Gabriel Baccus Matthews

During the 1970s Matthews became involved in political activism opposing the government of President William R. Tolbert. At the time, Liberia had effectively functioned as a one-party state under the True Whig Party for more than a century.

In 1975 Matthews and other activists, many from the Liberian diaspora, established the Progressive Alliance of Liberia (PAL).^[2] The organization became one of the first significant opposition movements to challenge the ruling party in decades and helped mobilize political reform movements during the late 1970s.

PAL later evolved into the Progressive People's Party (PPP), which eventually reorganized as the United People's Party (UPP).

Matthews and the Progressive Alliance of Liberia played a prominent role in the political unrest surrounding the 1979 rice price controversy in Liberia. In early 1979 the government of President William R. Tolbert proposed increasing the price of rice, the country's staple food, as part of an agricultural policy intended to encourage domestic rice production.^[3] PAL leaders including Matthews publicly criticized the proposed price increase and helped mobilize support for the demonstration that preceded the riots.^[4]

The Progressive Alliance of Liberia organized a public demonstration in Monrovia to protest the proposed price increase. The demonstration, held on 14 April 1979, escalated into widespread rioting and looting after clashes between protesters and security forces. The violence, which became known as the Rice Riots, resulted in numerous deaths and extensive property damage in the capital.^[5]

Following the riots, Matthews and several PAL leaders were arrested by the Tolbert government and charged with sedition, although they were later released. The events significantly increased the visibility of the opposition movement and marked one of the most serious political challenges to True Whig Party rule prior to the 1980 Liberian coup d'état.

Following the April 1980 coup that overthrew President Tolbert, Matthews was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs by the new military government led by Samuel K. Doe. He served in the position from 1980 until 1981.^[6]

Matthews initially supported aspects of the new military government following the 1980 coup and was viewed by some observers as a civilian political figure capable of helping the regime gain international legitimacy. His relationship with the Doe government deteriorated within a short period, however, and by the early 1980s he had returned to opposition politics.^[7] He later became a prominent critic of Doe's rule and continued his involvement in opposition politics during the 1980s.

After the outbreak of the First Liberian Civil War, Matthews returned to government service when he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in the interim administration of President Amos Sawyer in 1990. During this period he played a role in diplomatic efforts surrounding the deployment of the ECOMOG peacekeeping force to Liberia.

He remained foreign minister until 1993.

After the civil war, Matthews ran as the candidate of the United People's Party in the 1997 presidential election, but was unsuccessful.^[8]

In the 2005 Liberian general election, Matthews publicly supported the presidential candidacy of George Weah.^[9]

Matthews died on 7 September 2007 at St. Joseph Catholic Hospital in Monrovia after a prolonged illness.^[10]

Matthews is widely regarded as one of the central figures in the emergence of opposition politics in Liberia during the late twentieth century. Through his leadership of the Progressive Alliance of Liberia and later the United People's Party, he played a significant role in challenging the long-standing dominance of the True Whig Party and advocating for a multi-party political system.^[11]

Some commentators have described Matthews as a key figure in the development of modern political pluralism in Liberia because of his role in organizing opposition movements during the 1970s and 1980s.^[1]