‘We Worked Against Ourselves and Lost’ -Weah Weaves Hints Suggesting Why CDC Lost to UP

MONROVIA: Amid distressing moments amongst officials and supporters of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), some literally shedding tears and other suffering from high pressure over the manner and form the party was defeat at the polls, the man in the center of its all, President and Standard Bearer George Manneh Weah is not buying time at all before unveiling what actually went wrong—at least from his vintage position and personal perspective. During a regular church service at his Forkay Klon Jlaleh Family Fellowship, the outgoing president told the congregation comprising bigwigs of the party and ordinary supporters that the CDC suffered self-destruct than from external maneuvering as others may think. The Analyst reports.

It could be regarded as a post-mortem analysis—or “commentary after the news” as some Liberians would call it, as President Weah conjectured on a range of issues, including why he and the Coalition for Democratic Change lost the just concluded general elections.

Speaking to a throng of churchgoers at the Forkey Klon Jlaleh Family Fellowship Sunday, November 26, 2023, President George Manneh Weah has told partisans and supporters of the Coalition of Democratic Change (CDC) that it was their own actions and inactions that largely contributed to the waterloo suffered in the hands of rival Unity Party.

President Weah said the CDC lost the runoff because “we were working and fighting against ourselves and refusing for the common rules in decision making to take precedence in what we were doing”.

It was the second time on in regular Sunday services that the President mustered the courage since the runoff elections to calm his partisans and supporters who are not only so hurt about the loss of educations by a ruling party but also wondering what contributed to the political tragedy.

During the jam-parked congregation attended by most of the leadership of the CDC, including the National Chairman, Mulbah Morlu, Secretary General Jefferson Koijee, top government officials and top party executives, President Weah blamed the defeat of the party on anti-party activities, including disunity, disloyalty and backstabbing.

He then warned that if what precipitated the defeat was not mitigated, the party stands no chance of making a quick come back to governance very soon.

He said since the loss of the party and the subsequent concession he made, several partisans had been asking him what led to their defeat. He said, for him, there were so many reasons, some of which he had told them—disunity, disloyalty and backstabbing.

“For me, I am practical person,” he said. “As a practical person, let me show you why and how we lost the election that we felt we should have won”.

President Weah then made an illustration and first asked for 50 persons to march through the main entrance of the church and the second group to march in a single file through the same main entrance. The demonstration showed two contrasting outcomes: in the first instance of mass of people entering together, it was very difficult for all of the people to go through the narrow entrance; in the second instance where the other group single-filed, it was found to be a flawless affairs for all of them to go through the same entrance.

He said the symbolism derived from the exercise demonstrated was that when people allow time and space in their choices to make decision it is easier to achieve something; otherwise, it will be counterproductive.

“When you refused to accept the person who won the party’s ticket, and everybody in that convention wants to go on that same position, this is what happened,” he said, citing an example. “So, we all were in the mix and so when the children called me and say ‘Papay what happened’, my answer to them, was ‘this is what happened’”.

“There instances where some of our party officials were fielding their candidates against their party’s chosen candidates. This is what happened.”

He said it is high time that members of the CDC advised themselves so that “we can’t be doing the same thing over and over and expect different results. It is not possible”.

“We are all talking about 2029, saying we will bounce back. Yes, we will bounce back if we apply the rules of supporting the party and those on the party’s ticket. It is not possible if someone feels he has cash and can pick a candidate of their singular choice. We cannot make it in 2029 divided as we were in 2023.”

He added: “We can’t make it back if we allow those who won the party ticket to contest and then talk to those who did not win the party’s ticket to join us to campaign,” President Weah said.

While defending his decision to concede to President elect Joseph Nyumah Boakai, President Weah said the decision was not unilateral. “I took the decision because we were defeated; we defeated ourselves; so it was no reason to fight on. The reason I say this is because our leaders are here”.

In a bold manner, President Weah told his supporters that if they ever had any reasons to believe that the party will bounce back so soon, the best for them to do is to rethink such a thought because most of them, especially those the party depends on to reinvent itself, have not learnt any lesson yet.

He mentioned about the in-fighting taking place among the elected lawmakers and that may ruin the chances of the party to win any of the legislative positions up for contest including the Speakership, the Deputy Speaker and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

“We continue to do the same even in these critical times,” the President lamented. “We are going to another elections and the same scenario is playing out in this space. We are going for election for the speaker, deputy speaker and the president pro temp but people are not willing to respect the theory of succession: Theory of succession tells you this is your time; I am behind you; if your time finishes, I will succeed you.”

“But everybody wants to be there at the same time anyhow, no matter what,” he continued.

“It defeat in the offing again. I will say this it is sad not to recognize people that helped you; someone that raised you; people that raised you when you were in the shackles, when you were in the ghettos; it is a danger if they advise you and you refused.”

“If those people who became elevated by us cannot listen to us again, well we will say God will be the judge,” the President said.

