MONROVIA – What initially started on the evening of Tuesday, July 19, 2022 as frank discussions on the usual Spoon TV Talk Show on trending issues in the polity of the country especially as it relates to the reported ongoing discussion among estranged political actors as the crucial 2023 general and presidential elections draw nearer, snowballed into a heated exchange of thoughts between regular panelist Keff Hassan, a known government follower and a supporter of the Coalition for Democratic Change; and Atty. Moriah Yeakula of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) as to which of the two parties has the message that resonates with the people and will have the edge to be voted in 2023.
The moderator of the night session, former National Chairman of the opposition Liberty Party (LP) Benjamin Sanvee, after listening to the opening briefs from all the panelists, had asked Keff Hassan his take as to what will define the voters’ response to the plea of the various political parties in 2023 and what the parties could be doing preparatory to the bigger stage when the campaign officially kicks off sometime next year. He also made some specific reference to the reported ongoing discussion among the various political leaders from the opposition block, especially the possibility of Alexander B. Cummings being part of another process to unite the opposition community into a single block and wrestle power from President George Manneh Weah and his CDC government in 2023.
Responding as expected, Keff took a swipe against the opposition for not being able to form a united front, stating that the opposition camp will not have the resonating message the Liberian people are looking forward to as it relates to providing solutions to the country’s myriad problems. He said the CDC on the other hand will have the right message for the people as the CDC-led government has done a lot for the people.
“Let us make the case for the Liberian people and the party that has been making the case to the Liberian people will win the election; and they are not making the case to the Liberian people. The only case they are making is ‘We don’t want George Manneh Weah, if we will have to sleep with the devil, we will but we don’t want George Manneh Weah’. The last time we had this idea, 250,000 people died,” he said.
Speaking of Cummings’s strategy to win the opposition sole ticket, Keff said the ANC leader knowing that he does not have political capital in the country, has been excited in recent time to honor the invitation from the other opposition leaders, some of whom some time ago took him to court for alleged forgery and tampering with the framework document of the opposition block, the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) which is now left with two parties, the ANC and LP, for discussion on the way forward towards presenting a single formidable force in 2023 against the ruling establishment.
He said Cummings has now planned to honor any meeting from the Standard Bearer of the Unity Party (UP), Joseph Nyumah Boakai, because according to him Cummings believes he can buy Boakai out just as he bought over the ANC and became its political leader and standard bearer. Keff said for Cummings, who is eager to be leader of the nation, anything is possible with Boakai and believes when it comes to Boakai and the UP he can use money to outweigh them anytime because according to Keff, when Boakai is bought off, about 75% of the membership of UP will follow him (Cummings), and added to what he has already, he will be elected President.
“We will make the case to Ma Mary, to Pa Flomo, to the Liberian people. We will go out there and tell the people that they want to bring targeted sanctions to take out George Manneh Weah because they think “he is not one of us”. Mr. Cummings will say: look Mr. Boakai, you can’t be President, we will buy you, we will pay you so as to back down,” Keff said in a defiant tone.
Responding to the Keff, Atty Yeakula retorted him and wondered which government he was referring to. She then gave a laundry of areas the government woefully failed to address and the challenges they pose to the overall development of the country.
“I don’t know which government Keff is talking about. It cannot be the government of CDC and Keff cannot sit here to talk about sending out messages of development; which development are you going to tell Ma Mary when Ma Mary cannot buy a decent meal for she and her family, when Ma Mary cannot find money for transportation to go to Red Light or Duala to sell her potato green, cassava leaf and they could spoil; when she cannot find money to pay her children school fees or money to sell her market”, she deflated Keff’s assertion.
Continuing she said, “What is there about the 2 by 4 roads constructed in communities that serve the interest of the government or spending money for the past five years on lobbying for the targeted sanctions not to be placed on your government that has done nothing to change the lives of the people”.
Moriah who formerly served as Chief of Staff to Cummings before leaving for further studies in the United States where she recently graduated with a Master’s degree in Law, said the only person that can give message to Ma Mary is the person who has not taken state power and who has not stolen the people’s money, who has not made Ma Mary poorer than she was five years ago, is the person who will bring real change and “that person is Mr. Cummings” not the CDC led government.
She said the CDC is jittery right now because the opposition community is coming together to have a conversation, adding that when the opposition is not together, the government is happy because it has been using the opposition to divide themselves.
“The opposition are going to have a conversation to talk about the very voters’ roll you promised to clean up but have failed to do it; the opposition is going to discuss about the biometric voting you promised but there has not been any conversation around it; the census you promised that will be held to know the population, to know the number of new voters, the new electoral districts, etc. that you have failed to conduct. These are the conversations the opposition community will be discussing”, she said.
“Whether the opposition is going to unite behind a candidate or make a compromise for a choice of candidate, that is none of your business. You are always in my inbox to ask whether the opposition is meeting or not. When I say they are not meeting, you are happy but when I say they are meeting, you are worried, and that is the time you will go to McGill and others to say, ‘hey, they are meeting, how do we strategize’, but I can tell you, I am not going to tell you anymore, you are not going to have none of it right now. Go and figure out yourself and keep worrying what the opposition is planning”, she said amid laughter among the panelists.
Comments are closed.