We Are One: Jackson and Sulunteh Settle Long-Standing Rivalry

 Monrovia – Two politicians from Bong County, whose fierce rivalry has been the talk of the county for many years, have agreed to bury the hatchet and to start afresh.

Selma Lomax, [email protected]

Ranney Banama Jackson, former Superintendent of Bong County who twice contested and lost the senatorial seat of the county and Liberia’s Ambassador to the United States of America, Mexico and Canada, Jeremiah Sulunteh, clashed on numerous occasions during the 2011 senatorial election, which Jackson lost at the expense of now Senator Henry Yallah.

Mr. Jackson and Ambassador Sulunteh regularly traded accusations of malpractice, fraud and malice, pitting their supporters sharply against each other and causing much bitterness on either side in the county.

The rivalry reached fever pitch when Mr. Jackson contested for and lost 2011 senatorial election despite having served as superintendent of the county for four years. Ambassador Sulunteh was seen as instrumental in decampaigning Mr. Jackson and causing his defeat.

 Jackson Endorses Sulunteh’s vice presidential bid

The former Bong superintendent while addressing the media Tuesday endorsed the vice presidential bid of Ambassador Sulunteh even though the latter has not gone public with his intention.

Jackson said his decision to endorse Ambassador Sulunteh’s rumoured vice presidential candidacy is the result of his intimidating credentials having worked as minister for three ministries under President Sirleaf before his current position.

He told newsmen that Ambassador Sulunteh’s credentials are better than the names of Bong County citizens bracing to contest as vice presidential candidates in 2017. Continuing, Jackson added: “I sent out a communication to my fellow kinsmen soliciting their views on how we as citizens from Bong County can rally around a vice presidential nominee for the 2017 elections. I told them that if we want to have the next vice president come from Bong County we would have to unite and prevent any means that would divide the county as was done in 2005.”

Jackson said respondents to his communication recommended Ambassador Sulunteh as their choice as vice running presidential running nominee citizens of the county should rally around for 2017.

Making keen references to the 2005 election, Jackson said Cllr. Varney Sherman selected Mr. John Farnia as his running mate, Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine selected Mrs. Amelia Ward while Cllr. Winston Tubman picked Ambassador Sulunteh as running mate all of whom from Bong County. He said even though the Tubman-Sulunteh ticket won Bong County, it was not enough to win the election. Jackson told journalists with the wealth of experience Ambassador Sulunteh has in politics and his experience in governance, picking him as a vice presidential running mate would bring about the required dividend from the people of Bong County. 

Fielding questions from the press men, Jackson said he had come down to see Ambassador Sulunteh, who he described as his brother, declaring that the crisis that led to misunderstanding between them was being resolved and that appreciable progress had been made towards achieving a lasting peace.

While blaming the crisis on undue interference from some quarters, the former Bong superintendent said the processes leading to renewed peace between him and Sulunteh was being achieved without any string or condition attached.

In his own remarks Ambassador Sulunteh admitted that, “we are resolving the issue, we have made appreciable progress and we hope and pray to God that there will be peace.

“In politics, we resolve issues like this and we have made considerable progress like Jackson had said. Our reunion is to further strengthen the progress he is talking about and I am sure if this is not important, he won’t be here. He is here because there must be peace.”

When asked whether he had forgiven Jackson, Ambassador Sulunteh reiterated, “You see, whether you are talking of forgiveness, Jackson remains my brother.