–But former Speaker Alex Tyler’s LPDP Boycotts Ceremony
Two of the three party-coalition that made up the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change, CDC, the Congress for Democratic Change, CDC, and the National Patriotic Party, NPP, on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, signed a new Coalition document to reaffirm their commitment to work together with just eight months to the October 2023 legislative and presidential elections.
Liberia People’s Democratic Party, LPDP, another constituent member of the ruling Coalition, boycotted the signing ceremony, although it was its Chairman, Moses Y. Kollie, that read the petition document on last Saturday, February 4, 2023 when several thousands of partisans of the CDC petitioned President Weah to seek a second term.
LPDP’s standard bearer, Alex Tyler did not attend last Saturday’s petitioning ceremony. Mr. Tyler in a recent statement said he was not being treated fairly by the other constituent party, Congress for Democratic Change during the first term of its administration.
CDC National Chairman, Mulbah Morlu, had said all was set for the signing ceremony and that all constituent members would have been on hand to sign the new framework document.
During Tuesday, February 7, 2023, signing ceremony, CDC’s National Chairman, Mulbah Morlu, signed for his party, while Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor, political leader of the former ruling NPP, signed for the NPP at the ceremony held at the Coalition’s headquarters in Congo Town.
President George Weah, standard bearer of the CDC, did not attend the signing ceremony as was anticipated as Party officials said he had a traveling engagement.
Meanwhile, NPP’s National Chairman, James Biney, and National Secretary, Andrew Peters, did not attend the ceremony. Mr. Biney had said the NPP would have not signed the Coalition document because the constituent Party Congress for Democratic has not also treated them well during its nearly six-year administration.
The NPP and LPDP had repeatedly expressed their disillusionment over what they said was the uneven distribution of jobs among parties that formed the Coalition. In September 2022, as the CDC was preparing for its retreat in Gbarnga, Bong County, members of the Coalition for Democratic Change said they were enthusiastic about the signing of the Coalition’s reaffirmation and unity document.
Days following the September Reaffirmation, and Unity Document, the NPP and LPDP clarified that a recent joint statement signed by leaders of the three constituent political parties, including the Congress for Democratic Change that formed the Coalition for Democratic Change was a declaration of intent to work together in the 2023 presidential and legislative elections and not a final agreement.
The Congress for Democratic Change, LPDP and NPP on September 8, 2022, signed a joint statement, reaffirming their commitment to work together during this year’s presidential and legislative elections. The joint statement said the framework document will, among other things, spell out interests of the parties in the governance process of the Country and procedure for selecting legislative candidates. The NPP and LPDP joint press statement was signed by Andrew Peters and Eric Kpayea, Secretary
Five years since they took power after winning the presidency in 2017, all has not been rosy in the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change, as the NPP has suffered intra-party conflicts, while some members of the LPDP and CDC are dissatisfied about jobs distribution.
Recently, some members of the national youth congress and the constituent coordinators of the LPDP expressed dissatisfaction on the agreement that brought them into marriage, calling on their leaders, Moses Kollie and Alex Tyler to withdraw their signatures.
According to them, both Chairman Kollie and Political Leader Tyler should recall their signatures because they (youths and constituent coordinators) are not happy with the manner their party has been treated in terms of governance of the country.
They complained that there has been unfair distribution of jobs in the government especially, political appointments.
Some time ago, some members of the NPP similarly expressed dissatisfaction about distribution of jobs in the coalition-run government.
Besides, the leadership of the NPP has been locked in a legal battle between its embattled chairman Senator James Birney and political leader, Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor.
But the case was resolved by the Supreme Court and the lower court gave the James Biney leadership 45 days to take the party to national convention and elect new corps of leadership, which has been scheduled for October.
The Congress for Democratic Change has had its own share of internal strife with reports of dissatisfaction among some members because of alleged failure of leaders to offer them jobs.
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.
However, CDC National Chairman, Mulbah Morlu had earlier assured that the Signing Ceremony will go ahead as planned as all constituent parties would have be on hand to sign the COALITION AGREEMENT on Tuesday, February 7, 2023.
