On 2nd Thoughts: CDCians make statement

At the time members of the opposition bloc are busy tearing each other apart, partisans of the Coalition for Democratic Change came out in their numbers on Saturday, February 4, to make a profound statement as they endorsed the reelection of President George Weah ahead of this year’ s elections. As they marched towards the Antoinette Tubman Stadium in central…

By Othello B. Garblah

At the time members of the opposition bloc are busy tearing each other apart, partisans of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) came out in their numbers on Saturday, February 4, to make a profound statement as they endorsed the reelection of President George Weah ahead of this year’s elections.

They were vociferous as they zealously paraded the principal streets of the tiny west African state’s capital donned in their party paraphernalia. They were in their thousands.

As they marched towards the Antoinette Tubman Stadium in central Monrovia where they endorsed the reelection bid of President Weah, their statement of intent was clear.

They remained supportive of their standard bearer and want him to continue regardless of allegations of corruption and looming poverty amidst high unemployment in the country.

The pending October election will be Liberia’s fourth after more than two decades of back-to-back brutal civil wars. The stakes for this election are high-the incumbent wants to retain power saying, he has some unfinished businesses. At the same time, the opposition believes another term would spell doom for the country.

Members of the opposition continue to accuse the Weah regime of plundering state’s resources with impunity. They also accused him of not just rampant corruption and shielding his officials from prosecutions but also of reversing every post-war gain made during the previous administration of Liberia and Africa’s first female President Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

But the CDC thinks otherwise. They argued that President Weah has done more in the last 5-years than all his predecessors combined.

However, despite the resolve by members of the opposition to ensure that President Weah is not given a second shot at the presidency, their words do not match their actions or politics.

The opposition parties continue to prove that they lack unity and remain divided. They would prefer pulling each other down the drain while giving the president an undue advantage ahead of the elections.

Their divisions have forced some non-supporters of the CDC to pledge support to the ruling establishment because of the glaring disunity among opposition members.

For example, members of the former ruling Unity Party cannot stand the sight of Mr. Alexander B. Cummings of the Alternative National Congress who now heads the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) of which the UP and two other parties-Liberty Party and All Liberian Party were a party.

UP and ALP pulled out and filed a case of forgery against Mr. Cummings, while a faction of the Liberty Party headed by its embattled Chairman and Secretary General remains in the CPP. The case against Mr. Cummings was subsequently dropped due to lack of evidence.

But that is not all. A planned opposition rally styled and titled: “We Taya Suffering” failed to attract huge numbers because some opposition leaders were more opposed to the individuals driving the rally rather than its intended reason, which was to speak with one voice in telling the President to fix the system.

The likes of opposition candidate Tiawan Gongloe and the Unity Party leaders were very clear in telling their followers to stay off the rally. Another opposition party-NDPL planned to stage a counter-rally in opposing the CPP rally, even though it did not make good its threats.

Again, opposition members troll former Vice President Joseph Boakai on social media when he sought medical attention at the Christian-run ELWA Hospital in Paynesville. They were busy trying to prove to the Liberian people that Mr. Boakai is unfit to run for President rather than offering him words of prayers for his speedy recovery.

The opposition bloc is stronger in its crab mentality but very poor when it comes to the Ants’ mentality which employs collective efforts to achieve one goal.

It does not require any scientific data for anyone to acknowledge that President Weah will win another six-year term if the opposition bloc remains in its crab mentality.

And rightfully so, the CDC has a foundation on which to base its reelection arguments. The ongoing road construction projects, hospitals, and housing units among others.

However, the CDC faces a major challenge when it comes to defending the state of the country’s economy, corruption, and poverty amidst huge unemployment.

But regardless, CDC stands tall against the opposition in retaining power in 2023 unless members of the opposition put away their “crabology” and bury their hatchets to put up a united front.

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