MONROVIA – Barely after a year of claims and counterclaims over the alleged alteration of its constitution, the opposition Liberty Party, through its National Chairman Musa Hassan Bility, has revealed that it has finally resolved the matter with a call for unity, reconciliation, and the thrashing of personal ambitions for the presidency within the LP and the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP).
For some time now, executives and supporters of the LP have been split by pledging their support and loyalty to either the embattled Chairman Musa Hassan Bility or their Political Leader Senator Nyonblee-Karnga Lawrence.
The division and lawsuits which rocked the party stemmed from accusations made against Mr. Bility and Secretary-General Martin Kollah of being the masterminds behind the alleged altering of the 2021 constitution which was adopted at the Gbarnga Convention in 2020.
Some executives and stalwarts of the party claimed that Mr. Bility and the others allegedly tempered with the constitution, giving him (Bility) most of the powers prescribed to the Political Leader and the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party in general.
The feud within the party deepened when Mr. Bility and his supporters openly endorsed Mr. Alexander Cummings of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) to head the ticket of the CPP come the 2023 general and presidential elections, and expelled Senator Lawrence and other executives from the party for their alleged failure to pay dues.
But in a statement issued in Monrovia on Wednesday, June 1, Mr. Bility disclosed that the issue of the legitimacy of the party’s constitution has been resolved.
“At long last, the issue of which constitution – 2015 or 2021 – is the legitimate constitution of the Liberty Party has been resolved. The 2021 constitution, as adopted at the Gbarnga Special National Convention, is the legitimate instrument to guide the operations of the Liberty Party”.
He continued: “The changes our party must make necessarily begin with the laws we must all respect – the laws to define the pathway to our future. This is therefore not a personal victory. It is one that is collective and should be shared by all partisans of the Liberty Party. It is one around which, the Liberty Party ought to be reunited, and repositioned to be readier for the changes we must make to attain the future we seek for our country.”
Mr. Bility and the Senator Lawrence factions of the LP have been requested by the Justice in Chambers, Jamestta Wolokollie to appear this Friday, June 3 to ascertain whether or not the Farmington Resolution restating the two amendments made at the Gbarnga Convention of the party have been duly inserted into the party’s constitution as agreed at Farmington in Margibi County.
A Writ of Prohibition was filed on April 29, by the party’s embattled Political Leader, Senator Nyonblee Kangar Lawrence, Steve Zargo, Jacob Smith and a partisan, Emmanual Azango, against the current embattled Chairman Musa Hassan Bility, Martin Kollah and the Chairman and members of the Board of Commissioners at the National Elections Commission.
The petitioners are contending that the constitution of the party had been altered and there is a need to make the needed correction before the party can go for its upcoming convention.
The Senator Karnga-Lawrence faction of Liberty Party had earlier written a communication to the National Elections Commission, requesting that body not to recognize Bility Chairmanship on grounds that the Gbarnga Convention was nullified.
However, the NEC further rejected the request, urging the aggrieved faction to use the party’s internal mechanism to resolve the ongoing party constitution crisis.
The NEC Board of Commissioners also informed the aggrieved that the 2021 Constitution remains, legitimate, since the 2015 constitution was already withdrawn.
Significant milestone
Mr. Bility described the High Court’s intervention as a significant milestone in their quest to ensure that Liberty Party is managed through its Constitution with the Executive Committee being the highest Decision-Making Body outside of the Special National Convention and the National Convention, respectively.
“This was at the heart of the struggle in the Liberty Party. To truly survive beyond the lifespan of individuals, democratic political institutions like the Liberty Party must continue to reform itself so that power is more collectively wielded and shared”.
“At its core, the essence of the Liberty Party is that political parties must belong to the people. The Liberty Party must therefore be more broadly governed by the people, if we must survive to become the true political institution we promised ourselves we would be, so that we remain responsive to the needs of the Liberian people”.
He maintained that with this decision, the people who are more broadly represented by the Executive Committee, in the absence of conventions, can more democratically manage the affairs of the LP through collective leadership, broader consultations, and duly assigned responsibilities.
“Indeed, democracy has triumphed. The Liberty Party has struggled but we have overcome the need to change ourselves. We have agreed and accepted that the democratic order we seek in the Liberian society begins with the democratic order we establish for ourselves in the Liberty Party. We have overcome, and by overcoming, we have ensured our survival and success”.
Mr. Bility maintained that the judgment of history will be on the side of the LP, adding that, “not many political parties in our country can survive the need to reform itself as our party has struggled to do”.
Embracing the Farmington Agreement
When claims and counter claims over the alleged alteration of the LP constitution intensified in Monrovia and other parts of the country, executive committee members met at the Farmington Hotel in Margibi County to address the matter.
At the meeting, an agreement was signed, calling for the amendments which were made to the party’s 2005 constitution at the Gbarnga Convention to be corrected.
Despite the reconciliation meeting, Mr. Bility and the others failed to live by the agreement signed after multiple media attacks and disparaging comments made against their characters, by supporters of Senator Lawrence and the party’s Vice Chairman for Political Affairs Senator Abraham Darius Dillon of Montserrado County.
