IPNEWS-Monrovia: The authoritative Independent Probe newspaper and online news platform have gathered impeccable reports that former Planning and Economic Affairs Minister, Foreign Minister and Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Toga Gaywea McIntosh turned down the prestigious Governance Commission (GC) Chairperson position because of his political intention for the pending 2023 presidential and legislative elections.
Dr. McIntosh is no stranger to the former ruling Unity Party (UP) as he played a key role in former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s acquisition of the party from the custodians who were in charge in 1997 following the death of the founder of UP, Dr. Edward Beyan Kesselly. After the infamous Liberia Action Party’s (LAP) convention that reportedly denied a former stalwart and founder of the LAP, Mrs. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf the opportunity to vie for the standard bearership, thus making Cletus Wotorson to emerge as standard bearer of the LAP, Mrs. Sirleaf thought it wise to seek another path in her ambition to the Liberian presidency.
Dr. McIntosh reportedly went on to become the campaign chairperson of Mrs. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s sojourn to the 1997 special presidential elections, which eventually saw former warlord and National Patriotic Party (NPP) political leader and standard bearer Charles McArthur Ghankay Taylor emerging as winner. Mrs. Sirleaf came second in the election, ahead of Cletus Wotorson who had reportedly double-crossed her at the LAP convention and became standard bearer of the Alliance of Political Parties (APP).
Fast forward to the 2005 elections, Dr. McIntosh who had previously served as Senior National Policy Advisor to the interim President of Liberia from 1991-1993; Managing Director and Development Consultant; Development Management Associates in Gaborone, Botswana from 1993-2004; Executive Director, Governance Reform Commission in Liberia from 2004-2005; and later Minister of Planning and Economic Affairs in Liberia from 2006-2008, has always been a mainstay on the Liberian political landscape. The experienced and professional Dr. McIntosh was eventually appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs by President Sirleaf.
As Foreign Minister-designate, while appearing before the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs during his confirmation, Dr. Gaywea called for Reforms at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2016 following his departure from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Gaywea decided to cut ties with the former Unity Party (UP) because his ambition to become standard bearer for the party did not materialize.
Dr. McIntosh who and is still considered by many in and out of the UP’s circles as former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s choice for the party’s standard bearership, announced back then in 2016 that he had withdrawn his membership from the Party, noting that he would remain politically active in the 2017 Presidential elections.
McIntosh however failed to say which political party or institution was his next destination in his withdrawal statement, though he promised he wouldn’t contest in 2017 as an independent candidate.
At a news conference marking his withdrawal from the ruling party, McIntosh cited what he called the bias manner in which the Party was handling the partisans’ grievances as well as other concerns in recent years as some of his reasons of withdrawing his membership.
In his statement, he said the party’s handling of partisan’s grievances and concerns at the time had fallen short of the manner in which the pioneers and founding fathers could have conducted its state of affairs to maintain the cohesive bond within the party.
Prior to his withdrawal from the UP, Dr. McIntosh objected to the appointment of chair and co-chair of the elections subcommittee.
In a letter dated June 20, 2016 and addressed to Cllr. Varney Sherman, Chairman of the party, Dr. McIntosh said both the party’s chair and co-chair were supportive of Vice President Boakai and as such, their appointments to the position meant they would not be impartial.
At the end of the first round of voting in the 2017 elections, Dr. McIntosh pledged his support for the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) which eventually became winner of the run-off elections in 2017, thus giving birth to the George Weah administration. Many Liberians had thought Dr. McIntosh would have been given an influential cabinet position due to his vast experience and international connections, but it was only of late that he was nominated by President George Weah as Chairperson of the Governance Commission, a position he has turned down due to his political ambition in the pending 2023 presidential and legislative elections.
The Perceived Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, ANC Alexander Cummings and Coalition for Democratic Change Factors
In the past few days there have been reports that former Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr. Toga Gaywea McIntosh turned his preferment by President George Weah to head the Governance Commission, where he once served as Executive Director from 2004-2005. His reason is that he has intention and will be politically active come the 2023 presidential and legislative elections.
