-Accuses The Media of Negativity
Apparently doesn’t care about the consequences or criticisms she may face from her fellow opposition politicians, particularly supporters of the immediate past regime, former Vice President to former President George Weah, during his Coalition-led government, Jewel Howard-Taylor, has admitted that President Joseph N. Boakai and his Unity Party-led government are doing immensely well in moving Liberia forward.
“The Government is doing well, even from my position as an opposition leader. However, the media tends to focus too much on negative stories. Just yesterday, the First Lady broke ground for Liberia’s first post-war maternity hospital—an achievement that deserves praise. It is being undertaken in partnership with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” Madam Taylor, political leader of the former ruling National Patriotic Party, NPP, is quoted as say.
The opposition NPP was a member of the former ruling CDC Coalition that lost to the Unity Party and current President Joseph Boakai in the 2023 presidential elections.
Her latest remarks are similar to those of another opposition leader, Alexander Benedict Cummings of the Alternative National Congress, ANC, who once said that President Boakai’s development initiatives and achievements so far, could make the attainment of the presidency difficult for the opposition in future elections.
Another opposition figure and stalwart of the opposition CDC of George Weah, Senator Zoe Pennoh, of the Southeastern County of Grand Gedeh, has repeatedly lavish praises on the current government for constructing and rehabilitating roads and major highways across the Country. “For past six years, people, including myself, take several days and hours to travel to the Southeastern Region, but today, you take less than a day or two to get to the Region,” Senator Pennoh noted.
Their separate remarks are in contradiction to the positions of other opposition politicians, who have repeatedly said the current administration is doing nothing or little to improve the lives of ordinary Liberians.
For former Vice President Taylor, she has been seen at many public functions organized by the current administration unlike other opposition politicians, including former President, George Weah.
Meanwhile, Madam Taylor has criticized opposition political parties and sections of the media for what she described as their persistent focus on negative developments in Liberia, while overlooking positive achievements being made across the country.
Speaking publicly on recent national developments, Madam Taylor argued that opposition figures and media outlets often amplify unfavorable stories about Liberia rather than highlighting progress and development initiatives undertaken by the government and its partners.
The former Vice President pointed to the groundbreaking ceremony of a new maternity hospital held on Thursday as an example of a significant national achievement that deserves greater recognition. She described the project as a major initiative and one of the most important healthcare developments in post-war Liberia.
According to Madam Taylor, the maternity hospital project reflects ongoing efforts to improve healthcare delivery and maternal services for Liberian women and children.
"Liberia is becoming a negative society," she lamented, urging citizens and stakeholders to acknowledge and celebrate positive developments alongside criticism of national challenges.
Despite her concerns about negative public discourse, Madam Taylor acknowledged that the country's growing drug crisis remains a serious issue requiring urgent attention.
She warned that the widespread use and trafficking of illicit drugs are having devastating consequences for Liberia's youth population.
"The drugs situation is a major concern because it is destroying the youth of this country," she stated.
Her remarks come amid ongoing national debates over governance, development, public accountability, and the increasing impact of substance abuse among young people.
The comments have generated mixed reactions among Liberians, with some agreeing that positive national achievements often receive limited attention, while others argue that criticism remains necessary to ensure transparency and accountability in governance.
Despite her admiration of the government’s achievements and development initiatives, Taylor has in recent time, alarmed over what she says is the government’s reluctance or failure to pay her retirement benefits as required by law.
There has so far not been any official response of the government to her concerns.
