IPNews-Monrovia: In what appears to be the reoccurrence of the famous ‘1 million man march’, was on display yesterday when the governing Coalition for Democratic Change-CDC, stormed the Antoinette Tubman Stadium.
The rally which was a much anticipated retreat to discuss pitfalls, renew commitment of partisans and amalgamate forces ahead of the October senatorial following two consecutive defeats to the opposition in Montserrado County, considered as the stronghold of the party since 2005, general presidential and Legislative elections.
According to the first partisan of the CDC, President Goerge M. Weah, yesterday’s retreat has now renewed hopes for the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) in its quest to reclaim the Montserrado senatorial seat from Liberty Party’s Abraham Darius Dillon.
The Liberian leader told partisans that their show of support to their own party has now sent worrying fear amongst opposition who are strangers and needs to vacate.
President George Manneh Weah stated that he was overwhelmed by the turnout which reminds him about the ‘humble beginning of the CDC back in 2005’.
“Your show of support and love to this party, your own party, reminds me about the humble beginning of the CDC way back in 2005. Yes! We started from the bottom now we’re here and we are here to reclaim Montserrado county.” President Weah told cheering partisans.
He told his partisans that the CDC remains committed to the mandate of its supporters who sacrifice the many years of the struggle and voted the CDC power.
The former World Best soccer great, said the mandate given to him is based on ‘hope and choice with the expectation’ that the lives all partisans would change for the better.
President Weah: “CDC is in the third year of its six-year mandate, it is high time that we the masses wanting change for a better Liberia to recalibrate our strategies to ensure the CDC retake its possession.”
He stated that it was time that partisans focus more on the transformation and rapid development of the economy by stepping up they respective game in fostering the agenda of the government they elected.
Prior to yesterday’s rally, the CDC launched a massive community engagements last week by mobilizing at least 20,000 zonal heads from the 17 districts of Montserrado County, to steer the affairs of the party in smaller clusters to enable it reach every community member for the purpose of recapturing Montserrado County.
CDC chairman, Mulbah Morlu said a vigorous reconciliation effort has commenced within the coalition, especially among coalition members, overseas chapters, community engagement with partisans, etc, to further unite the party.
Morlu stated that the massive turnout of partisans of the CDC is an ‘absolute reaffirmation of support to his excellency by CDCians of the tripartite Coalition’.
“The show of strength today remains unmatched, especially by a governing party.” Morlu declared
However, as the rally momentum build up in the early hours of yesterday, March 7, many Liberians expressed fear of the occurrence of the worst in the fight against COVI-19 (coronavirus), and a blatant violation of preventive measures of the coronavirus by Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) partisans who rallied in the thousands in Monrovia.
Throngs of CDC partisans brought the capital and its suburbs to a complete standstill as they converged from all parts of greater Monrovia on foot or jam packed in vehicles to get to the Antoinette Tubman Stadium where the rally was held.
The scene of masses of CDCians surging together along several streets of Monrovia and moving en masse to their destination left observers in total bewilderment as to who could be responsible for the outright defiance of coronavirus prevention measures.
The massive crowd which marched to the ATS from all parts of greater Monrovia including Red-Light, Duala, New Kru Town and West Point, found themselves having to get back home most of them on foot. Traffic was blocked everywhere for hours throughout the day and well into the night, and some people driving homeward from central Monrovia through Sinkor late afternoon took over four hours before passing the CDC Congo Town headquarters. Some CDCians trekking home on foot taunted those stuck in traffic.
Many people who observed the CDC rally, including some CDCians, were bewildered, asking whether Liberians have already forgotten about the current transmission of the coronavirus.
It may be recalled, fear and hopelessness that gripped Liberians during the height of the Ebola crisis when the virus claimed several thousand lives.
LIBERIA is at ALERT LEVEL 3: First suspected or confirmed case in West Africa but no case in Liberia or one of the countries immediately bordering Liberia (Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, and Sierra Leone).
