Following a release from the Chairman of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), Mr. Joseph Nyuma Boakai in which he stated that the meeting of the National Advisory Council could not hold due to the absence of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) and its political leader, the ANC has expressed surprise over the reason given by the CPP Chairman for the postponement of the National Advisory Committee (NAC) meeting that left much to be desired, saying, “rather than rebuilding trust, appears to deepen the distrust”, a leaked copy of the letter addressed to Mr. Boakai and dated November 1, 2021, said.
According to the letter, the party said upon receiving the proposal for the NAC meeting on October 27, 2021 which was scheduled for October 29, 2021, its political leader Alexander B. Cummings on behalf of the ANC, sent a written request for an agenda after not receiving one as was promised. It said this request of a member party was neither acknowledged nor responded to by Mr. Boakai until a few hours to the proposed meeting on Friday, October 29, 2021 when an agenda was sent to the NAC. ANC said upon receipt of the proposed agenda, the ANC responded and requested a postponement of the meeting because of the delay in the submission of the agenda. “The request was based on inadequate timing to enable a meeting of the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) to discuss the proposed agenda, and to receive a copy of the previously requested letter sent to the team of lawyers so that we are provided the needed context to discuss the lawyers’ response, which you had included as an agenda item. Given the lack of time to do all of these, we proposed a postponement to Wednesday, November 3, 2021”, the party said.
“Like you had posted yours for our attention and response, we posted our response and request for postponement in the NAC Chatroom for your attention and those of all other members of the NAC. Accordingly, we were hopeful that matters of the NAC, and between ourselves, unlike the recent past, would be kept in the NAC Chatroom, and among ourselves. Our hope was short-live”, ANC said.
The party lamented that for reasons that can only further deepen the prevailing distrust, and without even respecting its request with a deserved response, they were belatedly treated to a purported CPP Release, under the signature of Mr. Boakai, which provided the public with deliberate misinformation as to why the NAC could not be convened. ANC added that with no mention of his delay in the submission of an agenda, and therefore their request, amongst others, for a postponement, Mr. Boakai proceeded to portray the ANC and Mr. Cummings as being responsible for the inability of the NAC to convene.
“This, Mr. Chairman, is a bad start and an unfortunate beginning to your tenure. Many had hoped for a difference. The ANC and I have already endured an inordinate abuse of the Office of Chair, during the previous CPP leadership, targeting us for undeserved misinformation and public vilification. Our hope was that with your call for reconciliation, and the assurance of your leadership experiences, these abuses would have ended, and the public would begin to see the CPP return to behaving honorably so as to rebuild needed trust in the ranks of its constituent membership”, the letter noted.
The letter which was signed by Mr. Cummings continued, “At a minimum, this would require of the current leadership that CPP public releases be guided only by the facts, especially as it involves the positions of constituent members, so that the need to respond, defend itself, and correct misinformation, is accordingly, removed. Unfortunately, it appears, we are right where we were with a chair again using the authority of their office to falsely, publicly and unjustifiably malign a constituent-member party, and to compel that member-party to publicly defend itself”.
The letter said additionally, ANC had hoped that with Mr. Boakai’s takeover of the Chairmanship, the leadership would again revert to the institutionalization of the CPP, as he promised, so that they return to CPP releases being truly reflective of the inputs of the constituent parties of the CPP. The letter said the ANC cannot be seeing a CPP Release, which bears the logo of the ANC, and the name and authority of the CPP Chair, the first and same time the public sees and reads the purported CPP release.
“Mr. Chairman, to reconcile the CPP, we must return honor to the conduct of the leadership, respect for all constituent members, and the overall conduct of the affairs of the group. Even more importantly, we must look to end the internal maneuvers and wrangling, which only benefit President Weah, and leaves Liberians with more inquests about the promised viability of the CPP. The ANC hopes it is not alone in these considerations for the CPP”, the party advised.
“Please note that the ANC reserves the right to publish this letter to correct the deliberate misinformation offered the public in the CPP release, which obscures the real reasons for the NAC meeting not happening and attempts to redirect the blame to the ANC. We are also compelled to formally demand that all positions, statements and releases of the CPP, in the name of the CPP, of which there are four constituent members, be the product of consultations with and approval of all of the constituent members”, the party concluded.
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