–Speaker Koffa Tells CDCians
The Speaker of the 55th National Legislature, Cllr. Jonathan Fonati Koffa, has assured the Boakai/Koung administration that the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) will do nothing to bring the government down, and at the same time encouraged partisans of the CDC to look in the way that will harness their large base into a force of governance.
Cllr. Koffa made the statement at the CDC Youth Townhall Meeting held over the weekend at the George Weah Theater, in the surroundings of the Baptist Seminary community, stating that the responsibility as the largest party in West Africa, first, is to keep the peace in the country.
“Nothing we are going to do to bring this government down,” he told the CDC youth.
Retrospecting on the 2023 presidential and general elections, he pinpointed that he observed that one of the mistakes that the CDC made was lack of coordination between party and government, which he indicated led to the party’s defeat to the Unity Party.
According to him, “If we return I think it is that lack of coordination that led us not to harness and kept engaged the masses of army of youth that brought CDC to power. This is the time when we meet each other and look strict in the face and say the hard facts and the hard truth, because we are trying to move forward.”
He emphasized that the former ruling CDC had the tools to be able to win the in 2023 general elections, however, the party’s army, masses, and base did not get the acquittance, like coordinating; instead, they were too busy and thinking about 2029 while in 2023.
Speaker Koffa also spoke of the wave of undermining each other, leading to the process of elimination against each other, which they took for granted. “Making a unified force among our leadership to harness all of the collective energy to deliver 2023, those mistakes should be lessons learned. No individual should be greater than the masses. When the time comes the masses will choose their leaders,” he added.
“So, when we arrived at this point, there is a certain thing I have to say to you: 2029 will not come any earlier than 2029. But sometimes I see a little panic among us this early. Though I didn’t play football, but in any match your opponent will score early but that is not the end of the game. The end of the game is when the scores are counted you must be ahead.
“As we look forward to 2029, of which I am confident that all of the resources to deliver that day, we must look at the preparation process to begin to understand that in the future our revolutionary efforts must be united between party and government. The Liberian people look up to that.
“We have come to you today to say, as head of the first branch of government, it is my responsibility to deliver a government to you in 2029. As you have gathered here in this town hall meeting to commensurate with each other, I want to say to you bravo. Let us continue to be steadfast, work together so that in 2029 your efforts will be turned into joy,” he further said.
From July 19—20, 2024 the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) organized a townhall meeting with youth of the party to discuss critical issues and to have the time and opportunity to brainstorm ahead of 2029. The gathering brought together stalwarts of the party as well as youth groups.
For his part, the acting Chairman of the CDC briefed the gathering about a pending retreat, which he said will also be used to establish the way forward.
He then lambasted the ruling Unity Party for failing under its own incompetence, alleging that the government has no plan for the country, mentioning the violation of the Constitution of Liberia, among other things.