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Liberia: Unity Pary Chairman condemns media speculations of President Sirleaf poor health
Apr 30, 2008
Michael Kpayili
Unity Party Chairman Dr. Charles Clarke has termed as reckless and irresponsible media speculations that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is in a retrogressing health condition as the result of high built cancer.
“The President is not in poor health condition. She is in the best of health. She is not sick”, said Dr. Charles Clarke. Liberia’s president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, 68, informed the public in her last address to the nation that she was going to seek medical attention as fulfillment of her routine medical examination in the United States of America.
It is not clear whether President Sirleaf medical examination had resulted to cancer but a local news outlet reported that the Liberian leader was suffering from cancer and is therefore under pressure by her family to relinquish the Presidency after her six (6) years term of office. Already, several political subdivision of Liberia has petitioned President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to seek for the second term of office due to what they termed as her relentless efforts in reconciling the people of Liberia.
The news speculation of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf retrogressing health condition has sparked sharp reaction from both the ruling Unity Party and the Executive Mansion. Earlier, Presidential Press Secretary Cyrus Badio rejected media reports of President Sirleaf illness. According to Mr. Badio, the Liberian Leader is in a perfectly good health but admitted that President Sirleaf was attending to medical check-up as her routine medical examination in the United States.
Meanwhile, the ruling Unity Party has challenged the source of the story to make available evidence to substantiate or validate its sustenance. The Party however linked the story to the work of detractors whose aim is to see Liberia downfall.
Ordinary citizens around the city of Monrovia are concern over rumors of the President illness. A survey conducted in key locations in Monrovia categorized the story as untrue but expressed the hope to see the physical body of the President as to alleviate their increase concerns.
Although the Liberian leader is gradually entering her old age, her ability to physically and tectically rule the country for two terms can not be ruled out due to her commitment to work. She stands over two hours addressing key occasion which many see as physical fitness. The arrival of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf over the weekend would either confirmed or dismissed media speculations over her questionable illness.
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