Barely two weeks into steering the affairs of Liberia, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, seems to slowly be getting disenchantment from within the governing Unity Party as he nominates people to occupy public offices under his administration. The seeming early disenchantment is said to surround a scramble for jobs, which UP partisans and stalwarts are showcasing through protest to draw the attention of President Boakai that they need appointments in government. Reverend Luther Tarpeh, the National Chairman of the government Unity Party, who was recently linked to instructing UP Inaugural Transition Team to cut down US$5,000.00 to US$4,000.00 from each of the 73 Electoral Districts of Liberia, even though he has since refuted the claim, is again being accused of inciting disgruntled UP partisans to protest for jobs.However, Chairman Tarpeh has been quoted from his facebook page that he is not a job seeker but rather a job creator. He then debunked the claim of a protest for jobs through his incitement as a “malicious story.” “ Nimba people are not dump trucks,” another facebook post attributed to one Barloun appears to be an insinuation that some Nimbaians who supported UP are getting disappointed over the ongoing nominations by President Boakai as the names of certain citizens from Nimba are yet to surface for public positions in government. Notwithstanding, while some UP partisans and other alliance members who helped to make the party win the presidency have reportedly begun pop disenchantment over job creation, other partisans of the governing UP think it is still early for people to get disappointed. According to those who do not believe that President Boakai can betray the cause of struggle, the disgruntled people need to be calm in order to give the President a chance to form a government that will attract international image. Those in support of the ongoing nominations by President Boakai have advanced the argument that there are still prestigious public positions to be occupied and the President is very careful as to how qualified people get nominated for appointments. However, critics of the UP especially Cdecians say the high level of anxieties and expectations that marred the 2023 election campaign will certainly give President Boakai touch time in the formation of the UP-led government. While still licking their defeat wounds, Cdecians pretending to express empathy for UP partisans and other alliance members over job security, they say the scramble for jobs under the Boakai-led government will go a long way and to some extent the trend may likely turn to detraction in the future. As a testament, in the early hours of the morning, a gathering of impassioned citizens in Liberia was propelled by the glaring absence of President Boakai’s appointment of the National Chairman of the Unity Party, Reverend Luther Tarpeh. On February 2nd, 2024, over 80 fervent supporters of the Unity Party converged at the presidential palace, begging President Boakai to bestow upon their chairman a prestigious role to aid the party’s youthful constituents. The demonstrators commenced their march from Chairman Tarpeh’s residence, a mere four-minute walk from President Boakai’s abode, with visibly disordered countenances. Their procession traversed the avenue until they arrived at President Boakai’s doorstep, vociferously demanding the appointment of Reverend Tarpeh to a position they argued was the last bastion of opportunity within the party. In addition to their clamor for Tarpeh’s appointment, the protestors adamantly insisted on the immediate retraction of certain nominations. Holding aloft placards bearing their grievances, supporters stationed themselves outside the presidential compound, decrying President Boakai’s decision as antithetical to the monumental efforts exerted during the 2023 Presidential Election. Amidst the fervor, disgruntled voices reverberated, urging Boakai to rescind nominations in favor of the party’s chairman. The appointment of sekou Dukuly at the National Port Authority elicited surprise among the ranks, with detractors asserting his relative obscurity and lack of governmental or port management acumen. Dukuly’s purported ties to President Boakai’s son, JoJo, further fueled skepticism regarding his suitability for the role. Reverend Tarpeh, among others, harbored aspirations for the coveted position at the National Port Authority, with notable figures such as Stephen Yekerson, Robert Kpadeh, and Mo Ali feeling similarly sidelined. In a poignant address to supporters on Friday, Chairman Tarpeh condemned the perceived neglect of stalwarts and supporters within the party. He underscored the sacrifices made by ordinary citizens for the sake of the party’s ascendancy, cautioning against the dismissal of their collective efforts. Despite his exclusion from the roster of appointees, Reverend Tarpeh remained resolute, expressing willingness to serve should President Boakai have a change of heart. Emphasizing the dawn of a new era, Reverend Tarpeh exhorted supporters to assert their democratic prerogative by converging upon President Boakai’s residence and voicing their grievances directly. He reminded all stakeholders that the era of complacency had passed, urging President Boakai and other Liberian leaders to heed the voices of the marginalized and disenfranchised.knewsonline.com Boakai, Koung, UP supporters
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