“I will Take the High Road” –Cummings -Says Making Case to the Liberian People More Important Than Litigation

MONROVIA – The Political Leader of the Alternative National Congress and leader of the Collaborating Political Parties, Alexander B. Cummings, says he is more concerned about making his case to the Liberian people at the 2023 ballots than seeking litigation for the indemnities he suffered when his character was impugned as a result of the recent criminal conspiracy and document tampering case filed against him by the All Liberian Party and prosecuted by the Government of Liberia.

Making the statement on Hot FM’s morning talk show yesterday, Mr. Cummings said the case was bogus and its dismissal was long overdue.

“As I have said consistently, it was a bogus case. They had no basis for the charges leveled against me, the chairman of the ANC Daniel Naatehn and Secretary General Aloysius Toe, although I was the primary target,” Cummings stated.

Elaborating further, the ANC political leader said, under the CPP framework agreement, the Unity Party, All Liberian Party, Alternative National Congress and the Liberty Party all operated under the same framework for almost 18 months for which no issues were raised.

“We actually went to an election in December 2020. The CPP won senatorial seats. Senator Nyonblee Karngar-Lawrence won. Darius Dillon, Simeon Taylor, Brownie Samukai (who was denied the seat in Lofa), Jonathan Sogbie, they all won on the CPP ballot. Nobody raised an issue. As we were approaching the selection of the standard-bearer of the CPP, it was when the confusion started. I wish to remind the Liberian people that you don’t alter a document as we were accused unless it benefits you in some way. There is nothing in the framework document that gives Alexander Cummings or the ANC any advantage over anybody else in the CPP.

“Resources were wasted by this government to prosecute me. This was an investigation in the lower court, the magisterial court; and yet, the Solicitor General of the Republic of Liberia was personally, publicly in the court litigating this case, when there are many serious crimes committed in Liberia. Our women are being raped. People are being killed on serious corruption charges and silenced. There is insecurity in the country, but there is silence from the Ministry of Justice; silence from the Solicitor General. Yet they were spending resources on prosecuting me. Their objective was to deny us the right to be on the ballot. That failed. Their objective was to break up the CPP; that has also failed.

“Yes, the Unity Party has left. Yes, the ALP has left. But the LP and the ANC are still in the CPP. And it is our goal to bring other parties under the CPP. So, all of their plots failed. We thank God for His providence, His blessings, and we are even more determined now to make our case to the Liberian people to give us the chance to serve them,” Mr. Cummings averred.

Continuing, Cummings said it was hurtful and disappointing that people who were associating with him would participate in such allegation that impugned on his reputation and character.

“I am a Liberian who grew up in Point Four and Fiamah. I went to government schools and then CWA; but became successful internationally at the highest level. I lived and worked in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and the United States with the Coca Cola Company where I was one of the top executives globally. The company is worth $250 billion. It wasn’t because of friends or family. We earned the right to get to the top based on character. For people to try to besmirch my character was challenging. And this is why we were determined to protect our character. But you know, we have to look forward. We are still thinking about what to do. But my instinct is to move forward, to look ahead to take the high road and focus on making my case to the Liberian people. To bring back good governance to our country; to grow the economy; create jobs, fix the healthcare system; to fix the educational system; to pay civil servants a living wage. That’s the objective, that’s the case, that’s what we want to focus on. It is often said, you can’t do anything about the past. You need to learn from the past, but you can’t change it,” Mr. Cummings stated philosophically.

Quizzed on whether a CPP without the Unity Party and the All Liberian Party will be impactful at the ballot box in 2023, Cummings boasted that the CPP still exists because the Alternative National Congress and the Liberty Party have not left the CPP.

“Yes, the Unity Party and the All Liberian Party have decided to leave, and it is their choice, their decision. But the way I describe the CPP is an idea, a goal and objective for our country. The CPP was created to bring good governance to Liberia, grow the economy, create jobs. That idea is still alive. The CPP has broken down, but we’re going to repair the vehicle. The LP and ANC are still in the CPP. We will revisit the party and reach out to other parties, other individuals to continue the journey.

“In our country, we have to respect the rule of law. The Supreme Court made a decision. We disagree with that decision, but it doesn’t matter really. We disagree but we obey. We wish the Unity Party and the All Liberian Party well in their endeavors, and we will move ahead,” Mr. Cummings stated stoically.

The ANC political leader also confirmed that he is now the standard-bearer of the CPP, by default, noting that there were only two candidates in the CPP vying for the standard-bearer position.

“It was myself and the former Vice President. The Liberty Party has endorsed me as their candidate. The ALP announced many months ago that they were endorsing Joseph Boakai as they did not have a candidate for the presidency. Ambassador Boakai has left the CPP, so we are now the sole candidate. Working together with the LP, we will be representing the CPP.

“We will review the framework document to allow members of other political parties to join the CPP without leaving their political party or joining any of the CPP constituent parties.

“We want to bring real change; not a country where few are wealthy and the masses are suffering. We want a country where every Liberian benefits. It doesn’t matter whether you are a CDCian, everyone will have a place in the CPP.

“Opportunities are in our country. The resources are in our country. Every Liberian should benefit as long as you are willing to work towards it. My administration will not be for those who are out for stealing the money and building homes for their families in Liberia, in the Middle East and other places. We have to develop Liberia from the ground up,” Cummings stated emphatically.

The Lofa by-election

The recent Supreme Court decision to allow any party’s candidate from the CPP to be fielded despite their party having left the biggest opposition tent now opens the way for resumption of the Lofa County by-election which former Defense Minister Brownie Samukai won on the CPP ticket but was denied his seat because of the army pension fund.

But Mr. Cummings says the CPP will not be fielding any candidate in the upcoming Lofa by-election, and his decision has been raising eyebrows. But he has reaffirmed that the CPP stands by its decision.

“The CPP fielded a candidate in Lofa in person of Brownie Samukai. The CPP candidate won the Lofa by-election. The government decided they didn’t want him to take his seat. Like they were trying to do with me, using the judicial system, they tried to deny the citizens of Lofa the candidate of their choice to take the senatorial seat.

“And so, we have decided that, because our candidate was denied the seat that he won overwhelmingly, we will not field a candidate in the so-called by-election. But the Lofaians will have a choice of the people that put their hands up to run. They will select who they want to represent,” Cummings averred cryptically.