Monrovia – A trail of alleged explosive chatroom exchanges surfaced on the social media Facebook Wednesday, offering some details into how Liberia’s main opposition party, the Congress for Democratic Change is dealing with the fallout of a potentially-major blow to the candidacy of their political leader, Montserrado County Senator George Manneh Weah.
“We must tie the paper to Boakai, even though we know they (FrontPageAfrica) work for Liberty Party. Liberty does not have the relevance to be attached to that paper.”
The exchanges bordered on the one hand some sound thinking and logical reasoning on the party of the party’s USA chair Mr. Isaac Vah Tukpah greeted with some stern resentment and irrational responses from the likes of Mulbah Morlue, the party’s mobilization and communications Chief and Rep. Acarous Moses Gray.
Besides Tukpah, Gray and Morlue, the exchange also features Isaac Doe, Tracy Kpehe, Siezie Siefa, Musa Konneh, Lewis Smith and J Cephas Miller.
Many are unsure who among those in the chat group leaked the exchanges on Facebook but the leak does suggest betrayal and deception in the ranks as the party which dubs itself as the most popular party in Liberia struggles to put out the fire raging in the scandal.
The CDC hierarchy which has been criticized for taking a low dive in its response to the scandal, appeared to unsure how to handled the saga, choosing instead to lay the blame on VP Joseph Boakai, the opposition Liberty and Front Page Africa.
In one exchange, Mr. Tukpah acknowledges that the arrest warrant against Senator Weah was not fake as some partisans had earlier charged. “OK folks the issue is not fake. There was a warrant but is has been resolved. We cannot say the same report we are using one week later to validate that there is no warrant out for the Senator – cannot be correct a week earlier when it stated that there is a warrant out for the Senator. This is a tricky issue and we cannot approach it by attacking/insulting Meapeh or those who have been trying to disparage the Senator.
Morlue agreed “I agree Isaac. We can intelligently trash the story but not the persons or institution. We have to tread carefully until we erect our own potent CDC Media framework and associated supporters.”
Rep. Gray suggested that one way to fix the damage was tie Vice President Boakai to the report. “I agree VCO and that’s why like you said, let’s not only attack the story but swiftly tie that story to Boakai.”
Morlue went a step further: “We are not suing FrontPage; we are discrediting him and making it looks like a hired gun in the hands of Boakai.”
Tukpah, agreed: “We’ll keep attaching Boakai to such story??? It will make a lot more sense and I can bet will make FPA and the Boakai camp trying proof is not true.” But Tukpah also cautioned that tying Boakai to the report could give relevance to the ANC or ALP.
Tukpah also cautioned his peers to stay clear of attacking Gono after Gray suggested that his peer Rep. Munah Pelham Youngblood “go to hell”. “Acarous, we have to be sensitive here. Attacking Meapeh with emotions could cause us in the court of public opinion. We have to be strategic and calculated here, not emotional. The fact is there is a child involved.”
Rep. Gray countered: “Boakai has the money and media power to fight back so we can’t waste resources.”
Morlu suggested that the plan avoid bring Liberty Party in as being behind the report because the party is weak and only hopes to be revived when we attack them.
Kpehe suggested that FrontPageAfrica be sued for trying to sell papers by going after the last great hope for Liberia. “FrontPage want to sell, and the only way out is to market falsehood on Senator Weah, because he is the only hope for the people so they are doing everything possible to get our supporter distracted from the mean issue…. Let front page be sued.”
But Sieze argued that a lawsuit would put the party in the same boat at the current government. “If the CDC aspires to sue papers based on their opinions… what will the difference be between a CDC government and the current Unity Party government?”
Lewis offered a sound advice that the party leadership come up with one communication and that’s it. No more personal communication from anyone of us.
Sieze suggested to Morlue that the response be well crafted to show that FPA was not professional in doing due diligence to check the current status and reported from an old report when they know the report is issued monthly, hence they had a political motive driving their reporting.
But Morlue would later suggest that the scandal was over. “The is already a dead issue; the facts will be out in the open tomorrow; Ambassador has already provided the details to a trusted media confidante who will blow it up, and then he can unleash the tentacles of the octopus to explain the details and redirect our focus to other important matters.”
Reactions to the exchanges were mind-boggling for many.
Hub of Marshall’s “Political Jones” for a better Liberia blogged: “Is this the change we should expect from CDC….blaming others just to hide dirty behaviours at all cause? Now, here’s my concern.. If the officials of CDC are this ill-informed on and about information and intelligence gathering, by pointing the wrong fingers and accusing innocent folks and groups in this way…how than, are they actually going to properly identify wrongdoers to investigate them and serve justice to victims.”
Darius Dillon of the Darius Dillon Center for Intellectual Exchange quipped: That Moment When You Are Exposed!!! I love this part of their plan! Blame everyone else for your own mess and say it is “political”. Instead of taking responsibility of their own actions, they are fighting behind the scenes as to which political institution and which individual to shift their shame and embarrassment onto. This is too funny!! Hahahaha
Christian Nelson for his part provoked Tukpah into denying that he was part of the exchange, declaring: Muyan Muyan CDC Muyan – a political party involved in this – .to read Vah Isaac Tukpah planning this…..oh my god. Then he comes out in the open to play, I care – my foot.” Lib-Gbeytou Debboe labelled Tukpah as “the Master Minder of the Plot That Failed…..”