Rising from Slums to Soccer Stardom and Presidency: Liberia’s George Weah’s Inspiring Journey
Tuesday, George Weah, who rose from the swampy slums of Liberia to become the country’s former president and an international football hero, will run for a second term in a run-off election. He is defending a controversial record and faces determined opposition.
Weah, who won the 2017 election with over 61 percent of the vote, is once more vying for a second round after nearly tying with longtime opponent Joseph Boakai in the first round last month.
A vigorous campaign for a “first-round victory” was conducted by Weah, 57, but he has had to defend his record in office.
His government has been accused of corruption, and he has been held accountable by critics for breaking a pledge to enhance the lives of the poorest.
Unaffected by civil war and the 2014-2016 Ebola pandemic, one of the least developed nations on the planet, his triumph in 2017 engendered optimistic anticipations for a transformation.
To mirror his status as a sporting icon, Weah had spent the previous decade establishing his political credibility, which included three years in the Senate.
“I can guarantee that the years 2024 and beyond will be better for all Liberians,” he told his ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) at their national campaign launch in September.
The streets of Monrovia are lined with posters featuring Weah and his running companion Jewel Howard-Taylor, who happens to be the ex-wife of the incarcerated former president and warlord Charles Taylor.
Young people in Clara Town, the capital, continue to hold Weah in high regard as the inaugural African player to simultaneously secure the Ballon d’Or and FIFA’s World Player of the Year award.
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“I’m 100 percent behind George Weah,” said Marcally Mulbah, sitting on his motorbike chatting to friends. “He’s a man of peace.”
Pewee, a twenty-two-year-old student who is adorned with CDC party bracelets, recollects Weah as a soccer partner during the grand inauguration of a local sports complex.
According to Pewee, Weah is tolerant and has never imprisoned an individual for political reasons.
Comptroller General of the West African nation and longtime friend of Weah, Janga Kowo, told AFP that Liberians continue to adore their president.
“President Weah is the most approachable Liberian leader ever,” he said.
“Socially, this is a man who connects with the Liberian people, that is why the Liberian people will continue to show love to him.”
Deteriorating conditions
Saturday Gbalah, 42, stated that the president had lost his “connection” with the people on a street adjacent to the area beset by plastic trash.
“I loved George Weah,” he said and went to vote for him on crutches. But today “conditions are worse”, with the price of rice and other basic foods spiraling, Gbalah said.
Weah is the 25th president of Liberia, succeeding Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who presided over the country and ushered in a much-needed peace following a bloody conflict that claimed the lives of an estimated 25,000 individuals.
Playing for a succession of European elite clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, and Chelsea, he was primarily absent from Liberia throughout the 1989-2003 civil wars.
Despite domestic and international pressure, Weah has yet to establish a war crimes tribunal in his capacity as president.
Weah, a member of the Kru ethnic group, was reared in the Gibraltar district, a reclaimed swamp and one of the most impoverished slums in Monrovia, by his grandmother.
He had vowed to establish employment opportunities and invest in education while serving the impoverished. According to his detractors, he has failed.
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Last year, he faced criticism for an extended absence from Liberia, which included forty days of attendance at conferences, summits, and the World Cup, during which his son represented the United States.
Ineffective administration is an additional concern emphasized by the opposition. Under the president’s supervision, corruption has increased despite his assurances to the contrary.
Liberia is ranked 142nd out of 180 countries in the 2022 corruption index by Transparency International.
“There is a mismatch between words and action,” said Ibrahim Al-Bakri Nyei, director of the Ducor Institute for Social and Economic Research.
Despite the introduction of legislation in July, Weah is accused by his opponents of failing to halt narcotics trafficking.
Weah stated during the campaign launch that he had constructed hospitals and roads, funded the examination expenses of secondary school students, and inaugurated parks and sports facilities.
“This will be replicated throughout the 15 counties (of Liberia) after you have given us a new mandate,” he vowed.
Rising from Slums to Soccer Stardom and Presidency: Liberia’s George Weah’s Inspiring Journey
