MONROVIA: The Standard Bearer of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), Mr. Alexander B. Cummings has just completed his tour of parts of Southeastern Liberia, traversing across Maryland, River Gee, and Grand Kru Counties, where he braved the raging elements and deplorable road conditions to meet with his people, feast and dine with them, indulge in their cultural and traditional proclivities, and still find time to explain to Southeasterners his plans for Liberia which qualify him as the most suitable candidate to occupy the country’s highest seat after the October polls this year. In this special report, The Analyst has captured the earnest thoughts of the man whose mantra, “Liberia Deserves Better”, is resonating well with his people, even as he returns from home, bubbling with excitement over the visit to his place of nativity.
The Maryland Adventure
Commencing his southeast tour on June 10, 2023, Mr. Cummings and entourage entered Maryland County to the most welcoming reception, of which he immediately posted on his social media page.
I” am deeply humbled and grateful for the overwhelming support and enthusiasm shown by the people of Maryland during my visit. The unwavering commitment and resilience displayed by men, women, and children, standing for hours in the rain, truly embody the spirit of the “movement for real change” in Liberia.
“I was moved by the chants and cheers as I arrived at the Pedebo border, with supporters eagerly awaiting my return to my home county of Maryland. Your unwavering loyalty and determination inspire me, and I am both humbled and honored by you.
“The warm welcome continued as I engaged with the town chiefs in a traditional Maryland kola nut welcome and witnessed the joyous celebrations of people from various towns and villages along the way. Your love and support fuel my determination to work tirelessly for a better Liberia.
“Attending the church service at Full Gospel Church was a poignant moment for me, as I thanked God for bringing me back to Maryland. Starting my trip by visiting the church symbolizes the importance of faith and unity in our journey towards progress.
“Despite the rain, the energy and optimism of the supporters in Pleebo were invigorating. Your voices and determination echo the aspirations of the Liberian people. I am deeply honored to have received the certificate from the Motorbike Union of Maryland and to be endorsed by the county’s chiefs as their own son.
“My visit to Maryland is just the beginning. I am committed to understanding your needs and aspirations, engaging with diverse groups, and extending my visit to other southeastern counties.
“Together, we will bring about the positive real change that Liberia deserves. Thank you, Maryland, for your warm welcome and unwavering support. Let’s continue to march forward on this journey towards a better Liberia!” Cummings wrote effusively about the beginning of his tour.
The CPP Standard Bearer also used the time spent in Maryland to empathize his people over the bad road condition of the Southeast, which is impeding progress.
“For the first time in my life, I had to go to my county through Ivory Coast. The roads are so bad, we would have gotten stuck for days. How embarrassing! This Weah government promised to bring change and do better than the past government but unfortunately, they have failed the Liberian people. No one, no citizen, deserves to go through the humiliation and stress of passing through a neighboring country to get to your own county. Liberians deserve better and this is why we are intentional about bringing REAL CHANGE and fixing the mess,” Cummings lamented.
Returning to his usual upbeat mood, Mr. Cummings would then inform Liberians through his social media platform about other positive encounters he and his delegation had in Maryland County.
“I am so happy being back and seeing my people come out to welcome us despite the heavy downpour of rain. This is what commitment, determination and hope look like. We started with a church service where we got blessed with prayers from our religious leaders, mothers and sisters before beginning our political engagements.
“Since we arrived here yesterday, it has been consistent one on one engagement with our people in Pleebo and Harper. We have met with our elders, women, Islamic community, youths, disadvantaged group, party leadership and many others. We will be visiting all 3 Districts in Maryland and other counties in the Southeast for one on one engagements.
“I want to thank my people for sticking with me, supporting me and having my back. I am a proud son of Maryland and will be President for ALL Liberians.
“By the way, have any of you seen the beaches in Harper, and other parts of the southeast? Magnificent. How blessed we are! We will turn Maryland and the southeast into an eco-tourism hub. I have been to all 15 counties and there is so much we will do to promote eco-tourism across Liberia. How many counties have you visited so far?”
