Former Solicitor General and staunch supporter of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change, Cllr. Sayma Syrenius Cephus claimed he was ostracized during the CDC’s six-year rule, while noting that he is unwilling and unable to criticize the administration of President Joseph N. Boakai because he was ignored.
By Lincoln G. Peters
Monrovia, July 31, 2025: Cllr. Cephus, in a Facebook post, said that the UP government is ignoring him because he is not a partisan, but during his administration, he was ostracized.
“In this regime (UP), I am ignored because I am not a partisan, but in mine, I was ostracized. It’s better to be ignored and to live your life freely than to be ostracized by your government that you helped to bring to power. I was forced to resign, but in the case of former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah, Jr., and others, they carried on. He was reelected.
The landed Liberian lawyer stated that because of that, he is unable and unwilling to criticize the UP government because he is free to pursue his activities.
“I am unwilling and unable to criticize the Boakai government for several reasons. A few of these reasons are stated ad verbatim as follows: Our government (CDC) didn’t promote and protect those who stood in the vanguard of the struggle during the party’s days in opposition. ” Cllr. Cephus stated.
Accordingly, he alleged that the CDC government placed itself under the illusion of looking for experts and was comfortable giving contracts, placing the likes of the current Minister of Justice, Oswald Tweah, on committees and boards at the expense of its own partisans.
“Our leaders spent more time gossiping, spreading lies, and undermining those who did not share their sordid views. The President was like a Christmas light, only seen at official ceremonies, and was accessible only to a few officials. We undertook a lot of good projects, but few results. Take, for example, the population census,” Cllr. Cephus lamented.
He further indicated that Cabinet retreats under the leadership of former President George M. Weah were set aside for great fun rather than any meaningful exercise to discuss critical issues, alleging that the President was by and large the “Gopio” of the cabinet retreat.
He asserted that former President Weah valued recycled politicians in the government more than those he called friends who were determined to serve his government.
“The government was ‘Weahcianized,’ a sort of odd reasoning that is reminiscent of George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm,’ so much so that kids that were born into poverty were living like kings and queens. Liberian foreign policy was on sale and could only go to the highest bidder, even at the peril of national development. Take, for instance, the two separate votes against China.
10. Only personal friends of the President were favored for lucrative jobs,” he noted.
He further stated that the structural leadership of governance in terms of power configuration was in the hands of Southeastern vis-à-vis the minority tribe, Kru, namely the President, President Pro-Tempore, and the Deputy Speaker.
“When I think of all these, I feel guilty about criticizing the current government. Beyond this, our former President, who was fond of making music during his presidency, is now on social media dancing all over the place. What else is shameful and childish than this? I don’t have criticism for JNB yaaa!” Cllr. Cephus concluded.
