Monrovia– Former Presidential Candidate and Standard-Bearer of the Liberian National Union (LINU) Dr. Clarence K. Moniba, has strongly condemned the appalling acts of violence and lawlessness at the headquarters of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) on August 22, 2024, a situation that grossly affected health, social mobility, and the already struggling economy.
By Francis G. Boayue
Dr. Moniba in a press statement over the weekend addressed from his party Headquarters in Sinkor, said that it is these types of actions, placing personal interests and Party politics over Nation, that have led to Liberia being one of the least developed countries in the world.
According to Dr. Moniba, the actions on August 22, 2024, grossly affected health, social mobility, and the already struggling economy.
“We are fighting for A New Liberia, a nation that we can all be proud of because of our collective actions, sacrifice, and love for the country; A New Liberia where everyone will be respected and treated with importance. Some, however, continue to take their leadership responsibilities as ways to score political points, gain undeserved sympathy, or score political debts and exact retribution when we have a nation on its knees and slowly dying because the average person cannot afford enough food, proper healthcare or life in a safe community.
“We have to be sensitive to these national concerns. CDC ran and governed on the mantra of ‘Change for Hope’; the UP recently adopted LINU’s mantra of a “New Liberia” as its official slogan for the July 26th celebration. So, let them remember that these are not mere slogans, but a real guiding ethos that the Liberian people demand of our leadership”.
“The chaotic scenes and, to be frank, nonsense at the CDC Headquarters, where innocent people and private properties were affected and brought our country to a complete standstill, represent a dangerous escalation that threatens to drag our nation back into the abyss of conflict and instability.
“We should be discussing why both CDC and UP-led governments, who have continually led this country for the past 20 years, have allowed government officials including lawmakers salaries to skyrocket while our teachers, nurses, doctors, and civil servants’ compensation remains stagnant; we should be discussing why no single person in Liberia is in jail because of corruption; we should be discussing why is it that most public schools and health facilities in this country have no electricity, running water, or proper libraries, or why our farmers are not supported to produce more food and other agricultural produce; we should be discussing how we can redefine our mineral sector to add value for job creation; instead, however, we are here discussing whether CDC has the right to defend their national
headquarters from a supposed drug raid – or whether the UP government should be witch-hunting members of the CDC.
“We need A New Liberia that will not experience what happened last week because nothing that happened last week got us closer to the country that we, the Liberian people, deserve.
“At 177 years old, and over 20 years post-conflict, Liberia is in trouble and we continue to overlook it – and that is why this country is way behind other countries that are way behind… Instead of us spending time talking about strengthening the rule of law where everyone will respect the law and the law will respect everyone, where everyone will trust the courts regardless of social and economic status; instead of us spending time talking about positive change for the greater good… we are discussing political parties.
“One where some of their members think that they can abide by their laws and decide when they should be policed, in CDC, and another Party that has some members who think they can have retribution because they are back in power, in the form of UP. If this attitude remains, only politics and conflict over national development will occur if we continue with this two-party system that has been in Liberia over the past two decades.
“I have personally reached out to several leaders and members of both sides calling for calm. I also acknowledge the letter written by former President Weah to ECOWAS for its intervention, while also awaiting an address by President Boikai on the state of the nation and what occurred last week. I further call on the government to put together a Commission to immediately investigate the cause and actions of that day and, even more importantly, make that report public in the shortest possible time. If we are to engender the confidence and support of the Liberian people, we have to level with them on these kinds of incidents.
“One thing we must remind ourselves of is that we need to be spending our time, energy, and efforts talking about positive change and development… not a 20-year fight between two political parties … as that will do no good for the average citizen.
“Let us get serious about development, about progress, about loving the country of Liberia more than any one individual or institution. In this “Flag Day” period, let us remember that the sum of Liberia is much, much more important than our parts. May God bless the works of our hands and save the state,” Dr. Moniba added.