Hitting River Gee with joy
The next of the tour saw Cummings and entourage traveling to Fish Town in River County where they were joyously welcomed by the people; and Cummings had nothing but solid appreciation for the warmth of the citizens.
Today was truly a remarkable day! I had the incredible opportunity to visit River Gee as part of my southeastern Liberia tour.
“The day kicked off in Webbo with an explosion of joy, music, and dancing! You all know how much I love to dance, and boy, did we have a blast! The energy was infectious, and I couldn’t help but immerse myself in the lively celebration.
“There were countless unforgettable moments throughout the day, and I’m bursting with excitement to share more of my River Gee adventure with all of you.
“I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude to the wonderful people of Webbo. Your warm welcome and enthusiastic spirit set the tone for what turned out to be an absolutely amazing day.
“May God bless each and every one of you, for your kindness, hospitality, and the beautiful memories we created together. Stay tuned for more updates from River Gee, as I continue to explore the breathtaking wonders of this region,” Mr. Cummings remarked heartily on his social media page.
Last stop Grand Kru
Mr. Cummings and delegation next traveled to Grand Kru County again he was given the most befitting welcome by the elders, chiefs, women and youths of the county.
Cummings received a rousing welcome in Behwan, the entrance town of Grand Kru County, before proceeding to the capital city of Barclayville. Addressing his supporters in the late afternoon, he pledged to return for a more extended visit on his next trip to the Southeast.
The CPP Standard Bearer expressed confidence of winning the pending October elections as a result of the level of work he has done and the warm welcome he received from the three counties he visited.
Reviewing his tour, explaining his plans
Before leaving his homeland to return back to Monrovia, Mr. Cummings had the good grace to speak with the local media in Maryland County to provide a review of his tour, and what he intends to do for Liberia.
Mr. Cummings used the occasion to stress that President Weah’s weak performance in office has triggered the chances of CPP to democratically unseat the government and move swiftly to save the country from further decline.
“I am confident of winning; our team is working for us to win in the first round, but in the likelihood we don’t win in the first round, we will win in the second round. We are working to support ourselves in the process.
‘It is possible we can be in the second round with any other opposition party like the Unity Party. Weah has done a terribly bad job, the suffering is so much in Liberia and the people are resolved to vote him out. You know cheating aside, it is possible you can have two opposition parties in the second round but no matter how the combination will be, we are confident we will win the election.”
Cummings spoke more about the visit and said one of the main intentions was “for our people to know that we are offering ourselves to serve them as a leader of the country”.
“We came to ask them for their blessing, for their support. We met with our traditional leaders; I went to Gbeken where the Cummings family came from and I asked them for their blessing and support.
“So, it has been a successful visit, very interactive with the citizens of Maryland, River Gee and Grand Kru Counties. And so, I am confident that we will prevail in this part of our country; very confident that we will win in this part of the country.
“I am confident that my home county, my home people, and the Grebo people will support me to be successful in October and begin the process of restoring good governance and economic growth to our people here and in Liberia as a whole”, he said.
Responding to a question which informed his decision of the choice of running mate when he picked Cllr. Charlyne Brumskine as well as not going the way of Nimba for the pick, Cummings said it was true that many persons were looking at Nimba County because of its huge population next only to Montserrado County, the CPP however said he did something unique to produce his running mate and he was excited that the result has been an added advantage to his pursuit.
“We went through a detailed vetting process, and we appointed a committee to do the search. We developed the criteria and part of it was geographic balance. We personally wanted a woman which was our preference after talking to a lot of people.
“We kept the process secret to protect all the people who we were talking to, to protect their privacy and at the end of the exercise we landed on the best candidate for Alexander Cummings.
“We got a woman, relatively young, smart and so we are offering the Liberian people a clear choice, a clean ticket, an integrity ticket, a balanced ticket age-wise, experience-wise and the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive to Charlyne’s selection.
“We are very happy with the choice; we are very happy with the selection and we are on the way to victory”, Cummings said.
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