Monday, May 2, 2011

Liberia: Palace Coup In CDC - Tubman Ousts CDC's Chief Emeritus


Source: All Africa


Following more than three years of futile efforts to merge the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) with mainstream political parties and replace its founder and standard-bearer emeritus, soccer legend Amb. George Manneh Weah, partisans have finally managed to pull a partial success. If the verdict of the party’s last week Kakata Convention is not otherwise overturned, CDC is going to the presidential polls later this year with a non-partisan at the helm! The Analyst’s J. Edwood N. Dennis, reports.

After three days of grueling contentions and maneuvering, partisans of CDC have decided to go to the presidential polls later this year, hooting LINU’s standard-bearer Winston Tubman as presidential candidate and George Weah as vice presidential candidate.

The more than 250 certified CDC convention delegates drawn from across the country made the decision during the party’s national convention held over the weekend in Kakata, Margibi County.

CDC’s Tubman-Weah ticket, delegates are convinced, will present a formidable challenge to the reelection bid of President Johnson-Sirleaf.

But the decision was not as easy to come as it sounds plausible to some partisans and observers who believe that institutional merger or coalitions would help reduce the number of presidential candidates and cut down the possibility of runoff, which election officials say is likely to consume more than 60% of the nation’s 2011 election budget.

How it happenedFollowing hours of debate over the admission of Mr. Tubman as partisan and on a CDC ticket, given that he was not a partisan, the moment finally came for democracy and majority rule to take precedence over sentiment.

Montserrado County delegate, C. Max Doryen, hooted several crowd-rousing battle cries and moved to nominate Cllr. Tubman for standard-bearer.

No sooner had Doryen taken his seat and his supporter quieted down than long-time Weah for president diehard, CDC General Secretary, Acarious Gray, took to the podium to nominate Weah, appealing to delegates’ sense of party loyalty, commitment to continuity, gratefulness to Weah’s sacrifice, and the sanctity of CDC constitution.

Weah’s nomination was embraced with resounding applauses, accompanied by strings of battle cries that reminded delegates of Weah’s days in 2005 as the lone ranger who rocked the political machinery of UP and sent fear down the spines of mainstream politicians and their international backers at the time.

But if political battle cries are known to translate into votes, the CDC convention did not uphold that; rather, it taught a lesson that this year’s eligible voters for the presidential and legislative elections will do well to learn: it is eligible votes cast, not battle cries and the size or rowdiness of campaign turnouts that do the trick.

But that was before Weah let the cat out of the bag, telling delegates that what they were about to witness was predetermined.

Mounting the podium and looking over the audience, the Liberian soccer legend turned politician, acknowledged speculations that the upcoming voting process was “stage-managed”. He declared that he had voluntarily decided to relinquish the post of standard-bearer of CDC.

The CDC standard-bearer emeritus told partisans that it was with a heavy heart that he was addressing the occasion

“It is with a heavy heart that I address you all today, but also one of enthusiasm and hope. Heavy because we have bonded and built emotional ties along the way with me as your leader, which is hard to envision changing but portion of hope and enthusiasm is bigger because it gives us a chance to evolve our relationship,” Weah said.

He said CDC was larger than any one partisan, including himself, and that therefore its existence, rather than the political obsession of its leaders, should be the concern of every partisan.

The CDC founding chairman then promised to work with CDC partisans here and abroad to bring success and promote it to nobler heights, which befit the dreams and aspirations the people of Liberia.

As he spoke, the otherwise lively crowd sank into grieve. Even tough-talking Acarious Gray, was seen breaking down in tears, clutching party chairperson, Madam Geraldine Doe- Sherif, who sat next to him.

By then, Weah’s tune has become unsteady and incoherent as tear welled up his eyes, tried as he did to put up a brave face, while he pledged to uphold the rule and laws of the party to his death.

Following the speech of the CDC political marksman, voting got underway with no doubt left in any delegate that it was about endowing Tubman with the gavel of CDC on silver platter than about putting majority rule to work – about the power of caucus over majority rule.

When the result of the vote was finally tallied and presented to the delegates, 118 delegates wanted Tubman to lead their party to the poll while 111 chose Weah.

Prior to the commencement of the nomination process, CDC delegates voted overwhelmingly through a special committee to repel and amend a portion of the party’s constitution that required a three or more year’s partisanship for anyone vying for party leadership. The amendment qualified Cllr. Tubman to contest and hold the standard-bearer position of CDC.

