could not fire tenured officials, he respected the ruling. Under Unity Party, such officials were dismissed on fabricated charges,” Tweah asserted.
The former finance minister didn’t stop there, aiming for President Boakai’s handling of governance and transparency. He questioned the legitimacy of Boakai’s 2024 budget and criticized the current administration for what he described as a lack of democratic accountability. “Today, a Liberian president is being threatened with treason for signing an illegal budget,” he said.
Tweah further argued that the CDC’s commitment to democratic values was evident in former President Weah’s decision to concede the 2023 election before the final results were announced. “We will see whether ‘Rescue’ will concede similarly in 2029,” he added, mockingly using the Unity Party’s campaign slogan.
However, Dr. Tenny remained adamant that the Boakai administration inherited a structurally weak economy from the CDC, which exacerbated the country’s financial challenges. He accused the CDC of failing to address key issues, leaving the Unity Party with a “nostalgic broken economy.”
