Once, the village was warned of a man who plundered the people’s granary. His name was whispered in disgust across every hut. The elders called him a thief, the young men called him a betrayer of trust and a killer of the future, and the drummers beat songs of resistance in his shame. That man was Thomas Fallah.
But today, as fate would mock the memory of the village, the same elders now dine with the same man they once condemned. The Unity Party, once the loudest voice of accusation, now stretches its mat for Fallah at the table of political comfort and even at the detriment of young people. The hands that pointed at corruption now shake those very hands, smiling as if the past never existed. And so, the people watch not with anger, but with wonder. If Fallah was once the thief of the granary, has he suddenly become its guardian? Or have the watchmen simply joined the feast?
History, it seems, has returned wearing a new mask. And FLY is in the spotlight. Just days ago, we raised concerns about the growing manipulation of the FLY electoral process by Mr. Thomas Fallah. Some dismissed it as mere speculation, insisting that all was well. Yet, the Student Unification Party (SUP) has now confirmed what many feared that Fallah is indeed pulling every string to install his preferred candidate as the next FLY President.
For the record, we bear no grudge against our brothers in this FLY contest. Our concern lies not in their ambition, but in the shadows that fund it; the very hands that looted our tomorrow and built their comfort upon our poverty. We cannot keep glorifying those who steal our future just because we want to be on the same table with them. No, this is not what we have signed up for as advocates for the betterment of our people.
Meanwhile, the ruling party stands divided along internal lines of interest and loyalty. What we are witnessing is not merely an election, but a power struggle within the ruling establishment itself. The Secretary-General, National Chairman, and segments of the Vice President’s bloc have lined up behind Fallah’s candidate, while another camp led by former Chairman Admin Modah, former SG Mo Ali, Cornelia, and others, stand in defiance. Even the Youth Chairman, rumored to be eyeing a 2029 Representative seat in River Cess County, drifts uncertainly in the fog of political confusion as a man he has always been.
On the other hand, it is a tragic irony that those who once carried the banner of youth independence and integrity within the Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY) now stand among the very architects of its decay. Former executives, past executives who were once symbols of resistance and conscience, have shockingly traded their legacy for political favors. Their recent alignment with Mr. Thomas Fallah and his backers within the Unity Party represents not just a political choice, but a moral collapse.
When former leaders, once entrusted with defending the sanctity of FLY, become instruments of manipulation, they betray the very ideals they once preached. Their actions legitimize the intrusion of corrupt political interests into youth spaces and erode the moral fabric of the movement. They have chosen personal gain over generational progress, political expediency over principle, and comfort over conviction. Are we surprised? Perhaps NOT, it is just that it came too cheap and too soon.
The FLY we once knew, a platform of youthful vision, independence, and the promise of principled leadership, now teeters under the weight of political manipulation and partisan interests. The very hands we trusted to guide this movement toward integrity seem entangled in the shadows of the Unity Party, where old compromises and the influence of self-enriching financiers threaten to dictate the next generation of leaders. Yet, hope is not lost. The spirit of youth democracy, resilient and discerning, still watches, questions, and waits. The question remains: can FLY reclaim its legacy as a beacon of accountability, or will it succumb to the same cycle of patronage and convenience that has long haunted our politics? It is left with you to decide, for me, I DOUBT!
What is at stake is more than leadership. It is the soul of youth democracy in Liberia; something that did not come at the benevolence of anyone but on the sweat and blood of courageous men and women. The question is no longer whether FLY will hold elections, but whether it will still stand as a beacon of independence and integrity or sink as another vessel of political compromise and patronage.
For now, the village waits, listening to the echoes of its own hypocrisy. And as the drums fall silent, one question lingers in the air: when those who once cried “thief” now break bread with him, who shall speak for the truth?
By:
Ephraim T. Nyumah
Former Secretary General of SUP
Former Secretary of the Federation of African Law Students (FALAS)
Minister of Information, Law Student Association (LAWSA), Louis Arthur Grimes School of LAW
