Africa-Press – Liberia. The political leader of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), a constituent member of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), Mr. Alexander Cummings, has turned down an invitation from the Unity Party (UP) to attend the program marking the endorsement and presentation of VP Joseph N. Boakai as the Unity Party’s Aspirant for the Standard Bearer of the Collaborating Political Party (CPP).
In a letter to UP National Chairman, Amin Modad, Mr. Cummings said his decision to decline the invitation was because, according to him, Mr. Boakai’s selection as the standard bearer of the Unity Party was held outside of a national convention which he said was a breach of the CPP’s core value.
“I am constrained to decline your invitation at this time due to a number of concerns with the process which led to the program. In particular, the action to derive an aspirant for the position of CPP Standard Bearer through a process outside of a national convention falls short of the Core Values of the CPP as stated in section 3.1.2 “Good governance; including in particular Inclusiveness, Participation, Accountability and Transparency,” Mr. Cummings stated.
Further in his communication, the ANC’s Political leader said that the selection also runs contrary to the Guiding Principles of the CPP which provide for the creation of “an enabling environment of upholding the tenets of democracy including respect for the Rule of Law and human rights”, and has the potential to expose the CPP to public ridicule.
“To the Alternative National Congress (ANC), the Core Values and Guiding Principles of the CPP are not without legal force and moral effect. In addition, they define the deeper values of our commitments to each other, and our pledge to the Liberian people for a better Liberia. Therefore, the ANC believes each constituent member of the CPP must act, at all times, to uphold and adhere to the rule of law, including the laws which govern our respective parties,” he writes.
There has been simmering internal wrangling withing CPP of late leading to the Collaboration’s much anticipated convention later this year. Recently, Mr. Cummings walked out of a meeting of the four political leaders in protest of his colleagues’ decision to maintain outgoing CPP Chairperson and Liberty Party’s Political leader, Senator Nyonblee Karngar Lawrence instead of ushering VP Boakai who is the next in line to take on the collaboration’s Chairmanship.
