EDITORIAL

CURTAILING THE INTRA-PARTY RUMBLES IN CPP

IT IS OBVIOUS that when two or more political parties with their own respective and peculiar identities, ideologies, philosophies and organizational structures decide to collaborate and form a single entity to pursue an objective or agenda, there is bound to be a period where sharp disagreement will manifest. And so it is with the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), a conglomeration of four opposition political parties currently opposed to the ruling establishment, the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC)
FORMED SPECIFICALLY AS an alternative platform to the ruling party, the party has managed to overcome some of the expected challenges to register with the National Elections Commission as a single institution to pursue its objective of uprooting power from the President George Manneh Weah led government. With a good synergy inspired by the quest of a large section of Liberians rooting for a robust challenge to CDC, the CPP pulled big victories during the last December 8, 2020 Special senatorial midterm elections, thus making a clear political statement that CDC was in trouble going to the 2023 Presidential and general elections.
THE ELECTORAL FORTUNE served as an umbrella for the group to suppress whatever differences that may exist among them which have the propensity of derailing the prospect of realizing their overall objective but no sooner than expected, their differences began to be seen in the public space. Sadly, in recent times, they have become much more pervasive and even assumed crisis dimensions, with negative implications for building confidence in the people who see CPP as the only hope to checkmate the ruling establishment and if possible form the next government in 2024.
THIS PAPER IS of the view that while the crises within CPP may emanate from different forms and sizes, the most debilitating, not only to the survivability of the party itself, but to damaging the hope and chances of their teeming members and supporters, are those arising over the selection/election of the party’s flag bearer to square up against President Weah in 2023.
IDEALLY, POLITICAL PARTIES are expected to put in place adequate institutional frameworks for mediating conflicts that may occasionally arise among their members. By institutionalizing such frameworks, they do not only engender consensus building within their folds, but also contribute overtly to the stability of the entire system. The ugly situation where political leaders and their supporters are openly engaging in battles against each other is sending a wrong signal out there that the CPP cannot be taken seriously to challenge the CDC as well as being seen as the right alternative to what CDC is offering.
TWO THINGS CAN be pointed out as being responsible for the predicament CPP finds itself: one is that it proceeds from the premise that the pervasive intra-party conflicts, which have now assumed crisis dimensions, are not given, but have been nurtured by certain structural factors such as lack of internal democracy, deceptions, manipulation, arrogance and flagrant disregard of democratic tenets which have shaped the contours of politics in Liberia for a long time and secondly, that the crises are closely connected to the paucity of serious politicians who genuinely have the democratic temperaments to play the game of principled politics according to established rules.
WE WANT TO remind the CPP that no one goes to battle for victory with a divided house. The struggle for the emancipation of Liberian people the party has decided to pursue now goes beyond the Collaboration itself. It has caught the attention of many Liberians and serves as a rally point to push for an option that will enrich our democratic space and provide hope for the people. If they have never thought that this country needs a virile and vibrant opposition, they must now begin to know that the reality is clear out there. Liberians are yearning for it and they must not be disappointed.
IT IS THEREFORE high time that the leaders and other stakeholders within the CPP strategize to set into motion measures that will mitigate the risk and collateral damage associated with all the in house fighting going on. Let them put in place the rightful and trust worthy institutional and internal mechanism that will build consensus and agreement on how the standard bearer who will not only be the standard bearer of the CPP, but the leader the country needs to truly represent her will emerge.
THIS APPEAL MUST be guided by an urgent need to put the country and its people first and not be short changed by some selfish agenda. The lack of trust and respect being exhibited among the party leaders and other senior partisans is not worth the prize ahead. This is too disheartening and must not be encouraged. Please act in the interest of the country and its people. THE NEEDFUL THING IS NOW!!!!