IPNEWS-Monrovia: On Friday, September 9, 2022, the National Chairman of the governing Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), Mulbah Morlu told Liberians and the world at large that the three parties that make up the CDC – the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), former government National Patriotic Party (NPP) and the Liberia People Democratic Party (LPDP) had reaffirmed their respective willingness to work together ahead of the presidential race.
Speaking at that news conference that was held at the headquarters of the party in Monrovia, CDC’s national chairman Mulbah Morlu quoting their reaffirmation document said, “We, the leaders, standard-bearers and chairpersons of political parties constituting the Coalition for Democratic Change, namely the National Patriotic Party (NPP) the Liberia People Democratic Party (LPDP), and the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC); in recognition of the tremendous development gains of the CDC-led government, which remains committed to fulfilling the solemn promises that inspired into existence the Coalition for Democratic Change; were as, acknowledging the president efforts of the CDC-led government, in the delivery of basic social services, good governance, genuine national reconciliation, accountability, national infrastructural development, respect for reconciliation, and respect for fundamental and inalienable human rights enshrined in constitution of Liberia reaffirmed our commitment of working together for the pending election.”
CDC national chairman Mulbah Morlu
According to the document, the agreement is on the basis of tremendous development gains of the CDC-led government in the delivery of basic social services, good governance, genuine national reconciliation, and accountability among others.
The agreement further spelled out that the three parties’ reaffirmation of commitment is realizing that the impressive achievements of the Weah-led government and the enabling democratic space it has ascertained, is a watershed movement for “our County, an opportunity to have embraced as a Patriotic and institutional imperative to support its continuity”
According to the document which allows President Weah to retain the standard bearer of the CDC, Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor as vice standard bearer and Mr. Mulbah Morlu as national chairman indicates that realizing that the impressive achievements of the Weah led- government and the enabling democratic space it has ascertained, is a watershed moment for our Country, an opportunity we have embraced as a patriotic and institutional imperative to support its continuity; “Cognizant that our collective support for the Weah led-government is in the supreme cause of the great people of Liberia in whose interest the Pro-Poor Agenda for property and Development (PAPD) is being successfully implemented. Now, therefore, we the following political parties; Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) National Patriotic Party (NPP), and the Liberia People Democratic Party 2016 agreement and henceforth, reaffirm our commitment to the Coalition for Democratic Change 2023 Legislature and Presidential Elections,” the document concludes.
The reaffirmation of commitment, which was signed on September 8, 2022, is a baseline political settlement to secure a second-term presidential bid for former football legend and Senator of Montserrado County George Weah.
NPP, LPDP Except to Reaffirmation Agreement penned with CDC
The pronouncement by CDC national chairman Morlu Mulbah regarding the reaffirmation framework document that is expected to propel the George Weah-led government to a second term was seen and regarded by CDCians and supporters of the Weah’s administration as a positive step but there seems a fragile situation relative to power-sharing as there are reports that a rift is said to be deepening with the NPP and LPDP clarifying the reports of the full grown agreement.
Former House Speaker Alex Tyler – LPDP and NPP national chairman Sen. James Biney
The National Party (NPP) of Senator James Biney and Liberia People Democratic Party (LPDP) of Alex Tyler recently clarified at a joint press conference that “as of yet, there is no binding instrument signed among the 3 political parties making up the Coalition of Democratic Change. Congress of Democratic Change (CDC), National Patriotic Party (NPP) and the Liberia People Democratic Party (LPDP) entered coalition that enabled Ambassador George Weah and Ms. Jewel Howard Taylor to win the 2017 Elections as President and Vice President of Liberia.”
The Chairman of the NPP, Senator James Biney and LPDP’s Alex Tyler said at the press conference that the three parties making up the Coalition of Democratic Change reaffirmed, which is an expression of intent, not a legal framework, to work together for the October 2023 Elections.
Weah in 2017 during one of CDC’s campaign trails
According to the NPP and LPDP, the reaffirmation document will set the basis for the three political parties, at their respective national conventions, scrutinize the proposal of sustaining a coalition. This means the anticipation of a full-grown agreement among the three parties remains fluid.
LPDP and NPP revealed at the press conference that their individual party’s resolution to define their roles and participation in the coalition, if there should be any, will require the signatures of at least two-third of their party’s national executive committees in line with their constitutions and the guidelines and regulations of the National Elections Commission regarding the formation of alliances, coalitions and mergers of political parties.
