The Day CDC, CPP Tied Runoff Knot -Pleasantries, Moving Speeches Fill the Air

MONROVIA: The Collaboration Political Parties (CPP) was originally the conglomerate of all opposition political parties in the country. It then comprised principally the former ruling Unity Party (UP), Liberty Party (LP, the Alternative National Congress (ANC), and a horde of satellite parties in opposition.  Then a heavy, virulent crack took place, decimating the opposition community into fragments, which later formed into two blocs: the ANC and LP taking the CPP nomenclature on the one hand and the UP and a few others forming “Grand Coalition” called the UP. During the first round, each of them showed strength by finding their way on the presidential ballot, and at the end of the day it all ended into a runoff slated for November 14. It seems clearly now that the opposition division is sealed because the CPP is leaving its former ally UP in the cool. At the knot tying last week, the marriage between the CPP and CDC was consecrated with honeyed orations and lavish trading of commitments, as The Analyst reports.

It was an emotional moment for both sides – CDCians as members of the ruling CDC are called and CPPians, as those of the CPP are also fondly called. Amid the deafening battle cries were sweetened speeches. The endorsement remarks, as was as the reception embraces, were as enthralling and they were and at the powerful.

After the official statement was read by Cllr. Aloysius Toe, Secretary General of the CPP, there followed individual remarks from the high echelon of both parties.

CDC Chairman Mulbah Morlu: “CDC Holds CPP A Huge Debt”

Perhaps none of the high-table members felt so joyous that the National Chairman of the CDC, Mr. Mulbah Morlu, who was so lucky that have one of the fiercest critics of his parties bow gracefully to its scheme of things.

“I want to use this occasion to express a deep gratitude of the nine-party Executive Committee of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), and on behalf of the party under the canopy of the Standard Bearer of the CDC, His Excellency George Manneh Weah, to the CPP,” he said in brief remarked render inaudible of ceaseless battle cries and sloganeering.

He continued: “We are deeply humbled by this profound practical endorsement of a collective political construction of a giant sized political party that has epitomized and demonstrated a new paradigm of Liberian politics—a move that we will be labeled for years to come as we pull the trigger for the 2023 election.

 

“Only buttressing what has already been spoken by our vice standard bearer, Her Excellency Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor, who spoke before me, it leaves me few words to express.  The truth is no matter how many ill-will expressed from our antagonists, I know Musa Bility as man of integrity. I know Orishald Gould as man of integrity. I know Aloysius Toe as man of integrity. I have come to know all these CPPians as people over 20 years period in our body politic, as people with high standard of integrity.

“CPP, you have placed us in your debt. The Coalition for democratic Change is now indebted to you because we know this endorsement as a broad-based endorsement will lead us to a win.  You have reaffirmed our indisputable reelection success of his Excellency George Manneh Weah. Speaking prophetically, six years after, it will not be President Weah on the ballot. There shall be many possibilities that President Weah will be out of it.  Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps, that may be the time for CDC to repay its debt. So you are losing nothing.”

CPP VSB Charlyn Brumskine: “Ticket of Truism”

The CPP was represented at the endorsement ceremonies at the highest level, with the Vice Standard Bearer, the Chairperson, the Secretary General and many others attending, and making remarks. For the vice standard bearer, Cllr. Charlyne Brumskine, the CDC ticket, it’s a one of “truism”.

She began: “I want to thank God for speaking to CDC by going through trial and tribulations than any other political institution in the political history of Liberia.  These two collaborating parties started off by at four.  We have a common mission, a common ideology for a better field. To the CDC partisans, I want to thank you for a ticket that shares the value, that shares a different vision for Liberia, a ticket of truism, a ticket that fought against divisive rhetoric, a ticket that fought against tribal rhetoric, a ticket of inclusion, of good governance and a ticket of the rule of law and one Liberia for all.

