MONROVIA – With barely few months to the conduct of the much-anticipated special senatorial election in Liberia, a disenchanted member of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) has declared her intention to contest the senatorial seat for Montserrado County, with a vow not to participate in any ‘stage-managed’ primary of the ruling party.
Report by Obediah Johnson, [email protected]
The Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) is one of the political parties that make up the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change along with the Liberian People Democratic Party (LPDP), and the ex-governing National Patriotic Party (NPP).
Madam Siah J. Tandanpolie, the daughter of fallen Montserrado County Representative Moses Saah Tandanpolie, declared her intention on Saturday, July 18, at a meeting held with her supporters at her residence in Barnesville, outside Monrovia.
She contested two consecutive elections, including the by-election which was caused as a result of the death of her father in 2012, and the 2017 general and presidential elections, but came out unsuccessful.
Speaking during the meeting, Madam Tandanpolie vowed to contest the senatorial seat of Montserrado County as an independent candidate to advocate for women and girls at the Senate.
She noted that the decision taken to again contest for a seat in the Legislature is to help bridge the huge gap between males and females representation at the Capitol.
Madam Tandanpolie indicated that though she has been unsuccessful twice, pitfalls and minor setbacks that immensely contributed to her defeat have been worked on, and as such, new strategies would be employed to guarantee her election at the level of the Senate.
Madam Tandanpolie: “We will remain in politics until the voices of Liberian women are heard. You and I are no strangers that women are under presented at the Legislature; there is a huge gap between men and women at the Legislature. At the Senate, we have only one woman who is seeking re-election, but we don’t even know the probability of her being reelected which we are praying for. At the House, we have a small portion of female representation and we feel those things are a disservice to us the Liberian women”.
“When it comes to decision making, we are at the back and are not part of it, Based on this backdrop and quests made that the time is ripe for me to take on the mantle of authority to go to the Senate, I accepted to contest as an independent candidate for Montserrado County in the upcoming senatorial election. And with God above, we will prevail”.
Referencing former United States President Abraham Lincoln, Madam Tandanpolie emphasized that she is not perturbed over her failure to win past elections at the district level, because she remains optimistic of becoming the victor to help move the county and its citizens forward.
Madam Tandanpolie added: Together, we can achieve more, win the unwinnable and penetrate where people say cannot be penetrated. I may not be able to win a Representative’s seat. But there are many people who believe in the Tandanpolie’s agenda”.
“It is no secret around here that the CDC will be putting out a male candidate for the senatorial election in Montserrado County though their primary is yet to be held. We all witnessed around here how Jamima Wolokollie was marginalized and when she stood up to speak against it, she was sacked from her job, and expelled from the party”.
– Madam Siah J. Tandanpolie
CDC primary downplayed
Madam Tandanpolie contested the 2012 by-election and the 2017 general and presidential elections as an independent candidate.
Despite her father’s closed ties with the political leader of the CDC, President George Manneh Weah and other hierarchies prior to his demise, the party didn’t accord her (Siah Tandanpolie) the opportunity to contest on its ticket for undisclosed reasons.
She placed everything aside by canvassing for the CDC candidate, John J. Weah, during the recent by-election in district # 13, Montserrado County.
“My last affiliation is with the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC); but I tell people that if you as a parent you born a child and instead of you setting a good example for your child you don’t. In that home, you and a child will differ and you will see some clashes. That’s exactly what’s been happening” she added.
Madam Tandanpolie told her supporters that the CDC is not fully prepare to support a female candidate in the Montserrado county senatorial election as evidenced by the manner and form in which its former partisan, Madam Jemima Wolokollie was dismissed from a government job and expelled from the party.
“I don’t believe in the ideology of being a sycophant. From that backdrop, I have been very quiet and finally decided to contest as an independent candidate.
“It is no secret around here that the CDC will be putting out a male candidate for the senatorial election in Montserrado County though their primary is yet to be held. We all witnessed around here how Jamima Wolokollie was marginalized and when she stood up to speak against it, she was sacked from her job, and expelled from the party”.
She continued: “Where my voice will not be heard, I need to find a space and that space is by standing on my own; those that believe in me will support me. It is no credit that the CDC has been passing around with one candidate. I can’t be somewhere where my voice will be suppressed”
SGBV
As Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) continues to skyrocket in Liberia, the Montserrado County senatorial candidate has promised to serve as a ‘floor fighter’ to enact laws portraying tougher actions against perpetrators of rape and sexual abuses against women and minors in the country.
Madam Tandanpolie maintained that though some men are championing the fight against SGBV, including rape being permeated against women and girls at the level of the first branch of the Liberian government, those men will not do better as compare to women because, they are not the ones mostly affected.
“The time for political rhetoric and to buy fake sympathy from our people is over. Liberians and Montserrado deserve better especially to us the women. Only a woman knows the pain of another woman”.
“We are going there to set things straight and put more bills on the floor to address SGBV issues. When you look around today, our babies are being raped. Rape is on the increase and the perpetrators are roaming around freely because we have a weak justice system to go after them. If more women are up there, the rape law will be stronger. With my strong lobbying power, I will lobby with other male lawmakers who believe in feminism and I will be a strong floor fighter to ensure that SGBV issues are addressed properly”.
She expressed the hope that more Liberian women canvassing for senatorial seats in their respective counties would become victorious to help advocate against ills affecting women and girls in the Liberian society.
Madam Tandanpolie added that women constitute about 51% of the country’s population, and as such, they must collectively work together to help move their country forward.
She urged Liberians to desist from asking candidates for tangibles in their respective communities and look for ‘a voice’ that will advocate for their wellbeing and speak truth to power.
She, however, vowed not to compromise the interest of her supporters to be bought out of the race to give way for any candidate during the electioneering process.