Gbarnga, Bong County – Jeremiah Sulunteh became a household name in Liberian politics during the 2005 Presidential elections when he helped Cllr. Winston Tubman win 42. 2 percent of the votes in Bong County, the largest percentage of votes in the county.
Report by Selma Lomax, [email protected]
Jeremiah Sulunteh was Tubman’s running mate under the National Democratic Party of Liberia (NDPL).
In the second round of the Presidential election, Mr. Sulunteh supported President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a move that helped the Unity Party win Bong County.
Though Tubman didn’t win the presidency, but his success in Bong left many wondering how Sulunteh, who was then vice President of Planning and Development at Cuttington University, could win a county that was a stronghold for the National Patriotic Party (NPP) of former President Charles Taylor.
The NPP fared poorly in that election. Taylor’s former wife, Senator Jewel Howard Taylor, received 28.4 percent of the vote to win the Senate seat in a race with 15 other candidates.
Now, that Sulunteh is the running mate to Alexander Cummings, Presidential candidate for the Alternative National Congress (ANC), some are wondering if Sulunteh can deliver a victory for Cummings with Senator Taylor serving as vice standard bearer for Ambassador George Weah of the Coalition for Democratic Change.
Amelia Peters, head of the Bong County Women Network, said the 2017 election will be different for Sulunteh because the political trend in the county has changed since 2005.
Back then, the people of Bong County loved Sulunteh because of his legacy. But that love has decimated, partly because of the influence of cash on the electorate, Peters said.
“Don’t expect to see Sulunteh’s 2005 success repeated in 2017,’’ she said.
‘’Things have changed. Money is influencing the decisions of our people. ‘’
In addition, most of the traditional chiefs who supported Sulunteh in 2005 are divided, Peters said.
‘’They are in different parties now,’’ she said.
Garrison Tehteh, clan chief of Zoewinta clan, who supported Sulunteh in 2005, said he won’t support him in 2017. Tehteh is supporting Charles Brumskine and the Liberty Party. “I supported Sulunteh 2005, but I am not going to support him in October,” he said.
Sulunteh, who went on to become Liberia’s ambassador to the United States, won Bong County, though two other county citizens were running mates – Richard Flomo, vice President to Hananiah Zoe of the Liberia Education and Development Party and Dr. Amelia Ward, Vice President to Charles Walker Brumskine of the Liberty Party.
Sulunteh said he’s optimistic about his chances in 2017.
He is hopeful that he can replicate what he did in 2005 because he continued to contribute to Bong County long after he left.
“If you look at the ANC chances, we have a better chance than all the parties in Bong because we have worked with our people throughout and we still command the influence we had in 2005,” he said in a phone interview last week.
Carlton D. Kumeh, member of ANC youth wing in Bong County, said Sulunteh is still loved in the county and citizens know about his numerous contributions.
For example, during the Ebola crisis, Sulunteh sent a consignment of food, medical supplies, and other items to quarantined communities in the county, Kumeh said.
“If people say the Ambassador will not win Bong County in (the Presidential election), it is laughable,’’ he said.
In 2005, Sulunteh won Bong County for Winston Tubman, though he did not have the resources to donate rice to influence the electorate, Kumeh said.
“Sulunteh can now convince his people that when he is elected vice President he will do more,” he said.
Since 2005, Sulunteh has been instrumental in Bong County politics.
His endorsement helped several political aspirants win seats in the legislature.
In 2011, Sulunteh endorsed Representative Edward Karfiah (District 5) and Senator Henry Yallah of the New Deal Movement over Unity Party candidates.
Sulunteh said he supported Karfiah and Yallah over Unity Party candidates because of the relationship he built with them over the years.
However, Yallah and Karfiah are not backing Sulunteh in the 2017 election. They are supporting Vice President Boikai.
Despite his loss in 2005, Sulunteh has never ruled out politics.
While serving as Liberia’s Ambassador to the United States, Sulunteh maintained ‘’Friends of Sulunteh,’’ the group he created to support self-help road projects and provide scholarships to Bong County students.
Over 100 students across the country are benefiting from his scholarships and has provided for the cleaning of Gbarnga during holidays, Sulunteh said.
The 2017 election is a litmus test to determine whether Sulunteh remains an influential figure in Liberian politics to deliver victory for the ANC.
Tarwoe Walonfah, a member of the Unity Party youth wing, said Mr. Sulunteh should not have left the UP.
Jeremiah Sulunteh, he said, does not command the level of respect he had in 2005.
“The people of Bong County are resolved this time around,’’ Walonfah said.
‘’He can’t win Bong County. Mr. Sulunteh has been out of the country for a long time, and I don’t see him making impact in a very short period.’’
This time around, political leaders in the county are divided.
Vice President Joseph Boikai is supported by Prince Moye (United Party, District 2); Tokpah Mulbah (People’s Unification Party, District 1); Edward Karfiah (People’s Unification Party, District 5); Senator Henry Yallah (People’s Unification Party ); and Internal Affairs Minister Dr. Henrique Tokpa.
Another group of political leaders support Counselor Charles Brumskine of the Liberty Party.
They include a former legislative candidate in district seven in Bong Emmanuel Lomax and Edward Gboe, who is aspiring for a seat in District 3 and Emmanuel Diabolo, a youth activist.
Sen. Taylor and the CDC are determined to win Bong County, counting on a new breed of politicians who have joined the party, including former Gbarnga City Mayor Marvin Cole.
Of the eight members of the Bong County caucus, only Representative Lester Paye, (Independent) is supporting Sulunteh.
The decision on whether Sulunteh can win Bong County for Alex Cummings and the ANC will be determined when voters go to the polls on October 10, 2017.