Gbarnga, Bong County – It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that strains were amiss at the ruling Unity Party (UP) National Convention here last weekend.
Report by: Rodney D. Sieh, [email protected]
But behind the votes cast, the body languages and the white ballots ushering in Joseph Boakai as the new leader of the party, it was clear that the outgoing chairman Cllr. Varney Sherman and the outgoing standard bearing were not on the same page.
“Fellow partisans, the Unity Party, like any human institution cannot be divorced of the politics of disagreements in order to finally agree for the greater good. We call this creative tension that does not degenerate into acrimony or bitter exchanges” – President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, outgoing Standard Bearer, Unity Party
Cllr. Sherman used every opportunity at the podium addressing delegates to express his outrage and disappointment, telling delegates Friday to avoid the experiences of the 2010 platform.
On the eve of that convention, officers of the Liberia Action Party, the Liberia Unification Party and the ruling Unity Party signed articles of merger on April 1, 2009, bringing together three parties whose founding fathers were at the foundation of multi-party democracy in Liberia.
The UP, LAP, and LUP were at the heart of the political process in 1984 and formed the country’s first ever political merger. The parties’ founding fathers, the late Dr. Edward Kesselly of the Unity Party, the late Gabriel William Kpolleh of the Liberia Unification Party and the late Jackson F. Doe of the Liberia Action Party, formed the famous ‘Grand Coalition’ which contested the 1985 Presidential elections against the then ruling National Democratic Party of Liberia of former President Samuel Doe.
Cllr. Sherman, who is among several current and former Liberian government officials named in a recently-released damning Global Witness exposé uncovering more than US$950,000 in bribes and other suspicious payments by UK mining firm Sable Mining, has on more than one occasions accused President Sirleaf of breaching the agreements of the 2009 merger.
Said Cllr. Sherman: “I say this because our experience from 2010 is that we had a platform then at the end of the day, there was deviations because, I believe the government was not involved at the level that it should have been when the platform was adapted.
To ensure that we do not have similar problem, I would suggest that we receive the committee’s report on conditions that our standard bearer when elected, will meet the committee and come up with his or her own ideas incorporate them in the report, so that we have one platform for both the party and our executive,” says Chairman Sherman.”
But President Sirleaf, addressing the delegates Friday did not hold back in replying Sherman’s rants as she made a plea for unity, telling delegates: “The Unity Party, like any human institution cannot be divorced of the politics of disagreements in order to finally agree for the greater good. We call this creative tension that does not degenerate into acrimony or bitter exchanges.”
Sirleaf however explained that it must be clear that collective commitment is key to putting the interest of the Party above all other considerations. “If in our actions or inactions – we took certain decisions that might have affected some of our partisans in our line of national duty – we say for the greater good – let us recommit to work together and unite in a strong and unwavering support to Vice President Joseph Nyuma Boakai.”
While it is no secret that Sherman supports Sirleaf backing of her vice President Boakai as her successor, Sherman has persistently insisted that the 2010 merger agreement was not followed to the latter.
President Sirleaf sounded the caveat that in the midst of the odds, the party has to work harder in 2017 describing the battle ahead as tumultuous.
“The battle for 2017 likely to be tumultuous! We cannot fold our hands, let alone take anything for granted. We must reach across the political aisles to break new grounds, cover more territory, forge new alliances, make new acquaintances, re-calibrate previous strategies and align and amalgamate our forces if victory must be ours”, said Sirleaf.
Rallying for Boakai
While Sirleaf and Sherman both expressed their disagreements, one thing that is common is the support for Boakai with Sherman expressing his willingness to campaign for the election of Boakai through Liberia and President also rallying similar support for her Vice President.
“Let us collectively stand behind our chosen leader Joe Boakai to take us beyond where our gains thus far have brought us amid this turbulent milestone. Let us work to ensure that the Party becomes the bridge of continuity, sustainability, progress and development for our country and its people”, said Sirleaf.
Even months to the convention, Sherman declared support for the Presidency of Boakai and on this point the pair (Sirleaf and Sherman) will have some common ground.
But it seems the peaceful manner in which the UP convention ended as it appears in the eyes of the public looks to be far from actual reality within the party.
Some partisans separately spoke of high-level manipulations of the process in favour of some individuals which they say reduced the possibility of competitive process. Insides party sources hinted that both Sirleaf and Sherman used the convention to tighten their grip on the leadership structure of the party with Sherman opting for Wilmot Paye to win the chairmanship and President Sirleaf pushing for Information Minister Nagbe to become the Secretary general of the party.
Suspicions persist in hierarchy
While the convention is gone, the level of scepticism over a rift in the party still lingers with Sherman cautious of what some say robbed him of becoming the Vice running mate to President Sirleaf ahead of the 2011 election.
During the merger of the three parties, some say it was agreed that Unity Party would have provided the standard bearer while the vice running mate should come from either one of the other two but in the end the Unity party produced both standard bearer and vice standard bearer.
Sherman pointed in that direction in Gbarnga when he stated that the new Party Standard bearer, Boakai will need to work with people who will not be suspicious of him.
“Boakai needs a leadership that will work with him to ensure that he becomes successful and not one that will be suspicious of his presence.” Sherman added: “He needs a leadership that he can trust and those that will also trust him”.
New Party Chairman Paye and Secretary General Nagbe were once at odds with Paye calling for Nagbe to step-down while serving as Minister of Youth and Sports when it was reported that Nagbe and George Weah were part of the negotiations in what later became a scandal in the Federation of world Football Fifa World Cup, Qatar 2011 scandal.
Nage, Weah and ex-Liberia Football Association President Izetta Wesley were mentioned in leaked secret documents published in the London’s Sunday Times Newspaper and following the publications Paye quickly called for Nagbe to resign saying the Minister had tainted record and was no longer fit to serve the Sirleaf government that expressed its desire to fight corruption.
In response, Nagbe described Paye as a Secretary General with ‘no force’, saying Paye could not even help the Unity Party to win his native Nimba County during the 2011 election.
On the other hand, when Sherman was indicted for his alleged role in the Global Witness saga, Paye defended Sherman and was amongst several partisans who gathered at the residence of Sherman daily to show solidarity.
Also following the 2011 election, Paye who served as Secretary General of the Party during the campaign period was appointed Deputy minister of Commerce while Nagbe, a newcomer in the party who defected from the Congress for democratic Change few months to the 2011 electoral process was appointed Minister. Paye refused the Deputy Minister job and was no longer given another position while Nagbe has is now serving his third position as Minister under the Sirleaf regime.
With the water apparently under the bridge, it remains to be seen whether Paye and Nagbe, now holding two key positions in the Unity Party will work together cordially amid lingering and nagging concerns of uncertainty and inner fights ahead of the ruling party with 2017 election fast approaching.
The Sherman-Sirleaf relationship is likely to come to play in the new Unity Party leadership with Paye lining on the side of Sherman and Nagbe in line with President Sirleaf.
In the middle is the candidacy of Boakai who now faces a formidable task of reinventing and redefining Unity within the rank and file of the ruling party as it looks to cement its hold on power with an eye on a third term.
How far the internal wrangling within the Unity party lingers will be the first major test for Boakai’s political and leadership credentials. But even as many fear that the rift within the party is far from over, keeping the crisis from reaching boiling point could perhaps force the new leadership and Boakai to following the guide of the departing standard bearer who will also be hoping that her call for unity is not a little too late for a party in the midst of a third term quest.