Liberia: Cllr. Gongloe Advises President Boakai to Embrace Criticism

Monrovia-Former presidential candidate Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe has urged President Joseph Boakai to embrace public criticism, telling him that criticism is an important part of democratic governance and should not be suppressed when directed at a sitting government. In a public education commentary titled, "Why Complain About Criticism, Mr. President? Did You Not Criticize President Weah Too?", Cllr. Gongloe recalled President Boakai's criticisms of the administration of former President George Weah while in opposition. Gongloe said Boakai, during his time in opposition, criticized the Weah administration over issues including insecurity, violent crime, drug trafficking and governance. He argued that if such criticism was legitimate under the previous administration, citizens should similarly be free to criticize the current government. Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines Gongloe also referenced Liberia's history of political dissent, citing figures including Albert Porte, Tuan Wreh, Togba-Nah Tipoteh, Gabriel Baccus Matthews and Amos Sawyer, whom he said openly challenged successive administrations. He further pointed to the judiciary as an important check on government, citing a 2024 Supreme Court ruling concerning President Boakai's nominations to several tenured government positions. According to Gongloe, he has consistently criticized successive administrations while also offering proposed solutions. He acknowledged that his views have attracted criticism from supporters of both the ruling Unity Party and the opposition Congress for Democratic Change. Gongloe urged the President to allow citizens to freely express their views, listen to criticism, address shortcomings within the government and explain areas where his administration disagrees with the public. He maintained that criticism should not be treated as an enemy of democracy, arguing that the suppression of public dissent could pose a greater challenge to democratic governance. Cllr. Gongloe's call is made in light of recent developments surrounding the arrest of Jerry Nyantee Wrato by the Liberia National Police on allegations of breaching newly signed law, the Cybercrime Act which prohibits online mischief. The Liberia Cybersecurity and Cybercrime Act, passed by the Legislature and is now being operationalized by the Liberia Telecommunications Authority and Ministry of Justice, was presented by government as a modern response to growing digital threats - fraud, hacking, identity theft, child pornography, and online harassment. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Buried inside the wide-ranging law are provisions on "cyberbullying," "cyber harassment," "publication of false information," and "sending of offensive communication" that carry prison terms of up to 3-5 years and heavy fines. Read the original article on New Republic . AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica . To address comments or complaints, please Contact us . AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from C