Former Assistant Minister for Information Services at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs, and Tourism (MICAT), Matthew Nyanplu, has declared his candidacy for the 2029 Liberian presidential elections. In a bold announcement on Friday, December 6, 2024, Nyanplu shared his vision for a transformative political movement to overhaul Liberia’s governance system.
In a statement on his social media platform, Nyanplu, who now resides in the United States, said, “By God’s grace, I have decided to run for PRESIDENT of LIBERIA in 2029. Please join us. We can no longer search for a different kind of leader to change governance in Liberia. We must make that change happen, and that change must happen now and in our lifetime.”
Nyanplu highlighted his brief tenure in government, describing it as an eye-opening experience that exposed the entrenched culture of complacency and greed among career government workers. “The patronage and greedy culture of career government workers, who reduce public and civil servants to servitude and create fiefdoms of their own, must come to an end, or Liberia will never change,” he asserted.
According to Nyanplu, this culture has persisted through successive administrations, preventing meaningful progress regardless of who is in power. He criticized the Unity Party (UP), led by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, stating that it “has proven to be no different from the previous UP and is now setting itself up for a colossal governance failure than the previous CDC government we campaigned against.”
He expressed frustration over the inefficiency in public service, where government employees “go to work to do nothing,” yet collect salaries while the broader population continues to suffer. “Every six years, that change proves elusive for one reason: the culture and philosophy of government work do not change. We change people, but we do not change the culture,” Nyanplu said.
To address these challenges, Nyanplu unveiled plans to establish a new political institution, Party for the People, which he described as a grassroots movement driven by ordinary Liberians. He emphasized that the party would prioritize national interests over special interests, rejecting the entrenched practices that have hindered progress.
“Our new party is being proposed under Party for the People. We have determined to build a political institution from scratch, a grassroots effort of all Liberians who want a different, positive, and fair Liberia,” he stated.
Nyanplu called for an end to the notion that government work is inherently flawed or incapable of perfection. He declared, “We want a better country. It is the Government that has the responsibility to lead the way. The Government must serve the people; the Government must not be overlords.”
Nyanplu’s announcement comes against the backdrop of his resignation from the Unity Party government earlier this year. He stepped down after being suspended indefinitely without pay by President Boakai for exposing what he described as a fraudulent $25 million scholarship program between the Government of Liberia and Nekotech.
Reflecting on his resignation, Nyanplu doubled his commitment to change, stating, “We can no longer wait for the better Liberia we seek or pursue that Liberia in other leaders. We must be that leader, together and all of us.”
Nyanplu’s vision centers on dismantling the entrenched systems of corruption and inefficiency that have stifled Liberia’s progress for decades. He envisions a government accountable to the people, guided by transparency, fairness, and a shared commitment to national prosperity.
He noted that the journey to 2029 begins now. “Join our movement, Party for the People. Let us work together to build a Liberia based on national interest. The work begins today,” Nyanplu concluded.
