ALEXANDER BENEDICT CUMMINGS, the Political Leader of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), should hold himself responsible for the gutter politics now in the public domain concerning him and the presidency. In Cummings’ first letter to President George Manneh Weah, he sought to draw his attention to three matters of urgent national concern: the United States government-announced sanctions on three senior officials of the Weah administration—the Minister of State and Chief of Office Staff, Nathaniel F. McGill, the Solicitor General, Cllr. Sayma Syrenius Cephus, and the Managing Director of the National Port Authority, Bill Twehway; Representative Solomon George, a CDC partisan, asking President Weah to appoint him Police Director so that he can use that office to cause the “disappearance” of Liberians known to be in opposition to his administration; and the recent decision of the Liberian Senate to remove and replace all electoral magistrates who are trained and experienced. The problem is Cummings sought to handle these sensitive matters with the President in the media, as opposed to being seated across from the President in a First Office stakeholder discussion.
THE RESULT DISASTROUS: gutter politics. President Weah responded by informing Cummings that he has endeavored throughout his tenure in office to ensure that stakeholders such as Cummings have the requisite access that will afford the opportunity to raise views, positions, and concerns that he may have on various issues of national interest with him and officials of his administration. “So when a communication supposedly meant for my attention appears first on the front pages of newspapers and on social media, it is obvious that the intent is to achieve a political objective; an objective that has eluded you at the ballot box. But I am glad that you have finally found your voice,” President Weah, in his response, stated. “Let me remind you and other members of Liberia’s traditional elitist political class that, in spite of the political, economic, and humanitarian carnage you have caused for over a century and still feel an uncanny entitlement to the Office I now occupy: I assumed leadership through a peaceful, democratic, free, and fair process in which the people of Liberia gave me an overwhelming mandate—an election that you participated in and received a dismal seven (7%) percent vote of rejection.”
THE GUTTER DIMENSION of the atrocious civil war is drawn into the picture, one that has absolutely nothing to do with the issue at hand. “You also cannot credibly refute claims that you contributed and helped to direct the activities of the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL), a factional group in the Liberian civil war, including paying for logistical support in 2002 for MODEL rebels to travel from the Ivory Coast ports to Sinoe County in Liberia, to fight against Taylor’s Government. May I remind you that Liberians died in that military misadventure.
