Africa-Press – Liberia. The Political Leader of the opposition Alternative National Congress (ANC), Mr. Alexander Benedict Cummings, has demanded an open apology from the leadership of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) over accusation that he allegedly masterminded the altering of the Framework Document which binds his party and the other three political parties that make up the CPP together.
The remaining parties that form part of the CPP include: the former ruling Unity Party (UP), Liberty Party (LP) and the All LiberianParty (ALP). For some times now, the CPP has been embroiled into a crisis following claims and counter claims that the Framework Document was allegedly altered by Mr. Cummings while serving as Chairman of the collaboration.
Mr. Cummings’ party, the ANC has vehemently and categorically rejected the accusation. The situation has brought mixed feelings and mountings calls for a split of the collaborating on grounds that the constant hullabaloos within the CPP do not augur well for Liberia and its citizens.
It also spilled a bad blood between leaders of the CPP and a split within the leaderships and executive committees of the various opposition political parties within the collaboration.
As evidenced of the rock and roll within the CPP, Mr. Cummings over the week end snubbed the turning over of the chairmanship of the party to UP Political Leader Joseph Nyuma Boakai on grounds that the rightful procedures to ensure that all parties are part of the transition process and others were not followed by LP Political Leader Senator Nyonblee KarngaLawrence.
Speaking to his supporters in the United States shortly after he departed Liberia over the week end, Mr. Cummings claimed that the accusation made by his colleagues within the CPP has “maligned” his character. He demanded an open apology from his colleagues within the CPP instead of doing so behind closed doors.
“You cannot malign me, my character, integrity and you say let’s move. Of coursewe are always open to reconciliation in the interest of Liberia, but they need to apologize to me openly. People got to be accountable for the things they do”.
“I am happy to move on after I have been vindicated and they acknowledged that I have been vindicated. If the question is just forget that they malign or lie on you just move on, the answer is yes-If they acknowledge that what they did was wrong, we can reconcile and move on”.
Mr. Cummings’ uncompromising stance may determine whether or not the CPP will hold together and go for a primary to elect a Standard Bearer ahead of the 2023 general and presidential elections in Liberia.
Already the ANC has endorsed Mr. Cummings to contest the Standard Bearer position, while the UP has also voted Mr. Boakai to represent the party at the ensuing CPP primary.
Mr. Benoni Urey has made it clear that he does not intend to contest the primary of the CPP as the Political Leader of the ALP. But Senator Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence has not given a definite position on whether or not she will contest the primary of the collaboration as executives of the LP remain divided over who to support during the process.
It remains unclear whether or not leaders of the CPP will brain the storm and muster the courage to openly render an apology to Mr. Cummings in a bid to keep the executives and partisans of the four opposition political parties together ahead of the primary process.
If achieving their ultimatum goal of ensuring that President George Manneh Weah of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) is made a one-term President in the history of the country, partisans and supporters of the CPP believe that their leaders will put aside their egos and forge a stronger and better bond void of deceit and betrayal to actualize this goal.
Who will be the Standard Bearer of the collaboration has been the sticky issue within the CPP since the four opposition political parties formed a merger few years ago. Voter Perspective Survey and Consensus have been ruled out at means of selecting the Standard Bearer of the CPP.
There are reports that block voting which would ensure that each political party within the CPP is represented by a single voter during the primary process has been proposed but the ANC appears to be uncomfortable towards the exercise.
Concerns have been raised that the influx of delegates at the CPP primary to elect the Standard Bearer would be dollarized, compelling delegates to cast their votes based upon finances they may receive from the highest bidders during the process.
National Executive Committee (NEC) members and Leaders of the various political parties within the CPP are skeptical over the selection of delegates for the primary process as the time continues to draw nearer.
