MONROVIA – Vice President Madam Jewel Howard-Taylor, who is also the standard bearer of the former ruling National Patriotic Party (NPP), has rejected what was reported to be the outcome of the intervention by the Chairman of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), Mulbah Morlu and said that the intervention and the way Morlu was proceeding with it will even plunge the party into deeper crisis. Morlu, however, said his intervention met the approval of President George Manneh Weah.
VP Howard-Taylor told this paper that, “I have not received the final report from the mediation committee, though I have requested the same several times.
“I heard about the issuance of a statement by the Coalition Chair from an outside source and reached out to inform him that this would be another recipe for a deeper crisis and that he should instead reach out to the parties and speak with them. Instead he informed me that he would go ahead and issue a statement on this matter. Which he has done.
“I also informed him that if he made any statement without proper consultation, I would have no other option but to speak to the issue”.
Madam Howard Taylor was responding to a press statement issued by Mr. Morlu in which he claimed steps taken to resolve the NPP leadership statement which according to the release has the blessings of President George Manneh Weah who is also Chairman of the Governing Council of the CDC.
She said it was important to make things clear without fear or favor that anything which is not done legally is not done at ALL, stressing that the statement issued by Morlue was in the wrong direction, set up to bring further Crisis within the NPP and not done in good faith.
“The NPP, a constituent member of the Coalition, is a legal entity in its own right and needs a free, fair and transparent environment to vote for its new corps of officers and should not engage in activities which are illegal and meant to bring this noble party to public disrepute.
“As a lawyer; I am aware of the oaths taken to protect and defend the laws of our Nation and all other laws. I have sworn to do just that and will not involve myself in a conscious attempt to disobey the laws of my beloved nation.
She said the issue in the NPP is not about the National Chairman and Standard Bearer but about following the laws and constitution of the Party. She said it was making things clear that she was not and will never be so desperate as to engage herself in acts unbecoming of a statesperson only for personal greed or power.
“I therefore state that the statement issued by Chairman Morlu is against the tenets of democracy and intended to ridicule the NPP, and stir up more conflict. I will not, as the Standard Bearer of this party, support any such formula. The proper formula must be one under which the voices of the majority are made clear through a legal and Democratic process.
“Let me reiterate my COMMITMENT and SUPPORT to the WEAH 2023 PRESIDENTIAL BID.
“In closing, let ALL take cognizance of the fact that the SURVIVAL OF THE NPP REMAINS MY TOP PRIORITY”, she concluded.
Morlue had stated in a press statement he issued yesterday, November 9, 2022 that in recent months, the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) has been tackling disagreements surrounding the Leadership within one of its constituent political parties, the National Patriotic Party (NPP). He said the Coalition’s Governing Council acknowledges that these challenges confronting the NPP are but the normal political bickering characterizing Political Parties and their activities, especially disagreements bordering on inclusive democratic framework for legitimate leadership formulation.
“The Coalition for Democratic Change being a coherent, peaceful and united political structure, welcomes the cooperation of leaders and stalwarts of the NPP, which appears to have emerged stronger out of recent disharmonies; undesired activities that nonetheless strengthen an institution and a nation’s democracy”, he said
He said as the highest level organ of the Coalition arrangement, the Governing Council announced that consistent with the intervention of the Chairman of the Coalition Governing Council, H.E. George M. Weah, some decisions were reached among which are “Given that all sides in the NPP crisis have agreed to return to status quo ante in preparation for 2023 Elections and that the Coalition for Democratic Change calls on all three parties to set-up a 7-man delegation each to immediately commence discussions on details of the Coalition Framework Document, the Governing Council recognizes H.E. Jewel Howard-Taylor as Standard-bearer of the NPP”.
Other decisions were that the Governing Council recognize Senator James Biney as Chairman of the NPP, that the NPP standard-bearer H.E. Jewel Howard-Taylor proceeds to nominate party members to fill all vacancies on the NPP Executive Committee and that deliberations on the Coalition Framework Document begins on December 10, 2022.
“The CDC Governing Council encourages all members of the NPP to take due cognizance of these announced measures as deliberations continue, and join other members of constituent parties to mobilize in a gargantuan fashion for both the November 12, 2022 Membership Dues Drive, and the December 20, 2022 Nomination Day”, the statement concluded.
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