PHOTO: Former VP Joe Boakai speaking at the turnover program
By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com
Former Liberian Vice Joseph Boakai has taken over the Chairmanship of the opposition Collaborating Political Party (CPP), vowing to work collectively in overcoming the internal wrangling to win the presidential elections in 2023.
Describing the CDC government of President George Manneh Weah as a “failed leadership”, the political leader of the former ruling Unity Party said, the CPP “must do all it can to liberate the Liberian people from the bondage of this failed leadership”.
He assured the public that the collaboration remains strong, united and unwavering
Ambassador Boakai was speaking over the weekend at the UP headquarters in Monrovia’s Congo Town suburb, when he formally took over the gavel of authority as CPP Chairman from the former Chairperson, Senator Nyonblee Karngar Lawrence, political leader of the Liberty Party at a program attended by many.
“No temptation and distraction will stand on the way of our goals,” he said; adding: “we are set to win the 2023 presidential elections; change the course and re direction of the history of our country,” said Mr. Boakai.
He termed his taking over of the CPP Chairmanship as a dawn of a new day, urging other leaders to put their differences behind them, move ahead.
According to him, they can do this by bringing strength and weaknesses in the spirit of the CPP framework, in order to meet the aspirations of the Liberian people.
Claims of certain CPP executives tampering with the body’s framework document has deepened the rift in the four-party opposition coalition, which comprises Boakai’s UP, Alexander Cummings Alternative National Congress (ANC), Liberty Party (LP) and Benoni’s Urey’s All Liberian Party (ALP).
Former VP Boakai said: “Collectively, we remain press to win the 2023 presidential elections building on the expectation, hope and justifiable excitement of the Liberian people that an alternative is possible.”
According to him, this is the reason for accepting the responsibility to serve as the CPP Chairman for the next eight and urged that the politicians should not allow differences and internal wrangling to divide the collaboration.
“No matter how contemptuous it may become, this is because social, economic and political conflicts are events can be transform into good,” the new CPP Chairman told his audience.
He cautioned supporters to see as positive these differences and bitter are the liberties prevailing within the CPP.
Mr. Boakai assured Liberians that the collaboration will be strong after the storm because they as leaders will continue to demonstrate the purpose .
“We will continue to demonstrate a purpose in pursuit of providing an alternative for responsive leadership for Liberian people and we will ensure that during the tenure of our leadership the CPP will be institutionalized and entrench our feet so deep that victory is the only option,” he said.
The former ruling UP Standard Bearer reminded Liberians that what the leaders of the CPP have set out to do places them in the threshold of history purposely to correct the socio-economic and political to benefit all the spectrum in the country.
“We are united and determine to move forward as an alliance joining the millions of Liberians around the country and other parts to break the circle of object poverty, ignorance, impunity, illiteracy, social injustice, corruption and dictatorship.”
National security rapidly deteriorating
Commenting on the security situation, the new CPP Chairman indicated that the security situation is rapidly deteriorating where the citizens are living in constant fear especially in the wake of increase in violence and killings in the past three years.
According to him, the prevailing security situation has increased fear among the ordinary people and providing the security is largely few protecting the few officials of government officials of government.
Ambassador Boakai maintained that a winning soccer icon, whose regime sees the only international soccer pitch banned the FIFA and the Lone Statr Soccer Team as an underdog and the game that has brought President George Weah to success and prominence has now become a national failure.
The UP standard bearer threw gab at President Weah, saying that his CDC administration is characterized by insecurity, armed robbery, secret killings, missing persons, missing parts.
“This must change and take Liberia from the bondage to progress that is reason ir is not good to give man’s job to boy to do.; while people are living in poverty, the man is building status of himself and look how our city has been termed the dirtiest place by the EU diplomat,” the former Liberian Vice President said.
“While he is lavishly throwing parties, just imagine how many years is it take him (Weah) to build a training in his own party’s headquarter “
“ We the CPP understand the hardship our people are facing and the officials of this government are stealing huge amount of money to build lavish homes at the expense of the Liberian people.”
According to Mr. Boakai, the CPP understands the situations of students no matter where he or she is attending school in Liberia and cannot find a job after completion of college education.
He added that CPP understands the disappointment of the father who works all day and at the end ‘cannot take put a food on the table for his family .
The former Liberian Vice President also noted that the people deserve a new and better day that people centered for the millions including the children.Ambassador Boakai pointed out that these are some of the reasons that the Alternative National Congress, the All Liberian Party, the Liberty Party and Unity Party came together to form the collaboration.
He also vowed to make constitutional changes, the personalization of the presidency, the erosion of the separation of power of the three branches of government as enshrine in the Liberian Constitution and the dictatorial nature of governance
“We will also ensure that public office is not an end in itself but as a mean to serve the Liberian people , urban decentralization.
Ambassador Boakai appealed to all leaders of the CPP to consider the interest of the Liberian people by looking at the bigger picture because the internal conflict is the responsibility of all of them.
Sen. Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence calls for reconciliation in CPP
Speaking earlier, the former Chairperson of the CPP Senator Nyonblee Karngar- Lawrence called on the four constituent political parties of the collaboration to put aside their personal differences, in the spirit of unity and oneness in the interest of the people in the country.
“Let’s bury each of our ambition because Liberia is bigger than each of us and connect beyond our internal interest for the Liberian people who are depending on us for the decision that will better the future of the country,” she said adding : “ Liberians are crying and are seriously concern about the wrangling prevailing in the CPP.”
“We are the only hope of the vast majority of the people and we are the same; we should not be viewing one another as different when we all are fighting for same vision and objective to change this country. Let’s get on the table to resolve the internal wrangling and I trust our elders to resolve the stalemate among the leaders of the CPP,” the outgoing CPP Chairperson added.
On her achievements, Sen. Karnga-Lawrence claimed that during the last eight months, she has been able to establish a permanent secretariat to run the daily affairs of the collaboration.
She expressed regret that she has been unable to elect a ticket for the CPP in the 2013 presidential elections which has been her primary objective by the end of this year.
The program was graced by the Chairman of the Rainbow Alliance, Reginald Goodridge; Dr. Daniel Cassel, the political leader of the People’s Liberation Party; the CPP Legislative Caucus, among many others.