The joint recent press statement containing their clarification was signed by NPP Secretary General-Andrew Peters and LPDP’s Secretary General, Eric Kpayea, approved by NPP Chair James Biney and Chief Moses Kollie, National Chairman of LPDP.
Five years in power, the coalition is stamped by power inequity within itself, reported massive corruption and personal wealth-gain at the expense of others, as aggrieved parties of the coalition claimed.
Flashback: CDCians gathered in the thousands in 2017 during the party campaign
Meanwhile, some LPDP youth leaders and constituent coordinators are calling for the withdrawal of the signatures of their respective political parties on the statement reaffirming collaboration with the Congress for Democracy of President George Weah. They claimed the CDC government has over time deprived the two other parties, NPP and LPDP, from public jobs in government.
Though NPP has the vice presidency which its standard bearer, Jewel Howard Taylor occupies, other officials remain dissatisfied on job distribution, accusing the Congress for Democratic Change for “singlehandedly running the affairs of the coalition and country”.
NPP itself experiences internal conflict that influenced a near attack of its Chairman James Biney at the birthday celebration of jailed NPP’s Godfather Charles Taylor. The party’s internal rift saw a supreme court’s opinion recently.
The Congress for Democratic Change itself is experiencing some of the nastiest public condemnations from some of its stalwarts who have gone disgruntled. Some of Weah own buddies are brutal in words against his regime.
Mr. George Solo, a former chairman of the party, Dr. Lester Tenny, who resigned top job from National Oil Company among others since began public demeaning conversations against Weah and his closest officials, three of whom suffer US sanctions.
Some aggrieved CDCians left the party because they have not benefitted from the revolution that they struggled for over the years.
The trio in 2017 signed an agreement that subsequently gave birth to the now ruling Coalition for Democratic Change.
The tripartite agreement was expected to be reviewed by all three constituent political parties ahead of the 2023 elections.
The Prospects and Challenges of Retaining State Power in 2023
It can be recalled the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) of George Weah was unable to single-handedly win presidential elections in 2005 and 2011 respectively against former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s Unity Party (UP), despite securing the first place in the first round of the election in 2005; until it had to form a coalition with the former ruling NPP of jailed Liberian president Charles Taylor and former House Speaker Alex Tyler.
Dr. Lester Tenny (right) has always cautioned Pres. Weah to recalibrate as all is not yet lost
And so when the newly-formed Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) won the 2017 presidential elections against former Vice President Joseph Boakai and his Unity Party, it was clear that the CDC achieved that feat due to the presence of the NPP of Charles Taylor that still had a strong political base in Bong County, in its ranks.
Fast forward to five years into their reign and with few months to the 2023 presidential and legislative elections, the issue of power-sharing equitably still remains a huge concern for two other constituent members of the CDC – the NPP of vice president Jewel Howard Taylor and Alex Tyler’s LPDP.
According political pundits, the Coalition is stamped by power inequity within itself, reported massive corruption and personal wealth-gain at the expense of others, as aggrieved parties of the coalition claimed. Will this impediment within the Coalition be resolved before the polls of 2023? That what the leaders of the CDC must begin to focus on ahead of the 2023 polls if they want to retain state power.
CDC chairman Mulbah Morlu and his team have a herculean task ahead of 2023
Another issue of concern for the CDC, according to one of its former ideologues, Dr. Lester Tenny is the party has to resolve issues with their disenchanted members who have claimed over the years that they were ill-treated and never benefitted from the fruits of their labor, when as opponents the sacrificed for the party to remain afloat until it was able to defeat the former ruling UP of Joseph Boakai.
According to Dr. Tenny, the real opposition to the CDC are the disenchanted CDCians and not necessarily the main opposition. He said due to the disenchantment, disenchanted CDCians will join the opposition to vote the Weah’s administration out of power if it does not smoke a peace pipe with those die-hard CDCians who become disenchanted after being left by the wayside by the Weah-led government.
The ball is now in the court of the CDC with just months away to the 2023 presidential and legislative elections. Will the CDC muster the courage to correct the wrongs, first internally, and secondly, to do those thing the country and its people after 14 of Liberia’s 15 counties elected the Weah-led government in 2017? Time and ticking fast and political pundits are watching keenly.
