Cllr.Brumskine Political Instability

Written by M. Boakai Jaleiba Jr.
Genesis

It was a calm evening and the folks from the University of Liberia seemed saturated with their plans to raise monies to pay tuition of their needed colleagues on the next day. “Ambassador Mayson will be speaking at the ULSU fundraising tomorrow”, a joyous student remarked. And as I walked past other students, it seemed as though it was the news on campus and they all looked very happy. And they had good causes too; the end of registration was fast approaching. I too, banked on their gossip dedicated the next day to listen to the man they called the Ambassador.

I went on campus soon that day in order to listen to him. The students turned out in their numbers awaiting the speech. Some of us who were the lucky ones were seated on the platform others were could only have a bird eyed view of the ambassador. He delivered a nice written speech that was not disappointing at all. Except that it had the glamour of the progressive nostalgia and for me I expected it. Battle cries swept over noisy pews given by people who I could tell whether they were supporting the ambassador or were there only because of the scholarships he had to offer. Anyway, the battle cries went on and on while ambassador beamed with great might, eyes rolling in sockets here and there at the heaped podium; and then finally, the ambassador unleashed the bombshell: “Last night a great coalition document was signed in the United States. I will support that coalition with all my might to end this imported rule. The Madam has done well and she needs to go packing”. My interpretation then of the ambassador words were, he was giving up his personal ambition to support the coalition. I was wrong because the ambassador soon started organizing grass root movements in the dominant Kru belts of West Point and New Kru Town. From all indications, the ambassador was nursing his presidential ambitions and by extension saying in a loud tune that the United States communiqué was subject to the Democratic Alliance (DA) endorsement because Cllr. Brumskine was a member of the DA.

Unveiling of Ticket and its Demise

Screaming headlines such as “Dream Ticket, Weah has scored a winning ticket for the opposition: I accept, Real Threat to the UP, etc, were captured in the local dailies. Sadly, what was meant to be the “Dream Ticket” became a curse. Few days after the signing, the first stab came from Cllr. Tubman. “Weah is dillydallying me and this is unfair. We signed the same stuff in Ghana and he has now gone to sign another one, what is this”, he angrily averred. Weah was quick to change tongue afterwards, “my mouth is no Bible”. We only agree to work together and nothing more than that. After the comments, an auxiliary grouping (Rapid Response Unit) from Weah’s own party butchered the coalition. They argued that when they needed Brumskine, he took an independent posture and so, they could not support him too. I learnt that the counselor who is “believed to have been ordained by God in 2005” met the Rapid Team and since then, things seemed to be silent. You can never tell monies may have changed hands. Anyway, this too is Liberia. While the Brumskine camp appeared to have been doing a damage control, a lethal blow was finally struck by the man regarded to be the face of CDC in Liberia, Acarious M. Gray, Deputy Secretary General of the CDC. Mr. Gray took the argument to another level; “Brumskine is not saleable to even the CDC lest to say the Liberian people. In fact, the two parties have diverse ideological opinions. I will oppose it to my death bed”, Mr. Gray lamented on a local radio show. Impatiently, the Secretary General of the CDC came out storming disagreeing with his colleague from the executive committee of their party. Whatever the outcome is, the “Dream Ticket” is becoming worthless. I am wondering whether this is really a dream ticket or dreaming ticket. Anyway, that is left with the public to decide. Like the horrible experience of coalitions in Liberia, the Me, I and Myself syndicate, the ‘God Ordained Cllr’ withdrew from the coalition. Apparently it may have occurred to him that by subjecting himself to the DA, he would lose to Ambassador Mayson.

Cllr. Brumskine withdrawal speaks volume to a character of inconsistency. Why did he join the DA in the first place? Was it to become standard bearer? I thought the DA was an opposition frontier? But let us look at the counselor’s political track record; in the 70s, he was a very active member of the youth wing of the True Whig Party, after the TWP toppling, he joined the UPP of G. Bacchus Matthews, when the UPP got banned he liaised with the Liberia Action Party in the 1985 elections. In 1997, he joined the NPP and was visibly seen campaigning with the now imprisoned former president, Charles Taylor. The two soon went separate ways after 1997 and he left Liberia. When he came to Liberia in 2002, he joined the Liberia Unification Party; he later resigned and formed two political parties (Liberty Party and the United Democratic Party). For “religious purposes”, he decided to use the Liberty Party with the UDP backing. In 2010 after labeling the DA as a group of wealthy land owners seeking relevance, he opted to joining the DA. Again, He departed company with the DA to join a Coalition for Democratic Change with Amb. Weah.

