‘They Are Afraid Of Me’ -Cummings Says Forgery Allegations Are False

The Political Leader of the Alternative National Congress, Alexander Cummings, says allegations that he altered the Framework Document of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) are false and baseless.

Court Precepts

Based on a lawsuit filed by his CPP colleague Benoni Urey, the Court Monrovia City Court issued a warrant that stated: “You are hereby commanded to arrest the living bodies of Alexander B. Cummings and others to be identified, defendants and forthwith bring them before the Monrovia City Magisterial Court, Temple of Justice, to answer to the crime of Forgery and Criminal Conspiracy, based upon the oath and complaint of the Republic of Liberia by & thru All Liberian Party by & thru its National Chairman, Theodore Momo, plaintiff in which it is substantially alleged as follow to wit:

“That during the period of AD 2020, up to and including July, AD 2020, in the City of Monrovia, Montserrado County, Republic of Liberia, the within named defendant being there and then in violation of section 15.70 of the New Penal Law of Liberia, purposely connived, conspired, and jointly did alter the frame work documents of the CPP, thus deceiving the private prosecutor and the public regarding the content and averments of the said document specifically the period a part may exit from a CPP, which was unresolved, but said defendants out of deception surreptitiously altered same, thereby making it to appear that the party has formerly resolved that issue and others appertaining thereto. The alleged act of the defendants being unlawful, wicked, criminal, illegal and intentional is in violation of section 15.70 and 10.2 of the New Penal Law of Liberia there and then the crimes herein the defendants did do and commit.”

Cumming Strongly Reacts

But in a nationwide statement to the nation yesterday, the first official position he has issued so far since the warrant, Mr. Cummings states: “By now, I am sure that many of you have heard that Senator Daniel Naatehn, Attorney Aloysius Toe, and I, Chairman, Secretary-General and Standard Bearer of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), have been threatened with arrest, and are currently on trial before the Monrovia Magisterial Court, at the Temple of Justice. We have been charged with ‘forgery and criminal conspiracy.’”

Mr. Cummings described the accusations underlying the charges as “totally false and completely baseless.

“Our accusers, Mr. Benoni Urey and his All Liberian Party (ALP), and the Government of Liberia know these charges are baseless and false. We also now know that Mr. Urey and the Government of Liberia are not alone in this conspiracy to lie and tarnish our hard-earned reputation and integrity.”

He notes further: “Sadly, Mr. Urey and the government are also being supported and cheered on by other leaders and members of the CPP with whom we have worked for more than two years but who are now desperate to break up the CPP out of fear of democratically contesting against us and losing in a primary, the process we agreed to use to choose the Standard Bearer of the CPP in the 2023 Elections.”

He said his accusers are aware that they will lose to him which is why they now want to break their promises to the Liberian people, but are too cowardly to take responsibility for breaking up the CPP.

“Hence, they are joining with the government to contrive a lawsuit against the CPP, after more than two years of its continued existence under the same set of rules and obligations,” the ANC Leader said in a statement to the nation yesterday.

He however averred that his party has assembled a team of great lawyers through whom “we are confident the truth will be revealed, the hypocrisy will be exposed, and we will win, and be vindicated.”

He said he feels targeted in a conspiracy to break up the CPP for which his accusers have “trumped up these false charges against me and the ANC. This is what this trial is about”. He added: “This is wrong politics. And all Liberians need to pay close attention to this, and join us in acting and speaking out against it.”

Cummings said in 2023 and beyond, Liberians have a right to choose who their leaders will be and that neither the ruling government nor its favored opposition has any business deciding for the Liberian people who they would like to run against by politically persecuting the candidate they are afraid of so as to exclude him or her from the electoral process.

He said: “There are many examples all over the world where this type of behavior is practiced, and it has led to some of the longest running and most devastating regimes the world has seen. In such situations, the people most negatively impacted are everyday citizens and those who benefit are those at the top. This is not one of the rights we give to the government to exercise over us: the right to choose on our behalf.”