“CPP, in truth, today after this endorsement, there will be many who will criticize you; there will be many who will say you have made the wrong decision; but this decision is never mean, for we have made it. I want you to stand firm. I want you to know that we the officials of CPP will always be for you, will always stand for you. In Liberia, elections are easy.  Elections are always about making choice. You choose one or the other.  In the United States of America, there is something they called primary where the democrats will go and fight to know who will lead their party. The Republican go and fight to know who will lead their party.  At the end, those who fought come together to move their country forward. CPP, Unity Party, CDC, LPP and all of the political institutions had respective primaries. Now the runoff is here. CPP has its primary choice to support the Coalition for Democratic Change.

“We think about our decision; we think it a decision is the right decision; we made the decision in the interest of our country. We will all rally around Liberia and move our country forward. I want to thank all of you, particular the CPP and the CPP to say you are all the way.  So we want to thank you all, this should be a great day for Liberia.”

CPP Chairman Musa Bility:

“It is important to know that no matter what side you fall on, you must appreciate the opponent on the other side.  Your side has a lot of the people and the other side has a lot of the people as well.”

CDC VSB Vice President Jewel Taylor:

Speaking earlier, the Vice President of Liberia, also vice standard bearer of the Coalition for Democratic Change, Madam Jewel Howard Taylor, was elated about the CPP endorsement.

She asserted: “It is enough to put our dreams, our aspirations of what we want for this beautiful Liberia to be together. If you see any one across this room, you will find out that our dream are the same. There are others who want to go left before they go right or others who want to go up before they go down. What we want is a beautiful, peaceful, democratic, inclusive governing system. That is what everyone is aspiring for. And this is what we want to achieve.”

The Liberian Vice President continued: “I found out that the process of democracy is a journey and not an event. I saw a few days ago when Madam Hilary Clinton took part in an election in the United States. I was shock to find out that she won the popular vote; that means the people voted her; but then the power that be said she should not become because of the Electoral College in that that country disapprove. That is the democracy we are talking about. Africa is unique in its own way; Liberia is unique in its own way.  Howbeit, we are one family. We are friends. We are colleagues and I think this should be a new beginning about working together to earn this to do what need to be done.

“Criticism is important; but a constructive criticism is very important. That’s the thing that makes a new relationship with all of the parties that have come on board to provide some opening for us to be able to have some discussions. Thankfully, we have new leaders coming to the Legislature; the political decisions, discussions, way forward, collaborations. They are entitled to opinions – because they are many eyes, voices that may not be in the Capitol building.

“Honorable Musa Hassan Bility, we look forward to putting all of us together at the end of this second round to talk our ideas. As someone who stays in the Legislature for more than 15 years, my disappointment was that there was not been a connective voice, and the direction we wanted to go as a people. I have my ideas, other people have their opinions and at the end everything got fragmented because everybody was putting in their in separate ways. It’s time for us all to come together; it’s time to sat at that table to chart a new way for the Liberia way for the Liberia that all of us want.”

The CDC Vice Standard Bearer said further: “And so I could not miss this opportunity representing the Coalition for Democratic Change under the leadership of President George Manneh Weah. We want to say thank you for joining us in this fight because it is a collective fight. No one person is able place Liberia where it has to be.  If you brought anything in any way to hinder, or hamper anybody or to make anyone feel excluded, let me be the first to say we are so sorry. We need to make our politics look unique so that we care for what’s happening on the other side and the other side will care for what’s happening to us. So, I believe this is a new day. Let’s rise to the challenges. Let’s put our group together and let’s build Liberia.

VP Taylor added: “My son, a few weeks ago, was asking ‘What was the war all about?’ How will I address that?  For him, it was like we have go through a senseless exercise which continues today unabated. So I said to him let me come back I will tell you if I know anything about. But that is the question many children are asking: What was it all about? Can we now in our generation set this right for our people?

“The message from the first round, for me, was a serious message.  It seems that everybody vex. Why are people angry?  Maybe somebody mean someone, but that is not the main issue. The main issue was people still expect government to do more.  To go around this coalition, let’s ensure that by our presence, by our actions, that indeed things change for the better for the 60 percent of the young people that we have – it is as must. If the voice of the young people is not here, none of us will be able to stay here. “Let it become our priority.”

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