Anyway, we all know the infatuation of Cllr. Brumskine’s presidential ambition. From my experience in 2005, some pastors met at the Bethel Cathedral in Congo Town and revealed that God had spoken to them that he would be elected president. He too, perhaps overwhelmed with the “prophesy” carried a red looking Bible at every public function in 2005. Even when the results were announced, the same pastors managed to convince him that he would be inaugurated on January 16, 2006. Inasmuch they (pastors) provided no scientific basis for their stance, what I was very sure about was that no level of mathematical postulation could have made Brumskine president at the time. What became more interesting was that, either the pastors had lied or they were influenced to lie. And for me, what I believe is, God is real. He knew long before that people who have lied using his name. You see, sometimes it becomes a difficult affair trying to decipher why God allows certain persons to act as vessels to transmit wrong messages. Well, one may think that he has germane reasons to allow the bad to roam freely. Maybe, it is for them to repent. My only argument is let dreams remain dreams. Nobody should drag the supernatural into this; because dreams in themselves are a metaphysical impulsiveness. The visualizations resulting from that fake vision had a depicting conspiracy to corrupt the minds of the Christian community. The classic plot, which revealed the double-dealings of a group of political men posing as pastors, to lie using God’s name.

Apparently with a political tinge, the same pastors now in new clothes converged at the same cathedral without any proof whatsoever alleged that the Government was contemplating on removing Bible from the National Curriculum. When they were called to state their grievances, they only thrived on hearsays. The Liberia Council of Churches appeared unaware as they were brought into an unwanted political plummet by the pastors.

Little did the LCC come to realize that it was no longer a matter of religious advocacy but an issue of unwarranted spite in a personal vendetta! What a tragic approach in our quests to trade with the Bible!

Which way now for the Cllr?

It has been clearly established that there are new ways and means through which the power magnate intends to soar high upon the clouds of deceit and obsession behind the façade of competence, integrity and religiosity. However, if Cllr. Brumskine is to triumph in his subtleties, he will need a following in the order of weaklings. This may turn out to be the strongest motivations behind the vendetta. Unfortunately, a cross-section of the unsuspecting zealots ganging behind the plot, are unaware of the true motives and will be duped. In 2005, he labeled Amb. Weah as a semi-literate young man who was not ready for political power, whether that has changed remains a debate. Does he really believe in Amb. Weah or is he just interested in the votes that Weah woos? This is the question the CDC needs to answer!

In a dogged quest to become president, he will now focus on halting the cloudbursts and spent his resources in silencing his critics in the CDC. That is why the Amb. Weah has now joined the Brumskine choir to badmouth the critics in the CDC. Whether that will make him acceptable to the CDCeans is another question. But from all clues, the Cllr. Brumskine seems to be unpopular with the constituents of his newly found political bedfellows.

Another issue that must be taken into serious consideration is the case with the now defunct Friends of Brumskine (FOB). The FOB was undoubtedly the strongest intellectual force in his 2005 presidential bid. Where are those young men today, who were in the street corners, ghettos, pavements, etc? Where are the Lamine Kpargois, Isaac Jacksons, Emmanuel Munyenehs, Abel Vokers, Solomon Boes, Nathaniel Toes, and Sampson Dolos? Cllr. Brumskine, where are these intellectual generals? Either they are opposing you now or are just discouraged as the result of your actions. Building new alliances is going to be fruitless without addressing the issue concerning those missing generals.

It is now being rumored that he is organizing the CDC executive committee to push Acarious Gray aside to allow him solidify his empire. The question now is: Will the CDC push Mr. Gray aside for a man who refused to support it during the runoff elections in 2005? Will that be a popular decision? Is Weah prepared now to sacrifice the tough- talking Acarious away for Brumskine? This is a wait and see situation.

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The actor is M. Boakai Jaleiba, Jr. and can be reached at jaleibaboakai@yahoo.com. Cell: 00231-6569-729  He quietly resides in the E.L.W.A. Community.