Only two months away from the Collaborating Political Parties’ national convention, confrontations and disagreements appear to be the order of the day in the bloc, with the war of words expanding to include the Chairperson of the collaboration, Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, while the eldest and most-experienced among the leaders, Ambassador Joseph N. Boakai, pretends to be silent.
Since the confusion erupted in the CPP months ago, the Standard Bearer of the Unity Party (UP), who is seen as the elder and politically experienced among the four political leaders, has said and done nothing to arrest the situation or draw the attention of those involved to their action, which has created a bad image for the collaboration.
The Political Leader of the All Liberian Party (ALP), Benoni Wilfred Urey, has made his position clear in the matter, accusing Cummings of all the misfortunes in the CPP and pledging his support to the candidacy of Boakai.
Also, the Political Leader of the Liberty Party (LP), Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, who is supposed to play a neutral role due to her position as the Chairperson of the collaboration, has joined the fight on the side of Urey, accusing Cummings of violations in procedures and content change of the CPP Framework Document and challenging him to be reasonable enough to summon the courage to take ownership of all that has transpired, as well as the crisis within the CPP.
But Cummings has stood his ground, categorically denying any wrongdoing. He blasted that Senator Karnga-Lawrence had no authority to make public the findings of the committee set up to investigate the matter until it could be reviewed by their lawyers. He also termed Urey’s allegation of altering the CPP document as unfounded claims and wild allegations, which were false and inaccurate. He said when the investigation committee came up with its report, in which the observations were different from the findings, the ANC contested it, wrote a descending view and submitted it to the National Advisory Council. He said based on their descending view, the Council advised all parties not to go public until their lawyers can review the findings, as well as ANC’s descending opinion.
From what unfolds, all three leaders of the ALP, LP and ANC have drawn their political lines and made clear their position in the hullabaloo. Unfortunately, Boakai is yet to speak.
Boakai has made many public appearances and poking into Weah administration’s lapses, promising to provide solutions if elected President of the Republic, but has failed to provide internal leadership for the CPP. Boakai has consistently said he is the only alternative for Liberia’s governance problem, but it seems like he is finding it difficult to provide leadership for his little CPP, which is far less the burden of a national problem.
Howbeit, political pundits’ observation about the CPP problem is that Boakai is either pretending not to see the fight within the CPP or is using others for his proxy war. They wondered whether this would be Boakai’s leadership style if elected president of the country, and accused him of showing no leadership ability within the collaboration.
It can be recalled that Boakai described himself as the only person competent enough to face President Weah in the 2023 polls—a statement that was in response to Cummings’ declaration that he would not go as vice running mate to anyone.
However, in his Sunday, October 10, 2021 press statement, in response to all the allegations from Karnga-Lawrence and Urey, Cummings said he is not a fraudster, thief, liar or a corrupt individual, and that he will never be, not even for the sake of becoming a president. According to him, he has never been dismissed from anywhere for corruption or any administrative malpractice.
He emphasized that the allegations against him and the ANC are false and misleading, and that the framework document offers him no advantage over any other person within the CPP. He maintained that the framework document contains all the articles as amended by the lawyers of the CPP and it was the same instrument used to register and certificate the CPP.
“I have recognized that I am up against a system that is deeply rooted in our society—a system that is intent on keeping things as they are because it benefits a few of them; a system that is intent on keeping our people uneducated so they can easily manipulate them through falsehood and propaganda; a system that will take funds intended for the people and put in the pockets of a few leaders; a system that will not create jobs for our people because the people depend on the leaders, personally, for crops; a system that has continuously said, ‘I am not one of them, I am a stranger, I am unknown and cannot cut in front of the line and not waiting for my time, that I should give chance to Ambassador Boakai, go as his Vice President and take over after his first term’.
“Because I have refused to abide by the system, which has not worked for you the people and I continue to work and earn your trust, the system is fighting back. This is why our country is where it is, because we cannot change Liberia if we do not change the system. This is how whoever tries to change the way things are done is destroyed and buried. But I will not be buried!” Cummings opens up during his yesterday press conference.
He indirectly attacked the CPP leaders on the other side of the divide with clear terms and definitions, but contested that he will challenge the “system” and will win, noting that he has been seen as the main threat to Boakai’s only chance of clinching on to the presidency.
It is now clear to Cummings that he is in a political fight with the “system” that he desires to change, but with the ratio being three to one in favor of the “system” it is difficult to predict that Cummings would triumph, especially so when he is being completely surrounded by elements of the “system”.
Some observers are wondering why Cummings keeps fighting back, knowing that all the other three parties have formed a clique against him. They, too, observed that Boakai’s silence in the midst of CPP heading to the brink of falling apart is not a sign of good leadership. They argue that the only ticket that could possibly stand up to President Weah in 2023 is a Boakai/Cummings or Cummings/Boakai ticket, as anything short of that is an indication of a Weah second term.