Former Mayor Koijee (left), responding said Mr. Piah’s latest outburst is a gross betrayal of democratic principles and a slap in the face of every struggling Liberian.
Monrovia – The former Major of Monrovia, Jefferson Tamba Koijee has condemns Liberia’s Information Jerolinmek Piah for he termed as his disparaging comments made against protesters, of the planned July 17 demonstration.
On July 17, a group of Liberians have planned to hold a mass demonstration in Monrovia against public corruption, injustice and bad governance. Duped “WE the people protest” organizers say the protest is intended to send a clear message to the Boakai-Koung administration that is not leading the right way. Ahead of the event, the organizers have been mobilizing in various communities across Monrovia.
Writing on his Facebook page recetntly, Minister Piah said, “The young people will be silly and stupid for people to tell them to come protest, whereas those who are saying it their wives and children are not part of the protest. They benefited here, while the young people suffer.”
However, responding, Koijee said Mr. Piah’s latest outburst, in which he labeled Liberian youth “silly and stupid” for exercising their constitutional right to peaceful protest, is not only offensive—it is a gross betrayal of democratic principles and a slap in the face of every struggling Liberian.
“There comes a time in the life of a nation when silence becomes betrayal. In Liberia, that time is now. Once again, I refuse to remain silent in the face of intellectual dishonesty, political hypocrisy, and a regime that mocks the suffering of its people through the arrogance of its mouthpieces.”
He said at the center of this national insult stands none other than Jerolinmek Matthew Piah, Liberia’s current Minister of Information. “A man who, rather than acting as a steward of truth and public trust, has become a symbol of reckless rhetoric—what I have long described as verbal ejaculation. Yes, verbal ejaculation—a pattern of impulsive, ego-driven, and empty outbursts that offer no substance, no wisdom, and no solutions—just noise.”
He added: “Let us remember: this is the same Jerolinmek Piah who, just a few years ago, from the comfort and safety of the United States, openly endorsed the June 7 protest against President George Weah. Back then, he championed dissent. He cloaked himself in the robes of resistance. He sounded like a freedom fighter.
But today, emboldened by his position in an air-conditioned office funded by taxpayers who can barely afford a 25kg bag of rice, Mr. Piah dares to insult the same youth he once pretended to defend.”
Koijees said Article 17 of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia does not require Jerolinmek Piah’s permission as it guarantees every Liberian the inalienable right to assemble, protest, petition, and speak truth to power—peacefully and without fear.
He added: So, when Piah, who once weaponized that very right for political gain, turns around to condemn citizens for using it, we are not witnessing mere hypocrisy—we are witnessing treachery.
Koijee said it was an act of hypocrisy for Piah, who enjoyed academic privilege and safety abroad while encouraging others to protest at home during the Weah regime—only to now brand them “silly”?
He rhetorically asked: Did Piah bring his wife or children to the June 7 protest he praised? Did President Boakai bring Katumu, Jojo, or Tantan to protest for justice? No. But they expect ordinary Liberians to march, to suffer, and—when necessary—to die, while their families live in comfort, away from the consequences.”
He said today, Jerolinmek Piah stands as the loudest cheerleader for a regime that has delivered nothing but hardship, corruption, and disillusionment. According Koijee, President Joseph Boakai and Vice President Jeremiah Koung have, in just a few short months, turned hope into hunger, and promises into problems. “Hospitals are bare. Public institutions are collapsing. Civil servants remain unpaid. Yet the ruling elite globe-trots, builds villas, and shops abroad while the masses suffer,” he said.
He added: “And what does Mr. Piah do? He ejaculates words. Thoughtless, arrogant, divisive words. He is not a man of principle. He is a master of political masturbation—expelling rhetoric with no conscience and no accountability. This is why I say—and stand fully vindicated—Jerolinmek Piah is the embodiment of verbal ejaculation. He speaks not to enlighten, but to distract. Not to defend truth, but to defend privilege.”
Addressing the Liberian public, Koijee said: To the Liberian people: Do not be deceived. Do not be distracted. Those who once encouraged protest cannot now condemn it. Your rights are not negotiable. They are not subject to Piah’s insecurities or Boakai’s forgetfulness.”
Speaking to Piah, he said: To Mr. Piah, let this serve as your reminder: Governments that mock, insult, and trample their people into silence are not brought down by violence—they are buried by history. And history is never kind to men who mistake a microphone for a moral compass. Liberians will not be silenced. We will not be mocked. And we will not be fooled by men whose mouths move faster than their minds.”
