Beware of Political Judases

Anxiety and speculations from within and outside the governing Unity Party that its Standard Bearer Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai, no longer enjoys the confidence and support of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in his bid for the Liberian Presidency bring to bear a compelling need for Vice President Boakai to take leadership over his campaign strategy for the October elections.

From all indication, Vice President Boakai would want to be his own President, and should be his own President, if elected rather than lead in a way that would suggest that he is a stooge or puppet of a master sitting somewhere, guiding his (Boakai’s) steps.

Importantly, that the rumor mills have claimed the attention of the Office of President Sirleaf, forcing a response from Presidential Press Secretary Jerolinmek Piah in a live radio broadcasting here on Tuesday, 8 August is something not only of interest, but worrisome.

Those leading such campaign are both harming the political chances of the UP Standard Bearer and sowing seeds of discord between VP Boakai and President Sirleaf, who are ending two six-year terms of office as leaders of our country.

The innuendoes draw much public attention when they come from within as they have unfolded in the past several weeks, creating the impression that the two leaders, who have led our country over a decade were at the brink of breaking apart and do not want see face to face any more.

If this were not the case, we think the onus is on Vice President Boakai, the UP Presidential Candidate, on whose behalf these overzealous foot soldiers are releasing barrage of charges, to come out and clearly say so or else, these so-called Boakai movements could be sending wrong signals that could eventually become counter-productive to his dream for the Presidency.

His continuous conspicuous silence on such attitude by so-called partisans, who claim to be championing his bid for the Presidency, could boomerang with undesired results. Vice President Boakai should beware of political Judases right under his feet that are working overtime to thwart his dream.

Rather than moving on this path, we call on the Unity Party to run a coordinated campaign that would yield positive results at the ballot box rather than the other way around. President Sirleaf can provide only just much support both morally and financially, and nothing more.

This is a Joe Boakai campaign for President and must be seen so. Becoming crybabies all over the place would not help the process. We challenge the Ngafuan-led campaign team to go all out like other parties in the race are doing to mobilize human, material and financial resources to get the votes of the Liberian people if they so desire to reelect the governing UP for a third term.

We believe doing so would prove not only leadership, but maturity and organization in the ruling party with vast experience in governance rather than to begin to self-destruct, as we are beginning to observe, which could give the opposition a free walk to power.