Monrovia – Liberia is expected to go crucial general and presidential elections within little over a year’s time as the process is expected to determine whether the ruling Unity Party will continue at the helm of power for consecutive 18 years (or more) or the opposition will step up to the challenge to have a change in the leadership of the country.
Since Liberia returned from more than a decade of civil wars, the ruling party, headed by Africa’s first democratically elected president, Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf ,has successfully won back-to-back presidential election—2005 and 2011—and with grip on power for those years, the Unity Party is still looking to maintain its grip on power.
But given the long history of Liberia, where the country settled for a one-party state for more than a century before political pluralism was only introduced after a coup d’état in 1980, opposition political parties now see it as a challenge to prevent the ruling Unity Party from getting another six years in power during the 2017 elections.
To do this, the opposition has to fight it out with incumbent Vice President Joseph N. Boakai, who has been climbing the political ladder with long years of public service, dating more than three decades up to the vice presidency.
Fearing ‘Sleepy Joe’
Incumbent President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is not eligible due to constitutional restriction and many in opposition have been claiming that Vice President Boakai is a weaker candidate than Sirleaf but what the opposition failed to do against a stronger Sirleaf is what they are now looking to do against Vice President Boakai who they are claiming to be weaker.
Boakai’s critics have labeled him a “sleepy Joe” with images emerging showing the Vice President napping at public program but the Vice President has come in his own defense saying he is a religious man and normally closes his eyes to meditate.
“I challenge anyone who will prove that I can sleep at programs. Let them point at one program where they saw me sleeping. You know I am Christian and at times I can be bowing down to pray not that I can be sleeping,” he clarified.
“I am a Christian, and I pray with my eyes closed,” the Vice President defended saying apparently it have been during one of the instances where he was praying that a photographer might have photographed him and distribute it through the media.
Opposition politicians are yet to find major issues to count against the Vice President with the talk of his age and alleged sleepiness in public as well as not taking frequenting to social media like other politicians who have Facebook and other social media pages to interact with the public, as some of his major weaknesses
On his social media activities, the Vice President admitted that he was not a social media person but was also not an enemy of the social media.
“I make selections of things I want to do. I do my job, read my mails, respond to all of them and I do not go to bed on time,” he pointed out.
On some of his many activities the Vice President says as President of the Liberian Senate, he presides over 30 senators who deliberate and pass many bills.
Aging, fatigued claims
Critics of the Vice President say he is aging and lacks the physical ability to manage the country. If he is elected Vice President Boakai will become President at age 74.
“The job needs energy. It needs someone who is in his or her prime and Boakai does not fit that category,” Worlea Dunah, a ruling party lawmaker from vote-rich Nimba County said in an interview few months ago.
Lawmaker Dunah says the Vice President had served the country in many capacities and should be retired honorably.
“The Vice President has served the country well in many capacities and as deputy to Madam Sirleaf for about nine years now. He has been contributing to the society and I think he should be honorably retired in 2017.”
Big collabo against ‘sleepy man’
Although opposition and critics of the Vice President are claiming that he is a sleepy man, weak and cannot be a stronger force like President Sirleaf, fear is griping the opposition with more than one year to election resulting in discussions and meetings for forming a collaboration to fight the Vice President.
In forming a force to take Vice President Boakai twelve political parties including their leaders gathered in Ganta, Nimba County and signed a communiqué declaring to work together.
The gathering of opposition brought together Nimba County Senator Prince Y. Johnson who managed third position during the first round of polling in 2011, George Weah of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) whose party was second, Charles W. Brumskine of the Liberty P (LP) Larty and scores of other newly found political parties.
Alexander Cummings of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), a new political party also attended the meeting along with Benoni Urey of the All Liberia Party (ALP). Other parties include the former ruling National Patriotic Parties (NPP), Movement for Economic Empowerment (MOVEE), Movement for Progressive Change, All Liberia Coalition Party, Victory for Change Party, New Liberia Party, Vision for Liberia Transformation, Union of Liberian Democrats and Liberian Nation Union.
The 12 parties encouraged other political parties who did not attend the Ganta meeting to form part of the collaboration.
Why fear sleepy man?
While opposition political parties have been negotiating in the past over forming collaboration, the Ganta’s gathering is the largest by opposition parties since the country returned from years of civil wars.
During the 2005 general and presidential elections, following the first round of polling, the opposition was fragmented during the round-off, with some opposition pledging support to the Unity Party, others remaining neutral.
Again in 2011, the opposition was even more fragmented when the host of the Ganta gathering, Senator Johnson at the time standard bearer of the National Union for Democratic Progress (NUDP), supported the ruling party of President Sirleaf.
Cllr. Brumskine, who was neutral during the round off in 2005, also pledged support to the ruling party in 2011, and all the support to the ruling party weakened the opposition CDC and the party eventually boycotted the second round.
While the opposition did not collaborate in both 2005 and 2011, the early preparation for collaboration in 2017 against Vice President Boakai, whom they are describing as a “sleepy Joe” and a weaker candidate, is something that will be discussed in the ensuing months leading to the elections.
The Vice President Boakai’s camp will also see the big collaboration by the opposition as an indication that their candidate is a big force and should prepare to fight combined forces.
Appointments in VP’s favor
With all the political parties are looking to tighten their grips on the rural counties in search of more support, political observers believe series of recent appointments by President Sirleaf of local officials will help to boost the political campaign of her Vice President.
President Sirleaf recently appointed District Commissioners, City mayors and other local officials in Boakai’s home county, Lofa and other counties. The President also made appointments in Grand Bassa, Rivercess and Maryland Counties with reports that those appointed are Unity party loyalists.
Local officials are useful in wooing voters during political processes.