MONROVIA — The Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) is gearing up for a convention that would ultimately decide who leads the conglomeration of opposition political parties to the polls – a decision that the very future of the CPP hinges upon.
The December 8, 2020 Special Senatorial Elections offered a promising future to the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), but the senatorial elections, certainly, cannot be the litmus test to measure the fortitude of the opposition conglomeration. The honesty of the collaboration can only be proven through the willingness to lay aside the egos and stand with one candidate who can be true formidable candidate of the CPP against George Weah, who the 2017 elections proved to be the people’s President.
How’s the Selection Done?
The framework formed the collaboration states that the Presidential Aspirants of the Constituent Political Parties shall have up to and including Wednesday, December 1, 2021 to unanimously decide and name the CPP/Alliance’s Presidential Ticket, including naming a Vice Presidential running mate. In the event no consensus is reached, the nomination process shall proceed to non-binding Voter’s Perception Survey (VPS) and be determined at the Primaries.
The framework document that formed the collaboration, no later than December 1, 2021 announce the candidate as agreed by the all four members – the Unity Party, the Alternative National Congress, the Liberty Party and the All Liberian Party. However, this can only be achieved if every party agree, not just the majority.
Should the four parties fail to agree unanimously on who leads the Collaboration, then a non-binding Voters Perception Survey (VPS), for the purpose of informing the four parties and their delegates on the views of the general public in preparation for primaries.
The conduct of the VPS shall be not only mandatory, but same shall be conducted by the CPP no earlier than six (6) months and no later than three (3) months to the scheduled convening of the General Assembly.
Section 11.2 of the framework document under the Mechanisms for Selecting Candidates notes: “The CPP recognizes that political parties are organized along with different political interests and ideological persuasions; that their evolution, maturity, and stabilization require the harmonization and accommodation of the various interests of the group members. The Constituent Members of the CPP members shall therefore seek to achieve their overall objectives through consensus, compromise, effective communication, robust consultation, fair dispute resolution and social & political networking.”
Section 11.3 schedule for naming CPP Presidential Ticket: The Constituent Political Parties shall endeavor to reach a consensus in selecting the CPP’s Presidential Ticket.
Section 11.4 regarding the nomination Process states: “The CPP shall utilize three nomination processes to determine the selection of its Presidential, Legislative and other candidates: (i) consensus; (ii) Voter’s Perception Survey; and (iii) Primaries.”
According to the framework, the CPP shall first engage in a process seeking to select the CPP/Alliance’s Presidential, Legislative and other candidates through consensus. A consensus emanating from this engagement shall be binding on the Constituent Political Parties and the same shall be endorsed by the CPP. In the event, and only in the event, consensus cannot be reached, the CPP shall conduct a Voters Perception Survey (VPS) to facilitate the process of selecting and choosing the Presidential, Legislative and other candidates of the CPP.
The Wrangles
As the CPP plans towards December 1, individuals within the constituent members of the collaboration have begun pushing party lines irrespective of formidability. This has created some level of bickering within the CPP.
The Unity Party, of course, is the biggest constituent member of the CPP. And by that, some members of the UP are of the strongest conviction that the party must lead the CPP. This mean, 76-year-old Joseph Boakai must head the presidential ticket. A few within the UP are pushing that Boakai should be backed by the ANC’s Alexander Cummings as vice standard bearer. Others, too, hold the opinion that the Liberty Party’s Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence would be a better suitor for the vice standard taking into consideration the gender role and numbers from Grand Bassa County.
Patrick Honnah a member of the Unity Party posted to Facebook: “In earnest, here is my view: JNB- Joseph Nyumah Boakai (UP) number one) and ABC (running mate). How is this difficult for some to decipher? I still believe JNB should be given a last opportunity to showcase his “Think Liberia, Love Liberia, Build Liberia” mantra. I still also believe Cummings should be given an opportunity to play a very active supportive role with his philosophy: “we cannot keep doing the same thing and expect a different result.”
Mr. Honnah believes that Mr. Cummings should see this as a call to serve the Liberian people and accept! “In fact, he should work with Joe, people will see him as selfless and it could payoff someday win or lose! This is an opportunity for him. This will be the team to beat considering how their individual weaknesses and strengths complement each other.”
In a Facebook post, Montserrado County Senator, Abraham Dillon, wrote:
“CPP is not limited or restricted to any particular person or group of persons. CPP is a democratic body of political institutions converging under a single umbrella.
The statement by JNB of UP that he will vie for the Presidency of Liberia in 2023 is welcoming and does not undermine the CPP growth and unity. It is his democratic right that must be respected.
Like JNB, any other Political Leader of CPP to include Nyonblee of LP, Cummings of ANC, Urey of ALP and or any Member of CPP is allowed to express their aspirations and desire to contest. The Framework Document that binds the Collaborating Political Parties together allows and embraces competition.
In the end, we will have a SINGLE slate ticket to represent all of us under the CPP umbrella; and we commit to be there to institutionally support the Ticket when the time comes.”
At the same time, talk show host Henry Costa, widely known to be an affiliate of the CPP, also posted, “It is not politically healthy for us — that some supporters of the individual parties of the CPP are fighting on social media about who should become the standard bearer of the collaboration. It saddens me to see this. This needs to stop now! It makes the corrupt and good-for-nothing CDC government happy. Cummings, Boakai, Urey and Nyonblee have their right to aspire to be standard bearer, but the delegates will decide. So, there’s no need to fuss on Facebook.”
Cummings, who vowed to respect whatever decision the CPP takes relating to the selection of the standard bearer of the CPP ticket, has, obviously, not given up on his quest to be President of Liberia. It remains uncertain as to whether Cummings, is ready to backdown on his presidential ambition and go second. The ANC political leader is on record for saying that his ANC is best suited in the collaboration to lead the CPP to the 2023 general and presidential elections.
But the ALP’s Benoni Urey has been very clear on his support for Boakai and publicly stated that Cummings has not reached the fitness level to lead the CPP to election.
Urey holds the opinion that “People usually elect people who have worked in government. You don’t elect people who just come from a country and come to another country and want to be president. You elect people based on their experience and based on their reputation. And I think of the 3 candidates, Joe Boakai has the most experience; Joe Boakai has stood the test of time, and he’s a relatively decent person.”