Monrovia – Former Sinoe County Senator Mobutu Vlah Nyepan has been elected chairman of the Joint Technical Committee (JTC) established by the 15 collaborating opposition political parties at its regular meeting in Monrovia. His election is a result of the Ganta Declaration held last among amongst opposition political parties.
“We pray not to disappoint the Liberian people. We will not respond to issues based on newspaper publication, but through a complaint, and as we speak there has been no complaint.
We heard and read about it in the media but no one has filed a complaint” – Former Senator Mabutu Vlah Nyenpan
Other elected include; Mr. Ansu Dulleh of the All Liberian Coalition Party, Vice Chairman; Mr. Wilfred Bangura, Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction and G. Albert Tannie, Liberia Transformation Party.
In September 15 opposition political parties met in Ganta City, Nimba County under the aegis of the political leader of the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR), Senator Prince Johnson to form collaboration to defeat the ruling Unity Party government in the pending 2017 general and Presidential Elections.
Section two of the Ganta Declaration called for the establishment of the Joint Technical Committee (JTC) comprising two representatives from each political party to draw out the framework and modalities of the collaboration.
In a release issued Tuesday, the leadership of the joint Technical Committee lauded representatives from the 15 opposition political parties for the confidence and trust reposed in it, and promised to work diligently to deliver on its mandate within the 60-days timeframe as enshrined in the Ganta Declaration.
The Technical Committee has further assured the public of solid opposition collaboration to defeat the ruling party in the ensuring 2017 general and Presidential elections.
The Committee is also calling on all signatories of the Ganta Declaration to remain committed to the terms of the agreement and refrain from acts which may undermine the spirit, intent, and purpose of the collaboration and work together in unity to achieve the dream of the Liberian people.
Assuming his position as chairman of the Joint Technical Committee the former Sinoe County Senator said his major task was to deliver victory to the opposition in the interest of the people of Liberia.
“Our major challenge is to develop the details and modalities among the 15 political parties.
“We will work to decide whether we want to put forth a candidate at the Presidential level and the representatives.
“It is challenging because all the parties have people who want to be President. We will be naïve were we not to expect such interaction.
And that is why the JTC was given the mandate to investigate complains. We expect that there will be hiccups but in the wake of these challenges we will develop a frame work the will ensure that it succeed,” Nyenpan said.
Responding question about how the committee intent to handle the bad blood the Liberty Party and the All Liberian People Party, he said no formal complaints had been made, adding that all they have seen or heard about the bad blood have been through the media.
He furthered claimed to be aware of the challenges because, according to him, there is much more to gain.
“We pray not to disappoint the Liberian people. We will not respond to issues based on newspaper publication, but through a complaint, and as we speak there has been no complaint. We heard and read about it in the media but no one has filed a complaint,” Nyenpan said.
Multiple sources privy to behind-the-scenes discussions at the just-ended coalition discussions in Ganta, Nimba County suggest that an argument between both opposition leaders set off a heated exchange regarding the structure of what was drafted as the Ganta Declaration.
Cllr. Brumskine, according to one source, had also in other exchange suggested that there was a long period in our history when Liberia was a one-party state.
But Mr. Urey and others reportedly rejected the claim, stating that there had always been an opposition, only that they were not strong.
The two rival politicians, Urey and Brumskine formed part of 15 opposition political parties that gathered in Ganta, Nimba County for a merger talk, organized by Senator Prince Johnson.
Political parties in attendance were Senator Johnson’s Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR), Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine’s Liberty Party, Benoni Urey’s All Liberian Party (ALP) and Alexander Cummings’ Alternative National Congress (ANC). Other parties included the former ruling National Patriotic Parties (NPP), Movement for Economic Empowerment (MOVEE), Movement for Progressive Change (MPC), All Liberia Coalition Party, Victory for Change Party, New Liberia Party, Vision for Liberia Transformation, Union of Liberian Democrats and Liberian Nation Union (LINU).
The Ganta meeting claimed the attention of thousands of locals, who began converging at the venue of the meeting hours before the talks kicked off.
Urey and Brumskine sat around the same table just as other politicians including George Weah, Alexander Cummings and others.