Monrovia – Since President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf delivered her final annual message at the joint section of the legislature on Monday January 23, 2017, there have been mix views popping up as some opposition politicians assert that the chief executive is failing to deal with the core issues affecting the nation – fixing the economy and curbing corruption.
Report by Edwin Genoway– [email protected]
Although the Liberian leader speech has been heavily criticized, the political leader of the opposition Alternative National Congress (ANC) has however given a different view about her speech.
Alexander Cummings describes the annual message as “balance”.
“I think the speech was what I called a balance speech; I think she was confident in her accomplishments and she was humble in what’s left to be done,” he said.
The ANC political leader asserts that the President’s speech was balance in terms of her accomplishments.
“The speech was balance in term of what is being accomplished and there is still [a] lot to be done and I want to be involved and I want to lead the effort to fix those that still need to be done,” Cummings added.
In an exclusive interview with the FrontPageAfrica Wednesday, January 25 when he visited the Perry Street Community in Monrovia, the ANC political leader said one of the things needed to be done in Liberia is the “fixing of the challenging economic situation in Liberia”.
“One of the things that is left to be done is the fact that we are in a very challenging economy environment and so we have to figure it out as a country or as a people, hope we can change the economic situation so that we can help the average Liberian, meaning the Zogos boys, I don’t like to use that word anyway,” he explained.
The man eyeing the Liberian presidency said the country’s main challenge is to develop the economic policy, something he’s prepared to do.
“We have to develop the economic policy of our people – that touch every one of our people and that’s the challenge that is still ahead of us.”
“The ANC is prepared to fix that,” he noted.
Still commenting on the President’s speech, he said every politician who has criticized the annual message of the Liberian leader has their own point of view and description of the speech.
“Look, everyone has their point of view on her speech about what she said, I am just giving you my point of view, you see. I believe focusing on the positives of situations and not of the negatives.”
Cummings continued: “I prefer to learn from what doesn’t work, I prefer to learn from the negative and not of the negatives. I don’t focus too much on the past except to learn from the past because I cannot do anything about yesterday and I cannot do anything about the past, but I can accept today and I can accept tomorrow,” he noted.
When quizzed about his plans in the remaining months of Johnson Sirleaf administration ahead of the 2017 elections, the ANC political leader said his current focus is to make his ‘case for election’ to the Liberian people.
“My job for the next nine months and few weeks is to make my case to Liberians to give me the opportunity to serve them and that is my focus. My focus is to make the case to set up my economic policy, setup my national security policy, to setup my reconciliation policy and that’s where I am focus on for the nine plus months between now to October and next year,” he said.
“So I will let Mrs. Sirleaf to worry about the rest of her administration and I will focus on making the case to the Liberian people.”
The former Coca Cola Vice president turned politician has however called on Liberians to turnout in mass on Friday, January 27 at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium in order to give him the opportunity to present “what he has in stock for the presidency”.