Monrovia – What appeared to be impossible three years back in Liberian contemporary politics happened over the weekend when the opposition Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) pledged its support to the presidential bid of incumbent George Weah for the runoff election which is a week away.
By Gerald C. Koinyeneh – [email protected]
The event took place at the CPP headquarters in Sinkor, Monrovia and was attended by top officials of both the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and the CPP including Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor, CDC Chairman Mulbah Morlue, Cllr. Charlyne Brumskine, vice standard bearer of the CPP, and CPP Chairman Musa Hansan Bility. What was more surprising was the pronouncement by Chairman Morlu.
In his acceptance speech following the CPP’s endorsement, Chairman Morlu thanked the CPP for its support to the reelection bid of President Weah and surprisingly stated that the party takes the CPP’s endorsement as a debt that the CDC could pay back in 2029.
He said: CPP [Collaborating Political Parties], you have placed us in your net. The Coalition for Democratic Change is now indebted to you because this endorsement has brought this election to an end. You have reaffirmed the undisputable reelection success of His Excellency George Manneh Weah. And speaking prospectively, six years after… it will not be President Weah on the ballot. There shall be many possibilities… President Weah will be out of the way. Perhaps, that may be the time for CDC to repay its debt. I didn’t say this because of this endorsement. This statement was rehearsed but I intend to keep it. So, you are losing nothing. You may simply be delaying victory a few more years from now.”
He also assured the CPP that the CDC will live up to all of the commitments contained in the CPP proposition. Throwing a jibe at former vice president Boakai, Morlu said unlike the UP-standard bearer, President Weah Keeps his promise and if elected, will work with the CPP to implement all of their requests.
Chairman Morlu’s statement, which was made after Vice President Taylor had left the ceremony to attend another “pressing engagement” in Bong County, has been greeted with mixed reactions. Some view his statement as an indication that the CDC has begun exploring who could best replace President Weah as the parties’ leader after 2029.
Prior to the October 10 polls, there were speculations that in the case President Weah is reelected and served his second term, the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), the largest bloc of the Governing Coalition, could turn to Mr. Alexander Cummings of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) and standard bearer of the CPP.
A CDC official who asked for anonymity when asked for his opinion on Morlu’s statement said: “To be frank, we are not thinking about President Weah’s replacement right now. Our concern is the reelection of the President and Vice President. But what I can say is that in politics, nothing is impossible. Who thought that the CDC of all parties could endorse the reelection of President Weah in 2023? This tells you that nothing is impossible.”
Joe Bimba, commenting said: Sometimes rumors come true. People said CDC was an extension of CPP and it has finally happened.”
Others take the CDC Chairman’s statement as something that does not represent the entire party. “To me, this is Just Chairman Morlu’s doing his thing. For the fact he said it in the absence of the VP shows he was only saying it to appease the CPP,” said Marian Tucker, a CDC partisan, responding to Morlu’s comment on social media.
The CPP’s propositions
The CPP’s political leader Alexander Cummings had been a staunch critic of President Weah and his government. Over the past five years – (before and after the CPP’s split), Cummings has been consistent with holding the Weah-Taylor administration to task for what he called its failure to fight corruption and promote good governance.
So, when he and his vice standard bearer Cllr. Brumskine failed to make it to the runoff, he allowed his party to make the ultimate decision to throw their support behind one of the candidates in the runoff. The CPP outlined several conditions that it insists must be met to gain their endorsement for a candidate in the runoff. Among them include the establishment of a war and economic crimes court, the passage of a law that mandates a minimum 30% representation of women in the Legislature, establishment of a national youth service program to enhance social cohesion, empowerment, employability, and civic duty commitment, along with providing preferential loans and business development support programs for Liberian entrepreneurs, particularly women and youth.
They called for a review of the Liberian constitution to strengthen democratic governance and foster national unity. Judicial reform and enhancing the independence of the judiciary and investigatory agencies, commitment to decentralize public administration to ensure basic service delivery across the country, continuous audits and implementing recommendations across government ministries, agencies, and public institutions and asset declaration and auditing of the legislature.
Additionally, the CPP called for a simplified tax code and business establishment regulations to promote a business-friendly environment that accommodates Liberian entrepreneurship, a commitment to electoral reform to prevent electoral fraud, promoting religious tolerance for a more inclusive Liberia, and addressing the critical issue of drug peddling and trafficking.
Reading the party’s endorsement statement, ANC’s Secretary-general Counselor Aloysius Toe said the negotiation team, led by CPP’s former vice standard bearer Cllr. Brumskine met with both CDC and UP and they all agreed with the CPP’s terms and conditions.
He said the decision to choose which party to support then rested squarely on the shoulders of the executive committees of both the Alternative National Congress (ANC) and the Liberty Party (LP), the two constituent parties of the CPP. And both executive committees overwhelmingly chose the CDC, he said.
“It is my distinguished pleasure and honor to announce to the world and the Liberian people that partisans and executives of the CPP, representing the membership of the LP and the ANC have resolved to support the reelection of President George Manneh Weah. Our decision to support the CDC is based on the realization that the CDC has committed to implement our 12-point proposals,” Cllr. Toe declared.
Speaking earlier before the endorsement, VP Taylor said the decision of the CPP showed that it requires the collective effort to build Liberia. The VP, who sounded more conciliatory, extended an apology to the CPP for whatever wrong the ruling CDC may have caused them in the past.
“I want to say if we have done anything to anger anybody or to make anybody excluded, let me be the first to say we are so sorry. We need to make our politics more unique. So that we care for what’s happening on the other side and the other side will care for what’s happening to us. So, I believe this is a new day. Let’s rise to the challenges, let’s put our goods together and let’s build Liberia.”
Cllr. Brumskine said the decision was not an easy task. “No one should ever think that this was an easy decision. We made the decision after careful thoughts and we hope that after November 14, we will all rally around Liberia and move this country forward,” she said.