Former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
But political pundits are of the view that Dr. McIntosh’s abrupt decision to turn down the Governance Commission chairmanship was politically influenced by former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and some higher ups within the governing Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC). Though the IPNEWS has not be able to independently verify the assertion by political pundits, there are also reports according to SPOON Talk panelists that the political leader of opposition Alternative National Congress (ANC), Alexander B. Cummings may have also been a key factor in ensuring that Dr. McIntosh throws his hat in the race of the pending Unity Party convention, where a standard bearer is reportedly scheduled to be elected.
Sources within the former ruling Unity Party confided in IPNEWS that ex-President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who still has a very huge following and great influence within the party has told her supporters that she is unleashing an experience public service and astute politician, in person of Dr. Toga Gaywea McIntosh to seek the standard bearership of the UP because the former president still does not believe in the leadership quality of former Vice President Joseph Boakai, who most UP partisans feel should be coronated because he is entitled to the UP standard bearership.
There are also unconfirmed reports that the political leader of the opposition Alternative National Congress (ANC), whose party is part of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) is reportedly supporting Dr. McIntosh to vie for the standard bearership of the UP, since it is a glaring fact that the current batch of leaders of the UP do not like competition but only believe in entitlement and opting for coronation of former VP Boakai as standard bearer because he was vice president to president Sirleaf for 12 years and thus this should be his time to serve as standard bearer once again for the 2023 elections having massively been defeated by the ruling CDC in 2017 elections.
Fast forward to 2022, the UP which had been part of an arrangement that contained three other constituent members – the All Liberia Party (ALP), the Alternative National Congress (ANC), the Liberty Party (LP), under the banner of Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) had been shying away from primary because it said its political leader, Joseph Boakai is the most experienced and must be given the standard bearership of the CPP on silver platter, something the ANC and its political leader had objected to stating the framework document of the collaboration called for competition amongst the constituent parties of the CPP.
For fear of being defeated by a rival party political leader, the UP had been opting for block voting at the pending primary instead of each aspirant availing himself to the delegates/electorates of the CPP and convincing them why they should elect them CPP standard bearer. The ANC supports the framework of the CPP which calls for competition amongst the parties to elect who they feel is best to head the ticket leading to the 2023 elections.
And so it came as no surprise when the Unity Party and the All Liberia Party respectively announced their withdrawal from the CPP on grounds that the CPP framework document had been altered; and at same time, the then chairman of the CPP Joseph Boakai stated his UP were also pulling out because he could not resolve the internal wrangling that had engulfed the CPP for months. The Liberty Party did opt to remain within the CPP but its political leader and few other executives chose to leave and pledged allegiance to UP Boakai. With legal suits being the other of the day against each other, it is clear that the CPP might likely end up with only the ANC and the Liberty Party.
Throwing Monkey Wrench into the UP Setup
Many political pundits and commentators believe the reported emergence of former Foreign Affairs Minister Toga McIntosh Gaywea who is said will vie for the UP standard bearership for the 2023 elections is being received with mixed reactions within the party. It is a glaring fact that the UP is divided on two fronts – former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf supporters and former Vice President Joseph Boakai supporters.
It is believed former President Sirleaf still wields enormous power within the UP and for reasons known to herself still does not believe former VP Boakai has the political rectitude to become president of Liberia. She has always said she and former VP Boakai had planned to retire from public service together so she did not see reason why the former VP wanted to vie for the presidency back in 2017. In 2017, the former president did not endorse her vice president’s presidential bid as it was alleged that she rather gave her support to the opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) of George Weah.
Flashback: When the friendship was strong between President Sirleaf and VP Boakai
Now in 2022, the emergence of Dr. Toga Gaywea McIntosh is likely to throw into jeopardy the ‘coronation’ of VP Joseph Boakai as standard bearer of the former Unity Party. Dr. McIntosh is an unassuming political economist and diplomat whose emergence will not be taken for granted for fact being that he is reportedly being supported by former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a claim that is yet to be verified. Other than the reported Sirleaf’s support, Dr. McIntosh is well experienced and has international connections that will push him become a formidable candidate in the UP standard bearership against former VP Boakai.
Dr. McIntosh Gaywea has acquired, during the last 43 years, technical, professional and managerial work experiences at both national and international levels, organizing training workshops and advising governments and institutions on capacity building and on the formulation and management of development policies, strategies and programs.
