Tuesday, May 21, 2013 03:19 
Ellen Replies UP Partisans
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Following a week of protest by some partisans of the ruling Unity Party (UP) in demand of jobs and subsequent resignation of their standard bearer, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has angrily responded and described the act by those seeking her resignation as “a complete foolishness and nonsense”.
Speaking on Monday, July 2, 2012 on the maiden edition of the Bumper Radio Talk Show aired on the state-run Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS), President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf advised the UP protesters to discontinue their protest and search for redress.
The Liberian leader reminded the UP protesters that she is providing jobs and opportunities for every Liberian and not a particular group or political party as is understood by the supporters of the ruling Unity Party.
“It's foolishness. Don't even repeat that. It's nonsense that I should step down as standard bearer of the party. I don't want to hear that,” President Sirleaf replied to a question asked by the talk show host.
President Sirleaf however disclosed that she has already begun discussion with the angry UP youths and they have agreed to work with her for the growth of the country.
When asked as to whether she would support a particular candidate for the standard bearership of UP in 2017 General and Presidential Elections, President Sirleaf said that she is not concerned as who becomes the next UP standard bearer because her main focus now is development for the next five years while serving as President.
It can be recalled that on June 27, 2012, some aggrieved partisans of the UP asked President Sirleaf to resign her post as standard bearer of the party. The partisans, mostly young people staged a protest near the home of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and demanded that she takes her exit to redeem the image of the party. They accused the President of denying those job opportunities after they had campaigned for her re-election in the October 11, 2011 General and Presidential Elections. The youths also claimed that the President has failed to deliver on promises made to them during the campaign period and claimed that her action would undoubtedly lead to the collapse of the party.