The statement from the president about in-fighting among the party’s elected lawmakers which may work against the party’s preferred candidates was corroborated with other sources.

It is said that there have been calls by the party’s leadership for some of those who are desirous of occupying the leadership seats in the National Legislature to scale down their ambition and support candidates who are close to winning the contest.

He said the partisans and supporters should see the defeat as the hour of reckoning for the party and work faster to regroup itself while accepting the fact that to be in opposition, there will be a lot of setbacks.

“Just like in 2005 and 2011 when we lost those elections, people left and later on came back when we won in 2017”.

He said as it stands he cannot be categorical about giving an assurance of a rejuvenated CDC until he sees the seriousness in the partisans who are the drivers of  the party as any decisions they make right now will determine the forward march or the decline of the party.

“We should prepare for those people to take over and we go back on the drawing board to fix the deficit,” he added: “The deficit is just small. We have to know who goes on our party’s ticket next time and it should be final.

“So, I hope what we are trying to do now, we will learn, it is a learning curve, we have to listen.”

He said for a vibrant party to succeed it must respect its laws, rules and regulations because they are the bedrock of the survival of the party.

“For CDC, we don’t even respect our common laws which is the holding of convention”.

He continued: “How can we have convention then I George Weah be told to step aside and people who are just coming are taking decision. It is wasting people’s efforts. So, if we are not ready to move the country to another century, then let us talk to the other Weahcians, the CDCians, Liberians, letting them know that CDC is not the best place, so let them move on with their one party system. We came to make sure that there is no one party system here. And that is why we are enjoying democracy today.”

It has been confirmed that the current Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives J. Fonati Koffa and Thomas Fallah who just won the representative seat in Lofa County, all members of the CDC, have expressed their desire to contest the race for Speaker.

While encouraging the people to be courageous and remain steadfast, President Weah also reminded them that like in 2005 when the party lost election, many will leave but that should not be a dying moment for the party because “as people leave, others will still come back”.

“Like I told you the last time, I am not going to leave you. I will be with you and for you as I was doing from 2005 to present. What we need now is not to discourage ourselves; we need to encourage ourselves by being together and see what God that we believe will bring for us.

“Let us be honest to ourselves and ask why this happened. And why did we fight against ourselves. Why did you put this man in the race? Is it because a CDC lawmaker is running and that is the person you suppose to help but you refused?”

President lamented how the party was highly divided on who to support for the various legislative seats during the 2023 general elections to the extent that the party had to contend with multiple candidates from the party vying against each other for a particular seat.

“You don’t fabricate numbers in a transparent election like ours that we fought to have as part of our legacy,” he said further.

“When you have six voters and you have two candidates coming from the same party facing one candidate in the opposition, if the opposition person takes three voters, then that means the two candidates from the same party will be fighting the remaining 3 voters. That means we will be losing that seat. And that was just what happened to us. We lost because we were fighting against each other.”

The outgoing President told the partisans that there must be a way forward and “the way forward is to re-strategize so that we will not do the same thing because by doing so, we will not be moving forward”.

He told the congregation that he has always allowed God to have His way in his life for anything he aspires for, adding: “I have been successful in some, and not successful in some and that is how God has been guiding me”.

He said if he had been a desperate person in his life then he would not have accepted the primary results in 2011 where “they said I was defeated and my reaction then would have destroyed the party completely because I am the founder the party.”

“But did the person they took win the election? No. He did not win. But in 2017, when you stood behind me and said it is you we are carrying, I won the election. And that brings back to what I have been saying.

“When we decided to take an action and to support the action, we have always come up victorious but when we decided to go our separate ways, you can see we will lose the opportunity.”

To the first time voters, he said it was regrettable that they were “coming to politics for the first time but then politricks occurred” – politricks which according to him defines as things happening in the real world.”

He consoled them saying: “But be inspired. Don’t give up. You have done the right thing”.

He said many have texted him that some of the reasons why they did not win was because “I could not secure their votes. But I told them, the first thing they should have done was to protect their votes, and he would have secured your votes”.

Still making his points, the Liberian leader noted: “I made a lot sacrifices for this country in my life; I rode small planes, big planes to come and play for this country, to bring glory to this country and when things did not go on well at the time. It was my mother they insulted.”

He said he has accepted the outcome of the results and has moved on, and will not miss much of what his status was but he takes solace in being with the Liberian people that he is used to and from whom he has his inspiration and support to be president of the country.

“I have accepted the outcome of the results and nothing much I am going to miss. Maybe, if there is anything I will miss, it will be those Presidential gatherings, big dinners, but I am happy that I still have my Liberian People that I love. So, if we cannot have the big dinner, we will always have the small dinner.”

He told the party’s executives that he will not change his decision he made to concede defeat to Ambassador Boakai when the party meets anytime soon “because I know I was beaten, we were defeated and that is the truth we should all accept moving forward.”

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