He worked for the Government of Liberia between 1969 and 1981 gathering and processing socio-economic data; preparing economic analysis for development planning; and coordinating the preparation and implementation of national plans, policies and programs. While serving as the
National Policy Advisor to the Interim President of Liberia (1991-1993), he reviewed policy issues and advised the President and Cabinet on ways for promoting effectiveness in governance an economic management as well as for restoring peace in Liberia.
As the Executive Director for the Governance Reform Commission (May 2004 – August 2005), he led the technical team in the development of reform measures for the reconstruction and development of post conflict Liberia.
For nearly twenty years, while he was not in the service of his country, Dr. McIntosh provided technical and advisory services to a number of African governments and international agencies including the World Bank, UNDP, African Development Bank, and the African Union, UNECA, and USAID. Ten of those years were spent serving with the United Nations advising on human resources planning, development and utilization in Africa while the other ten were spent on providing consultancy services. In 2004, Dr. McIntosh returned to Liberia and served for two years as the Executive Director of the Governance Reform Commission that was established under the Accra Peace Accord.
Prior to his appointment as a Senior Advisor to the ED in early August, and subsequently his election as an Executive Director, he served as the Minister of Planning and Economic Affairs for two and a half years in the Liberian Government leading a team in the reform efforts and the formulation of the Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy (IPRS) and the full PRS framework document. As Minister he served as the Alternate Governor of the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank; and was a member of Council for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Mano River Union (MRU) respectively.
The Musa Bility and Liberty Party Factor
According to The ANALYST newspaper, with the country’s biggest opposition Collaboration of Political Parties (CPP) disintegrating on a daily basis, inter-party wrangling among current and former CPP constituent members continue to pose threats to their respective quests in fronting a leader that will convince voters to elect a viable alternative to the current political dispensation, surprisingly, at the vortex of the opposition political sandstorm, the Musa Hassan Bility-backed Liberty Party is vowing to do everything within its power to put “sand” in the Unity Party’s “gari”, when it comes to the UP’s planned primary where former UP Executive Toga G. McIntosh will be going against former Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai for the standard bearer slot.
UP Boakai, UP Dr. McIntosh and Liberty Party chairman Bility Photo courtesy: The ANALYST
The paper quotes the Liberty Party’s estranged Chairman Musa Hassan Bility as saying, “just as the UP took sides in the LP conflict, the LP will openly take sides in the upcoming UP leadership contests.”
“It serves our interests now just as it served your interests then. You will get served in the same bowl you served us in. And mark my words: there will be massive changes within the UP. This is the only way the opposition will hold. Narcissism will be tamed. We will practice mutual respect and build a real coalition. And don’t even think about postponing the upcoming Convention. We have remedies for that through the legal system. You will be forced to respect your own Constitution. This is our commitment. Don’t say I didn’t tell you.
“You openly and callously supported dissent in our party, supported those who flaunted our Constitution, and refused to pay their dues; now you are talking about “must have been a due paying member”? Karma is a real MONSTER. Change is coming home. You have no control, chief. The law is the law,” Bility warned on his social media platform over the weekend.
Bility’s rant comes in the wake of news that former Unity Party executive Toga G. McIntosh, who helped the CDC win the presidential elections in 2017, has now gone back to his Unity Party to contest the upcoming UP primaries for the standard bearer position against Ambassador Joseph N. Boakai.
But in an apparent objection to Dr. McIntosh’s UP quest, the party’s Secretary General Mo Ali over the weekend posted on his social media wall, insinuating that Dr. McIntosh’s quest was dead on arrival.
“In order to qualify to participate in the UP’s convention for Standard Bearer, one must have been a due paying member for three consecutive years immediately prior to the convention. Also, one cannot qualify for SB if you had left the party prior, joined another party and supported another candidate in a presidential election,” SG Ali stated categorically, noting that the rules governing the primaries are clear and concise.
Within the coming days Liberians are anxious to see what unfolds politically in the reported emergence of Dr. Toga Gaywea McIntosh to vie for UP standard bearership. The political landscape might get muddier before it even gets clearer for the opposition in its quest to democratically unseat the CDC-led government. Will Joseph Boakai withstand the storm that is coming his way for the UP primary or will Toga Gaywea McIntosh finally get his wish accomplished to become standard bearer of the UP after he pulled out of the race in 2016 prior to the 2017 elections. Political pundits and Liberians are watching.
