Monrovia – The Chairman of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), Mr. Alexander Benedict Cummings, says Liberians are being negatively affected as a result of a mistake made in 2017 to elect the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) led-government of President George Manneh Weah.
Mr. Cummings said the current overall living condition of citizens is far worse than two years ago.
He made these assertions when he donated rice and L$100,000 for the purchase of a generator to citizens of Gbengar Town in District # 6, Montserrado County.
Mr. Cummings said although the decision taken by citizens during the 2017 general and presidential elections to elect President Weah was a mistake, similar mistake should not be repeated during the December 2020 senatorial election, and the 2023 general elections.
“You are feeling the pinch today. I know some of you here voted for President Weah; but you get to make mistakes sometimes. But let’s not make that same mistake in 2020. Let’s start electing better Senators like Senator Darius Dillon”.
Alexander B. Cummings, Chairman, Collaborating Political Parties
He noted that leaders that will prioritize the interest of the people over their personal aggrandizement must be accorded the opportunity to serve.
“The Liberian people made a mistake in 2017 when they elected President Weah and this government. You are feeling that mistake today. Your life today is worse off than it was two years ago,’ he said.
“You are feeling the pinch today. I know some of you here voted for President Weah; but you get to make mistakes sometimes. But let’s not make that same mistake in 2020. Let’s start electing better Senators like Senator Darius Dillon”.
Mr. Cummings further cautioned citizens against electing those who intend to embezzle state funds at the detriment of the citizenry.
“Elect people who care for you; not people who will steal your money or take care of themselves first before they take care of you. Your future is in your hands and so, you have to elect the right people to lead and change this country. It can be done but every Liberia has to place his/her part,” he said.
At the same time, the CPP political leader has accused President George Manneh Weah of consistently reneging on taking full responsibility of the current economic hardship and other situations in the country.
According to him, the Liberian leader continues to show no real interest in moving the country forward and helping to improve the lives of citizens as evidenced by his consistent habit of shifting blame on the opposition.
He added that vast majority of the plans or promises made by the CDC government are yet to be actualized to help alleviate numerous constraints confronting citizens across the country.
“When you have a President who we elected or has the responsibility to change this country and he takes no responsibility and says it’s the opposition’s fault. But who is in charge? Who got the power?
“He takes care of his best clothes and cars, but when it comes to taking care of you, it is zero. You can go down the list of everything they said they will do-nothing has happened”.
For his part, Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon underscored the need for the Senate to stand up for the Liberian people.
“We went in there and we told you that we were going to put light on. Some people thought it was just LEC light. When the place is dark for long, people can do any kind of thing witchcraft can fly, and the people that are naked do not have time to wear clothes. Don’t announce that you are putting light on-you will hear them asking, ‘who tell you to put light on,” Senator Dillon said.
“The Senate alone can change this country. With the Senate standing up for the people-anything the House of Representatives or the President wants to do, the Senate can block it. It can start to change the country”.
Dillion, who is the Vice Chairman for Political Affairs of the opposition Liberty Party — one of the political parties that make up the CPP –, attributed the unprecedented wave of noise in Liberia to the multiplicity of intellectual centers across the country.
Senator Dillon used the occasion to call on young people to acquire vocational skills to improve their living conditions, instead of “wasting their time at intellectual centers”.
He said although the acquiring of a degree in Political Science or Sociology is not bad, there is no ‘job market’ for graduates of these disciplines as compare to their counterparts who obtained vocational skills in carpentry, plumbing, masonry, painting, among others.
“The intellectuals in this country are too plenty until the country is too noisy. Let’s think about giving young people vocational skills. Our old people have no comfort in their retirement, no hope for the children and no direction for the young people,” he said.
“The intellectual halls are plenty because we have too many less busy people. We have too many less busy people because we are running behind the wrong kind of education in this country. Right now, technical vocational education can take you from the classrooms straight to work”.
He, however, commended residents of the town for the confidence reposed in him during last year’s by-election in Montserrado County.
