Charles Taylor oks CDC, NPP Coalition

Information available to this paper indicates that jailed ex-President Charles Taylor is okayed with the recent coalition deal reached between his party, National Patriotic Party or NPP and the Congress for Democratic Change or CDC of Senator George Weah and the Liberian People Democratic Party or LPDP of criminal indictee, former Speaker Alex Tyler.

A source close to Mr. Taylor told this paper Tuesday November 8, that the jailed former President was briefed about the decision of his estranged wife, Senator Jewel Howard Taylor and other NPP top officials to form a coalition with the CDC and LPDP.

Taylor was said to have been informed by one of his family spokesperson here that the party’s decision to join forces with the CDC and LPDP was against the back drop that many of his ex-officials had been out of jobs and that they were suffering. The spokesperson was also quoted to have informed Taylor that the union with the CDC and LPDP could see their resurgence to state power and enable them to gain employment.

On Wednesday November 2, 2016, Weah announced that his party had formed a coalition with the NPP and LPDP at a ceremony. Weah, now a Senator and a former soccer star and the leaders of the NPP and LPDP jointly appeared on stage at the headquarters of the CDC where the announcement was made amidst jubilation from partisans.

The document which gave birth to the coalition named and styled the National Coalition for Democratic Change or Coalition for Democratic Change or CDC was signed by the three political leaders including Sen. Weah, Sen. Taylor and former Speaker Alex Tyler and all chairpersons and secretary generals of the three political parties.

Other unsubstantiated sources claimed Taylor called on the phone of one of his ex-Generals to speak to Weah during the ceremony on Wednesday November 2.  The latest development brings to question Taylor’s role in Liberian politics. It could be recalled that Taylor as part of the arrangement for his then exile into the Nigerian city of Calabar in 2003, was to avoid melting into Liberian politics.

One of the fears of the international community for which the former President is serving his 50 years prison sentence in faraway Great Britain was to ensure that he stay clear of Liberian politics.

However, Sen. Sando Johnson, a spokesman for the Taylor family told this writer Tuesday November 8, that Taylor had not spoken to him about any coalition, despite claims to the contrary by sources.

“Nobody must get Taylor involve into Liberian politics,” Sen. Johnson said as he told this writer that he will give his official response to the CDC, NPP and LPDP coalition today Friday November 11.

But another official told this paper that for him, he was not aware of Taylor speaking to Sen. Johnson but that he can say that Taylor is pleased with the Coalition. The coalition intends to pair Weah and Jewel Taylor as their 2017 ticket.

Already there has been protest against the coalition by some group of individuals claiming to be concerned NPP partisans led by the ex- commander of the disbanded Special Operation Division or SOD of the Liberia National Police during the Taylor regime. YekehKolubah said that NPP joining the coalition was not discussed by the executive members of the party.

His claim has been dismissed by one of the party’s official Mr. Rudolph Cooper, who also insists that Mr. Kolubah is not a partisan of the NPP in the first place.  

By Othello B. Garblah