–CPP Chairman Says Of Opposition Bloc

The supporters of the former governing Unity Party (UP) are of the belief that only their current standard bearer, Joseph Nyumah Boakai, who is a former Vice President of Liberia to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for 12 consecutive years, is the only person who can defeat the incumbent President George Manneh Weah come the 2023 Presidential and Legislative Elections, the Chairman of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) Musa Hassan Bility stated on Tuesday, February 14, when he appeared on a local radio, OK 99.5 FM program Afternoon Conversation Live as he gave his perspectives ahead of the October polls.

The CPP chairman, who is also the National Chairman of the opposition Liberty Party, weighing in on the current political climate ahead of the October polls, as well as what the CPP is currently doing to align with other opposition parties, stated that right now the CPP has decided that it will not go second to any party in any new collaboration because they believe their standard bearer, Alexander Benedict Cummings is the most prepared, competent and with reputable character both locally and internationally to lead Liberia after the 2023 elections are held.

Commenting on reports and speculations that the CPP political leader and standard bearer, Mr. Cummings and Unity Party political leader and standard bearer, Joseph Nyumah Boakai have met and resolved that the CPP takes the running mate slot to Mr. Boakai, Mr. Bility disclosed there has never been such meeting between his standard bearer Cummings and former VP Boakai.

“Why should Mr. Cummings go to another party standard bearer and ask to be running mate to him or her when he is the best, most prepared and competent Liberian in the race for the presidency based on his remarkable records demonstrated in the corporate world where he was under pressure to deliver quality performances, something he did for over two decades with excellence and without any blemish,” Mr. Bility wondered.

The CPP Chairman indicated further that most partisans of the former Unity Party are craving for Mr. Cummings to agree and go as running mate to their standard bearer, Joseph Boakai. “So on what basis are they requesting Mr. Cummings services, when some of them have said that he is not popular but he is competent? So are we saying we want to repeat the same mistake of 2017 when we threw competence out of the window and voted for popularity? Look at what the popularity Liberians voted for have taken the country today”? Mr. Bility lamented.

On whether the CPP will go and join the Unity Party and their ‘new collaboration’, Mr. Bility said as far as the CPP headed by Mr. Alexander Cummings is concerned, doing so will mean destroying the CPP, because when the CPP was originally organized, some of them vowed never to leave the collaboration, unlike the Unity Party and the All Liberian Party who pulled out after they were made same for their bogus allegation levied against the ANC and its leadership that they had altered the CPP Framework Document.

He said since the UP and ALP left the CPP, the ANC and LP remained and kept the collaboration going, stating the work that they are doing throughout Liberia will speak for itself during the October polls. Mr. Bility Further noted that he has not seen any other party going to the UP and ALP since the left the CPP, maybe this is why maybe they are propagating that Mr. Cummings has agreed to go as running mate to Mr. Boakai.

According to Mr. Bility, what is ironic about the utterances of some UP partisans is that they speak about experience saying that their leader served for 40 plus years in government, but Mr. Bility averred to gain lot of experience in bad governments of the past will not change Liberia to a country that every well-meaning Liberian yearns for. “We Liberians have always said our country has not developed or gotten on par with our neighbors because past governments failed the country and its people, but ironically, the very people who served in those bad governments are the people you are saying have experience to change Liberia. How can bad government or governance experience gained over the years help to change Liberia to a new country that we all crave for.” Mr. Bility wondered.

The CPP Chairman said Liberians must not make that mistake of 2017 and leave competence for popularity because being popular does not mean you are capable or competent to lead a country that needs people with right focus to take it to another level.

Concluding, Mr. CPP is opened to other opposition parties to come on board because the opposition bloc needs a united front to defeat the incumbent government, but that united front must be led by prepared, competent and hardworking characters who ready to go the extra miles to make Liberia a better place for everyone and generations unborn.

He said if it means to go back on the drawing board to find a common ground so be it, but this time around agreements will be reached where if anyone of the opposition parties goes to the run-off all of the other opposition parties that will not make it will have to support the party that reaches the second round. He disclosed this is what was done in 2017 in the Ganta Declaration and that is why when the CDC reached the second round with the Unity Party, he had to support the CDC based on the Ganta Declaration. He said similar agreement has to be made for the 2023 elections if the opposition must remain united to unseat the incumbent CDC government.