An exhilarated Tubman assured delegates after the election that he was ready to lead the party to victory and beyond that, meet the challenges facing the nation.

He hailed Amb. Weah for taking steps that would be difficult for any Liberian politician to take, stressing that his acceptance of competition as well as defeat affirmed him a true patriot and unifier in Liberia.

For her part, CDC chairperson Sherif told partisans and Cllr. Tubman that the day was dawn in the CDC, especially as Liberians were awaiting the 2011 elections with eagle eyes.

She noted that the party would work with him as it did with Mr. Weah to ensure victory in the 2011 elections

News Headline

Inside Liberia with Bernard Gbayee Goah

Everyone is a genius

Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. – A Einstein

Drawing the line in Liberia

Crimes sponsored, committed, or masterminded by handful of individuals cannot be blamed upon an entire nationality. In this case, Liberians! The need for post-war justice is a step toward lasting peace, stability and prosperity for Liberia. Liberia needs a war crimes tribunal or some credible legal forum that is capable of dealing with atrocities perpetrated against defenseless men, women and children during the country's brutal war. Without justice, peace shall remain elusive and investment in Liberia will not produce the intended results. - Bernard Gbayee Goah



Men with unhealthy characters should not champion any noble cause

They pretend to advocate the cause of the people when their deeds in the dark mirror nothing else but EVIL!!
When evil and corrupt men try to champion a cause that is so noble … such cause, how noble it may be, becomes meaningless in the eyes of the people - Bernard Gbayee Goah.

If Liberia must move forward ...

If Liberia must move forward in order to claim its place as a civilized nation amongst world community of nations, come 2017 elections, Liberians must critically review the events of the past with honesty and objectivity. They must make a new commitment to seek lasting solutions. The track records of those who are presenting themselves as candidates for the position of "President of the Republic of Liberia" must be well examined. Liberians must be fair to themselves because results from the 2011 elections will determine the future of Liberia’s unborn generations to come - Bernard Gbayee Goah

Liberia's greatest problem!

While it is true that an individual may be held responsible for corruption and mismanagement of funds in government, the lack of proper system to work with may as well impede the process of ethical, managerial, and financial accountability - Bernard Gbayee Goah

What do I think should be done?

The situation in Liberia is Compound Complex and cannot be fixed unless the entire system of government is reinvented.
Liberia needs a workable but uncompromising system that will make the country an asylum free from abuse, and other forms of corruption.
Any attempt to institute the system mentioned above in the absence of rule of law is meaningless, and more detrimental to Liberia as a whole - Bernard Gbayee Goah

Liberia's Natural Resources
Besides land water and few other resources, most of Liberia’s dependable natural resources are not infinite, they are finite and therefore can be depleted.
Liberia’s gold, diamond, and other natural resources will not always be an available source of revenue generation for its people and its government. The need to invent a system in government that focuses on an alternative income generation method cannot be over emphasized at this point - Bernard Gbayee Goah

Liberia needs a proper system
If Liberians refuse to erect a proper system in place that promotes the minimization of corruption and mismanagement of public funds by government institutions, and individuals, there will come a time when the value of the entire country will be seen as a large valueless land suited on the west coast of Africa with some polluted bodies of waters and nothing else. To have no system in place in any country is to have no respect for rule of law. To have no respect for rule of law is to believe in lawlessness. And where there is lawlessness, there is always corruption - Bernard Gbayee Goah

Solving problems in the absence of war talks

As political instability continues to increase in Africa, it has become abundantly clear that military intervention as a primary remedy to peace is not a durable solution. Such intervention only increases insecurity and massive economic hardship. An existing example which could be a valuable lesson for Liberia is Great Britain, and the US war on terror for the purpose of global security. The use of arms whether in peace keeping, occupation, or invasion as a primary means of solving problem has yield only little results. Military intervention by any country as the only solution to problem solving will result into massive military spending, economic hardship, more fear, and animosity as well as increase insecurity. The alternative is learning how to solve problems in the absence of war talks. The objective of such alternative must be to provide real sustainable human security which cannot be achieved through military arm intervention, or aggression. In order to achieve results that will make the peaceful coexistence of all mankind possible, there must be a common ground for the stories of all sides to be heard. I believe there are always three sides to every story: Their side of the story, Our side of the story, and The truthBernard Gbayee Goah

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