On Friday and Saturday, May 13—14, 2023 in Gompa, Nimba County, the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), made up of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) and the Liberty Party (LP), officially elected Alexander B. Cummings as its Standard Bearer for the upcoming October 10, 2023 general and presidential elections. Responding to his election, Cummings humbly accepted the position and, at the same time, questioned the leadership ability of his rivals, incumbent President George M. Weah and former Vice President Joseph N. Boakai, accentuating that the presidency is not a “play-play bisnay” or an office one tries to get only to retire.
Hitting hard on President Weah’s “lackadaisical” leadership style, Cummings said, “The presidency is not a play-play bisnay, my people. This play-play bisnay has to stop, if the lives of our people will improve. It’s ok to have a singing and dancing President. I myself like to dance sometimes. But when you spend too much time only singing and dancing without working, we need to move you from the mansion and maybe put you in a studio where you actually belong.”
He further drew the Unity Party (UP) Standard Bearer, Ambassador Boakai, to the discourse. He said, “My people, the presidency is also not the office one tries to get only to retire. Electing a President who will not work is putting our country on ‘pause’. Putting our country on pause is denying our people who are already suffering from getting the help they need urgently to improve their lives. Putting the country on pause will stop serious investors from coming to create high-paying jobs for Liberians. If we reelect Mr. Play-play, or we choose to ‘pause’ the future of our country, one thing will surely happen: the hard time people are facing will only get worse!”
Cummings maintained that the CPP is not about “play-play” or “pause-pause”. “We are about serious work to fix the mess and stop the unnecessary suffering. We are about real change. Some people have become so used to doing the wrong things for so long, they will not understand why we are determined to do the right things the right way. It’s ok for them to keep things as they are because the wrong things benefit them. They do not care if it’s hurting the country and suffering the people. And so, they are making noise against us and our desire to change things. Well, as our people say, if you mind the noise in the market you will not buy your fish.”
As Team Weah leads a campaign of “Hope you can Count on” and Ambassador Boakai a campaign of “Rescue Mission”, Alexander Cummings has embarked on the “Fixing Mission”.
Cummings, from what seems to be a more prepared standpoint, termed the presidency as more than a powerful job, noting that it is a humbling responsibility to set good example, to demand higher standards for stewardship, and to deliver on promises to the people. “The presidency is a responsibility to fix the broken, corrupt and discredited system that continues to keep Liberians poor. The presidency is a responsibility to unite and lead our people to a better, secured, peaceful and more prosperous future. The presidency is a responsibility to return our nation to a place of respect in the international community,” he underscored.
“We are leaders. We are desperate to change things – desperate to do the right things for our country. We will not do the wrong things even if it is easy to do. We will not be carried away by the noise from those who are scared to change so the people’s living conditions can improve.
“This is why, in January of next year, we will begin the hard work to fix our country. Liberia deserves better, my people. The time for real change through hard work, honesty, integrity and principled leadership has come,” he stated.
Echoing the readiness of his team to fix the nation’s age-old problems of bad governance, corruption and economic stagnation, he said, “From the rolling hills of Nimba to the Wologisi in Lofa; from Cape Mount to Cape Palmas; all across the length and breadth of our dear Liberia, let the word go forth: the CPP is ready. I am ready!
“We are ready to change store boys to store owners. We are ready to raise waiter markets to shops, and transform shops to stores.
“We are ready to graduate yana boys and yana girls to business leaders and business tycoons. We are ready to give Liberian businesses, especially Liberian women businesses, the chance and resources they need to succeed.
“We are ready to change the hopelessness and lawlessness of today into the hopefulness and lawfulness of tomorrow. We are ready to change high unemployment to high employment. You wickedly cut people’s pay while the cost of living is going up; we are ready to raise people’s pay and bring the cost of living down.
“We are ready to fix what you have spoiled. We are ready to lead Liberia differently, accountably and honestly to a new future of equality and prosperity for all.”
He sounded that the country is in a deep hole—too many families are carrying way too much burdens than they can bear alone; drugs and crimes have overtaken the streets, villages and communities; too many people are jobless; too many people need to be helped.
“But we did not get here, today, by accident. A past of corruption, marginalization, division and the lack of responsible leadership, which has been worsened under the Weah administration, brought us to our current difficulties. Today, we are living in the future we built for our nation many years ago. This is why we cannot continue to go backward pretending to ourselves that by doing so we will somehow arrive in a new and different future. It really doesn’t matter how hopeful you may be, walking the same road every time will only take you to the same destination,” he noted.
Meanwhile, Cummings has promised that, within two weeks, latest May 27, he will announce his running mate. The announcement followed his endorsement as Standard Bearer along with 39 legislative aspirants for the 2023 legislative election.
The CPP Standard Bearer said he will name his preferred choice of Vice Standard Bearer in the person’s county of origin.
The CPP first National Convention was presided over by Liberty Party Chairman, Musa Hassan Bility, and brought together over 500 delegates from the 15 counties of Liberia, as well as the United States of America, Canada and other parts of the world. Several CPP stalwarts, including Nimba County Representative, Larry Yonquoi, and Grand Bassa County Representative-Aspirant, Charlene Brumskine, made special remarks of affirmations of support to the objectives and goals, including the presidential bid of Cummings. The convention was preceded by street parade in Gompa City, Nimba County, by thousands of partisans, supporters and sympathizers of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) compromising the Alternative National Congress, the Liberty Party and other political affiliates and interest groups.