MONROVIA, Liberia – The Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY) has accused the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYS) of engineering what it describes as a “coordinated effort to influence” its upcoming General Assembly elections. The youth organization claims that senior ministry officials have attempted to impose a preferred candidate and have withheld institutional funding as leverage.
By Emmanuel Davis, contributing writer
The FLY General Assembly, expected to gather delegates from across the country later this month, is meant to elect a new national leadership. However, tensions have escalated over what the Federation calls unwarranted interference from the Ministry.
Speaking to reporters in Monrovia, Jeremiah Wilson, Vice President for National Affairs of FLY, said the Ministry has no constitutional authority to interfere in the organization’s internal affairs.
“FLY is not a department of the Ministry of Youth and Sports,” Wilson said firmly. “We are an independent youth institution established by an Act of the Legislature. The Ministry’s actions undermine the democratic principles our organization stands for.”
According to Wilson, FLY’s refusal to yield to political pressure has resulted in administrative bottlenecks and delayed access to the Federation’s government subsidy.
Sources within FLY have identified Deputy Minister for Youth Development, Alphonso Belleh, as the key figure behind the Ministry’s involvement. They allege that he has used his office to exert influence over the FLY electoral process in favor of a particular candidate, described by some youth leaders as his church mate.
“Our leadership’s decision to resist external influence has not been received well,” one FLY insider claimed. “Deputy Minister Belleh’s actions have created unnecessary tension that could have been avoided if the Ministry respected our independence.”
The Federation also alleges that the Ministry has withheld FLY’s annual subsidy, a move described as an attempt to pressure the organization into submission.
“Withholding the Federation’s operational funds because we refuse to take political instructions is unacceptable,” Wilson emphasized. “Public resources should not be used as tools of control.”
Meanwhile, several county youth organizations, including representatives from Montserrado, Bong, and Nimba, have expressed concern over the Ministry’s alleged interference and called for a transparent and youth-led electoral process.
Despite the growing controversy, FLY says it remains committed to holding its General Assembly as planned.
“The Federation of Liberian Youth belongs to the young people of Liberia,” Wilson concluded. “No external actor — not even the Ministry — should dictate who leads us or how we run our affairs.”
In response, Deputy Minister Belleh dismissed the allegations as false and misleading, questioning the possibility of the ministry meddling into FLY’s activities when it should be providing supervision in keeping with its constitutional mandate for all youth groups across the country.
“I have no idea of such nature; as far we’re concerned the ministry, FLY has not formally communicated with us or either their electoral commission to tell us these are the candidates who are going to participate in their proposed general assembly on October 24,” Belleh told FPA via mobile phone on Friday.
He emphasized that the ministry is not officially told about the pending event and has no interest in supporting would-be candidates. “We don’t even know a candidate”.
“As the sector lead that provides supervision for FLY, LINSU, MRU, Muslim Youth, and any other youth organization within the country, we are responsible to give them the necessary support,” he stated.