Mr. Bility reacted by filing a lawsuit for libel against Senator Dillon. The case remains pending at the court in Monrovia.
But it appears that Mr. Bility is now allowing the sleeping dog to lie as evidenced by his latest endorsement of the Farmington agreement for the second time.
“We wish to also express our unflinching support for the Farmington MOU which is a restatement of the decisions reached at the Gbarnga Special National Convention. This Farmington MOU was, and for us, still represents the defining pathway to the future of a more democratic Liberty Party, one which reconfirmed the leadership of our party by the people, of the people, and for the people, as opposed to authoritarianism”.
Truth, people have won
Mr. Bility believed that “truth has won, the people have won, and Liberty Party has won” in the entire saga which led to personal attacks and outbursts among executives and partisans of the once integrity LP.
He maintained that with this “collective victory, as we attend to healing the Liberty Party, a process to which we are fully committed, we must also extend ourselves to healing the Liberian opposition”.
“In the last 12 months, as the Liberty Party has struggled, so also has the opposition community led by the Collaborating Political Party (CPP). This fact is not lost on us and confirms Liberty Party’s place as uniquely invaluable to the character and strength of the opposition community. This special place necessarily imposes a responsibility on the Liberty Party for which we cannot be found wanting”.
Struggle for personal ambitions
Speaking further, Mr. Bility observed that “there is no doubt that at the heart of the CPP struggle belies the personal ambitions of individuals for positions of Standard Bearer and Vice Standard Bearer”.
He added that the LP has been particularly affected by this especially after the party decided not to field a Standard Bearer in the 2023 elections.
“It must be said, however, that our calculated decision not to field a candidate was to enable the CPP arrive at a consensus or proceed to conduct its democratic primary, as agreed, which would be acceptable to all, and keep the CPP united, as we pledged and promised to the Liberian people”.
Mr. Bility pointed out that the LP’s decision was never a product of the absence of quality leaders to contest for the CPP Standard Bearership.
“Unfortunately, as said, ambition is made of sterner stuffs, and as we have seen, even dishonest ones. And yet, as we resolve our own struggle, we believe we are again situated to resolve the breakdown in the CPP – at least, we remain hopeful that the Liberty Party can be constructive in such regards. However, it is clear – at least to me – that one cannot seek to reconcile others if one is perceived to hold competing interest in a position sought by the others”.
Not seeking presidency
Mr. Bility has been accused of creating the hullabaloo within the LP and the CPP in general to be a running mate to ANC Political Leader Cummings.
But he clarified that he will not be seeking the Presidency, nor accepts an offer to be a running mate to any of the candidates within the opposition (CPP).
“I intend to play a meaningful role in the 2023 Elections but not one which will seem divisive to the opposition community. I have spoken about my decision to Mr. Alexander Cummings who has been endorsed by the Special Convention of the Liberty Party, and he has expressed his understanding and support for my decision and future undertakings”.
He continued: “Our bonds of friendship, partnership and brotherhood between us personally, and our two institutions generally, remain as strong as ever, and we continue to share the urgent need to change our country for the better and to improve the living conditions of all Liberians”.
Holding consultations
Mr. Bility pointed out that in the next few weeks, he will be consulting with other political leaders, his family, members of the Liberty Party Executive Committee, close friends, the people of Nimba County, the Muslim Community and well-wishers in pursuit of his future undertakings and ongoing efforts to reconcile the CPP.
According to him, the outcome of these consultations will finally determine his role in the 2023 Presidential and General Elections.
“It is my ardent hope that this decision will help to further end the struggle in the Liberty Party, as well as ease the tension within the opposition community, and return us to the real challenge we face on behalf of the Liberian people and our country”.
Difficult road ahead
Mr. Bility further reminded the LP and the entire opposition community of the “difficult road” ahead as they strive to redeem the country.
“I appeal to our better angels to seek power honestly and deservedly, or we risk using power dishonestly and undeservedly. I have realized that the struggle to change is indeed difficult even with the best of intentions. But it is much harder when we put personal ambitions above collective interests. Of course, democracy is hard, but its processes and outcomes make it worthwhile, and the changes we seek almost always begin with ourselves. Liberia needs all of us. Let us not fail the Liberian people”.
He, however, used the medium to congratulate all partisans of the LP for their patience, fortitude and support.
“The value of each partisan to the future of the Liberty Party made our collective struggle worthwhile. I assure all partisans that the Liberty Party will be better because of what we have had to endure, unfortunate and stressful as it may have been”.
“The Liberty Party has been engaged in a struggle for its soul. Without the steady guidance of its founding father, we found ourselves trapped between the past and the future – whether we would respond to the need to build a more democratic political institution that the country craves or be trapped in one dedicated only to the political ambition of a few individuals. As a function of our growth and maturation, we came to be burdened by whether or not we would expand beyond a tribal aspiration to embrace all tribes and pursue national goals of unification”.