MONROVIA – The Vanguard Student Unification Party(SUP) of the University of Liberia, unarguably the oldest campus based students political institution in Africa has said it remains unbending and will never compromise its stand and principle to wage the struggle on behalf of the Liberian masses for a democratic and egalitarian society pioneered by its founding fathers and true patriots of Liberia as it celebrated the 52nd anniversary of its foundation year over the weekend.
In his official anniversary message delivered before a mammoth audience during celebration ceremony held on the main campus of the University of Liberia, Mustapha N. Kanneh, Chairman of the party used the occasion to pay befitting tribute to the founding fathers and other fallen leaders who at various stages of its existence paid the supreme and referred to them as heroes and heroines “for they embodied the baronial characters of relenting nationalism and selfless discipline and were willing to even pay dearly with their lives in fighting that which suppressed their people and condemned them to primitive existence”.
“Today is not the established date for the anniversary celebration as stipulated in the constitution of the Student Unification Party, but we deem it necessary to adjust the celebration to this day because of some constrained circumstances. As we go about celebrating this day every year, what we cannot avoid or make unnoticed in our gathering- are the memories and remembrance of Wuo Garbi Tappia, Lawrence Moore, Irene Nimpson, Gwenderlyn Dabah Wilson, Tonia Richardson, Momolu Lavela, Marcus Dolo and the other comrades who fell to death while in defence of Massescracy. Let’s all stand for a moment of silence in honor of them”, he said.
The young student leader who mounted the podium amidst revolutionary salutations, cheers , sloganeering, and singing, said the celebration goes beyond SUP but extends to Liberia as whole for the role the institution has played as the “only fighting force for the social transformation of this country, and agitating for the harnessing of the natural resources of the country along the line of equanimity, and probity thus creating prosperity for the people”.
He said SUP has been at the forefront of advocating for a society that gives meaning to the dreams and aspirations of the people and transforms the talents of the young people into a viable tool for the wholesome building of what he called “ a Liberian civilization, soaked within the Pan African heritage”.
“This is why the advocacy of this party has never been confined just to the narrow fence of the University of Liberia but has been a holistic endeavor that deals with the social problems of the state and provides panaceas to the systemic flaws that debauch the state and keep the people in inertia. From 1970 to today’s date, comrades, this has been the path this party has traversed. This is the great Vanguard Student Unification Party for you!”, he said amidst cheers and thunderous battle cries”.
Kanneh also flaunted the pan- African credentials of SUP while also revealing its political leaning as being a Marxist-Leninist(Democratic Socialist) in orientation and reflected on how far the party has come as an institution, the hurdles of struggle it has initiated, the price it has paid “with the blood of some of the noblest and brilliant of our comrades, and our survival under some of the most wretched tyrannies in the chronicles of world history, comrades, we believe there are more genuine reasons why this journey must continue unabated with more vigor and staunch commitment for the questions of poverty and injustice remain unanswered in this country and the African continent as a whole”
“We believe the fight for socialism, Pan-Africanism, and the unification of the continent in the dream espoused by Nkrumah, Fanon, Mandela, Tambo, Nasser, Tipoteh, Matthews, Kaunda, Fahnbulleh, Blyden, Cabral, and all their progressive contemporaries are now more relevant than the founding days. Perhaps, many are yet to understand where we stand on the ideological question of the world and would like to once again make known our position that the Vanguard Student Unification Party is a Marxist-Leninist (Democratic Socialist) institution with a Pan-African approach to solve the African problems of economic exploitation, foreign monopoly capital, historical injustices, and neocolonialism. This is the Vanguard party for you!”, he said.
In an assured manner, he challenged his colleagues to learn from the history of the legacy of the party, especially its encounters with various dispensations and to summon the courage not to relent to defend the cause of the Liberian people at any price.
“Comrades and friends, we are the only institution in the political history of this country that has continued to raise loft the banner of the workers, the peasants, and the poor masses of the Liberian people at a towering peak with no iota of compromise for this amount of years and more determined to do so than ever before. SUP is the only party that set examples in responding to the stages of historical developments of the people of this country and it has kept the banner of resistance and the character of genuine struggle against oppression and the debasement of our people for over five decades in this country. This is why the class enemies will never forgive us! Whether it is the moribund True Whig Party with arrogant posturing of Chauvinism, the despotic military junta of Doe and backward ethnic divide and broad day looting of the Interim Governments, the criminal tyranny of Taylor, the Sirleaf mafia rule of mass thievery, or the current Weah gangster rule of misfits career scoundrels, these people will never forgive us in standing to their misrules”, he stated.
As is characteristic of the oldest student political institution in the country to grade every ruling administration, SUP did not mince words to score the President George Manneh Weah-led government in an abysmal way, stating it has been a monumental failure and must not be taken seriously.
“The systemic transformation that we need to balance our governance is far from the Weah-led administration. We cannot give a perfect score card to an administration that’s surrounded by sanctioned government confidants. We’ll never say yes to a President who leaves his fundamental responsibility to satisfy his social ego, using taxpayers money to support his unexplained travels abroad. We’ll applaud not for a president who spit on us with a government of poor health sector, poor infrastructure, no agriculture investment, insecurity, lack of integrity and lack of electricity; whereas the RIA highway hitherto remains a death trap at night due to lack of electricity. We’ll give no salutation to a government who frowns on gender sensitivity and youth empowerment. A government that bastardizes the uprightness of women and its youths but yet gives aliens and foreigners the privilege to insult their existences because of the crumbs government officials received from them”
The anniversary speech did not complete without the party taking interest in the decisive ensuing 2023 General elections and came up with a verdict that it was not happy how the process was proceeding and alleged conflict of interest in the bidding process for the biometric voters’ registration exercise. The student said the party will not sit down supinely while the process is being undermined by forces who do not want the democratic will of the people to prevail.
“Finally, as we go to the 2023 elections, and like the theme for this anniversary depicts: “Advancing A New Dawn of Massecracy through Systemic Transformation, Democratic Governance and Electoral Transparency in Liberia; A Patriotic Call for Genuine Change- the Liberian Peoples’ Agenda, we want to be emphatically clear that Madam Davidetta Brown Lassanah, the National Elections Commission chairperson is wrongfully proceeding in the management of the processes leading 2023 general and presidential elections. The conflict of interest in the bidding process for the contract and the unjustifiable postponement in the voter’s registration all speak volumes to the sinister intent she wants to handle next year. We want to state here categorically that Madam Lassanah should stop all these ugly gimmicks that got the proclivity to plunge our country into tension during the 2023 elections and focus on doing her job in a profound yet credible manner void of partisan inclination. We want to make it known to madam Lassanah that SUP will settle for nothing less than a free, fair, transparent, and credible elections process as we go to the 2023 General and Presidential elections.
“SUP will not sit silently to see Madame Lassana lead the Liberian people into an election full of discrepancies and ill-fated practices. SUP will condone no elections that’s surrounded with corrupt election commissioners. SUP will give no attention to an electioneering process of gerrymandering that will not be inclusive of people in the highways and byways, elections must be decentralized. SUP will resist any contaminated elections with courage and will gravitate the Liberian people towards a democratic process that is free, fair and credible. Liberia at this crucial point will not be abandoned by the Vanguard Party unlike Mr. Weah who has abandoned the State for 48 days”, Chairman Kanneh concluded.
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