The Standard Bearer of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), Alexander Cummings, has urged the National Legislature to act with the “required leadership and courage” in the face of the failed 2022 National Population and Housing Census, for which Liberians observed an unnecessary public holiday on November 11, 2022.
Cummings said the Liberian Constitution specifically enjoins the Legislature to “cause a census of the Republic to be undertaken every ten years”.
He said the Legislature’s failure “to demand obedience to and compliance with the Constitutional schedules, and its continuous silence amidst President George Weah’s gross ineptitude and scandalous failing, leaves Liberians with the unfortunate impression of the Legislature shared breach and dangerous collusion with the President to violate the Constitution”.
The CPP Standard Bearer sounded the warning Thursday, November 17, at a major press conference in Monrovia.
Cummings said since the announcement of the National Population and Housing Census seven days ago, not much, if anything at all, has been done to credibly and competently conduct the Constitutionally required census, nearly five years into the President’s administration.
The CPP Standard Bearer made reference to media reports concerning the Liberia Institute for Statistics and Geo-Information Services’ shameful scandals of stealing, abuse of office and display of gross incompetence, a direct reflection of the character and failures of the Weah government. He stated, “This unfortunate situation is being further compounded by the continued lack of leadership by our vacationing President, at the expense of the failing image of the country and the unbearable suffering of the Liberian people.”
He said President Weah is flying around in private chartered jets and sleeping in luxurious hotels at the expense of Liberians, while his people, including an eight-week baby, got drowned, and vast majority sleep in slums, without food, due to scarcity of the nation’s staple food, rice.
“Although he declared the census holiday, such is the unbelievably poor quality of leadership and obvious lack of judgment by the President that he and his officials would have been out of the country and excluded from the counting had the census actually happened,” Cummings said.
He said these leadership lapses and persistent Constitutional violations are the makings of the dreaded imperial presidency and effectively undermine democratic governance in favor of dictatorships, against which many fought, sacrificed and died to end in Liberia.
The CPP Standard Bearer cautioned against the country sliding back to chaos due to poor leadership; massive suffering, caused by shameless stealing, wasteful spending; unfair salaries deductions; and looting of the public coffers by public officials.
“We cannot continue to watch the President and administration demonstrate gross incompetence to the point of dangerously threatening our hard-won peace, security and democracy,” Cummings warned.
He demanded that President Weah apologizes for the unnecessary holiday, which caused businesses to shut down, disrupted normal life, only to see that the supposed beginning of the failed and fiasco census was marred by protests nationwide, due to lack of leadership, poor preparations, scandals and general unreadiness.
“Seeing the sufferings, pains and neglect of the Liberian people in a country, God has blessed with so much natural wealth, compels us to fight corruption, end the stealing and serve our people with honesty and diligence,” Cummings said.
He vowed that a Cummings administration would thoroughly audit and forcefully prosecute all on-going financial scandals, dealings and stealing, without exception, fear or favor, irrespective of who is involved.
On reports that LISGIS whistleblower, Alex Williams, and family life are being threatened, the CPP Standard Bearer called on the government of President Weah to ensure he and his family’s protection against any bodily harm or killing, noting that Liberians have seen enough of mysterious deaths and unresolved murders in the country.