By Lincoln G. Peters
Following the conclusion of the Solidarity of Trust for A New Day (STAND) and the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) anti-government protest, officials and supporters of the Unity Party have been engaged in serious conflict and genuine debate over petitions here.
Supporters of the ruling and stakeholders have described the recent protest as a failure due to the ” limited” audience, while others have described the protest as successful due to the issues raised by the protesters in their petition.
Most notably, Gbarpolu County Senator and former staunch supporter of the Unity Party, as well as Deputy Information Minister for Press and Public Affairs, Daniel Sando, has been engaged in written debate regarding the issue.
Senator Konneh posted on his official Facebook page over the weekend and stated that now that the debate about the July 17, 2025, protest and crowd size is over, he hopes the government can focus on the critical issues affecting the country.
” The July 17, 2025, protest may not have been a good day for the protesters, according to regime supporters, but I hope our government hears their complaints. A silent majority didn’t feel the need to protest, maybe because of its leaders, but will protest at the polls in 2029 if they don’t see the government making a difference in their lives. They say, “We can ignore reality, but we cannot ignore the consequences of ignoring reality.” Remember, we had stable macroeconomics before the 2023 elections. While we are making steady progress now, times are still tough for families,” Senator Konneh warned.
According to him, the truth has quietly watched self-deception since 1980, and it doesn’t protest or make noise. He adds that those who oppose them often reveal truths that supporters might miss.
Senator Konneh argued that they lie to protect themselves, but they usually speak honestly when they disagree, while urging the government not to trust those who only say good things about them or a situation.
But, on the contrary, Deputy Information Minister for Press and Public Affairs, Danie Sando, wrote on his official Facebook page, noting that he begged to differ with Senator Konneh regarding his assertion regarding the crow and genius petition.
“Senator Konneh, your remarks, while framed as a call for reflection, are riddled with contradictions and deceptive rhetoric. Your attempt to downplay the steady progress being accomplished by the government on many fronts while simultaneously warning of a “silent majority’s” potential backlash in 2029 is a thinly veiled political plot that seeks to absolve your own faction of accountability to the people while shifting the blame on the government as usual,” he argued.
According to him, Senator Konneh’s Pretense of Selective Truth-Telling is annoying, stating that he claim that “those who oppose Unity Party often reveal truths that supporters might miss,” but yet he is engaged in the very deception he condemned, while adding that he wonders where his reverence for the truth was when the CDC was in power?
“Also, your suggestion that Liberia had ‘stable macroeconomics before the 2023 elections,’ while ignoring the excesses of the erstwhile CDC regime that plunged the economy into the toilet, is a gross distortion. The economic stagnation, corruption, and mismanagement of state resources by the Weah administration are well-documented and should not be ignored,” Sando lamented.
He further indicated that for Senator Konneh to now pretend that the previous era was some golden age is an insult to the Liberian people who suffered under the failed policies of the KAKISTOCRATIC CDC regime.
“On your admiration for the protest, we thank the joint security forces for being more professional compared to two years ago. The level of professionalism they demonstrated in the wake of broad day provocation from the protesters is a major boost to the democratic credentials of the Boakai-led government,” Sando lamented.
Responding to Senator Konneh’s assertion regarding genuine petition and concern, he said that everything is not rosy, but the government has done better.
“Additionally, Mr. Senator, we see no genuine reasons for a public protest against the government. We admit that everything is not rosy, but you will agree with me that the government has made steady progress in key governance areas compared to its immediate predecessor. Yes, the protest became a failure because, unlike you, our people know and understand that the motives of the organizers are self-seeking and political,” he stated.
Accordingly, Minister Sando said that he wishes to share with you a few lines from what a long-time colleague of mine had to say about yesterday’s protest:
“The faces of the protest lack the moral rectitude to rally the people to protest. The same Mulbah Morlu who shamed George Weah for bastardizing the presidency and patronizing widespread uncontrollable stealing of public resources but remained supportive of the government to its very end, cannot marshal the people to protest against a government that’s trying to clean the mess they created”. “The act of politicians staging protests to rebrand themselves is an antiquated political stratagem that our people have come to understand or decipher”. Do you agree with him, Mr. Senator?” he concluded.