He is accusing the Weah government of conniving to accuse him, something he said is a “violation of our rights, and an abuse of the powers we have constitutionally given.”

“In times such as these, we must not remain on the sidelines, we must not remain silent,” he said further. “The right to choose our leaders every six years or in any election is a right we the people continue to constitutionally withhold for ourselves collectively as Liberian citizens. Through this trial, the government and its opposition collaborators are now looking to take away that right from the people of Liberia. Again, this is wrong politics, and it is dangerous for the peace of OUR nation!”

He expressed apprehension that he and other top officials of the ANC, including Senator Naatehn and Atty. Toe, were on the docket at the Magisterial Court.

He warns: “But make no mistake: Every man, woman and child of Liberia is on trial. Justice within our beautiful borders is on trial. The democracy for which our grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters and cousins bled and died for, voluntarily and involuntarily, is on trial. Our right to choose a leader, and a real change direction for our country, is on trial. This is our chance to decide the future of our country. The chance to redefine ourselves. The chance for a better Liberia.”

Cummings further said: “Whether we will be a weakened opposition in 2023, or a strong resistance to the corruption and failures of the Weah-led government, is on trial. Whether we will continue to accept the mismanagement of our country’s natural resources by which we continue to be counted amongst the poorest and most corrupt nations on earth, is on trial. We cannot choose to be silent and uninterested, or the outcome will certainly haunt all of us. We will all continue to suffer. All continue to have to struggle for work. All have to beg to feed our families. All have to live with the shame and embarrassment that we picked a leader who continues to fail us again and again, while enriching himself.”

He called on Liberians to standing up, saying, “Now is the time to stand up.”

“Now is the time to be heard. It is not enough that we only wish the right things to happen in our country. Now is the time to make the right things happen. History has shown that the continued silence and inaction of any people will only feed the dangerous wrongs leaders selfishly perpetrate against the people. Now is the time to act strongly and decisively so that we do not enable the resistance of a discredited system to overcome our desires for real change.”

According to him, change is hard. He said the people who are benefiting from the corrupt system will naturally fight against those who want to change it.

“We handed them the nations wallet hoping they would invest for us, but all they have done is taken money out of our pockets! Liberians are worse than spectators in their own economy. We are not in the VIP, stadium wing, or around the field. We are on the outside looking in and begging for tickets,” the ANC Political Leader stressed. “Those who want change cannot just stand by and watch. Real change requires all of us believing, speaking and acting for it to happen. Often, for real change to happen, people have to stand up and stand together. We have to act strongly and speak decisively.”

Then he added: “Regardless of your tribe, religion, gender or party, I know deep inside, we can all agree that our country must change. We must change the direction of our country, and improve the living conditions of our people. We simply cannot continue in this leaderless, irresponsible and corrupt way. For too long we have been divided by tribe, gender, region, religion and political party. But let us not forget: Suffering has no tribe. Famine has no religion. Struggle has no gender. That is why the poverty we all see and experience every day cuts DEEP across every tribe, every gender, every region, every religion, and every political party.”

Mr. Cummings boasted that his colleagues took him to court because they “fear me. I am not a typical politician.”

“The government knows it cannot bribe me, or shut me up. My friends in the CPP know I am dead serious about promises I make. My track records of results speak for themselves,” he said and added: “My opponents know they cannot frighten me or blackmail me – not even with false charges and political persecution. They know this because all I am interested in is helping to change our country for the better – to let make us do the right things because it will make Liberia better. And they know I mean it.”

He asked Liberians not to lose hope.

He said: “Now is not the time to give up. Like they say, when evil men connive, good people must unite. If you think things are bad, if you are unhappy with where your country is, if you are tired of your living conditions, the time to act is NOW. All across the various tribes, regions, religions, genders and parties, if we don’t stand up and act together, as strongly and as decisively as we should for real change, I assure you…. things will only get worse! And it will not just get worse for us today, it will be worst for our children and their children, tomorrow.” See page 6 & 7 of this edition full text of Mr. Cummings’ address to the nation yesterday, Sunday, January 16, 2022.

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