Barely days after the Collaborating Political Parties published their working document, ahead of election s in 2023, Liberia’s Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Nathaniel Fallo McGill says, members of the opposition are disingenuous to the Liberian people and the democratic process in the country.
“Sometimes when you are dealing with people who not serious, you intend to give them the benefit of the doubt; you can see how disingenuous the CPP is. Around April the 20th, the same political mischief image that the CPP loves to play by misleading the public, Mr. Alexander Cummings of the Alternative National Congress tried to make the President to look bad. Mr. Cummings wrote the President and cited inclusivity in the COVID-29 fight which the President agreed and interestingly brought on board the World Bank, the world feeling organization of the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the religious community, the opposition and the rest,” Minister McGill notes.
Speaking on ‘Prime Morning Drive’, a live talk show on Monday, May 25, in Monrovia, he explains that reason for President Weah bringing on board key players is to create corridor for transparency, accountability and not to make the fight against the Corona Virus seen as the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change’s fight instead, for everyone to feel a part.
The CPP in a communication to President Weah recently wrote, “The Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) presents compliments and informs you of its decision to withdraw from membership to the National Steering Committee for the COVID-19 Household Food Supply Program (COHFSP).
Despite our best efforts and good-faith response to support the Government of Liberia in the fight to overcome the national health crisis and the accompanying economic and social disruptions, we are compelled to withdraw at this time on account of the lack of serious leadership, improper planning, and the absence of transparency and accountability characterizing the overall response effort, to which we cannot reasonably be exposed and/or associated.”
The CPP insists that the response to the pandemic must be dutifully characterized by a level of presidential leadership which inspires a national mobilization, commitment to transparency, honesty, diligence, accountability and work ethics to impress the existence of a serious emergency in the country.
However, it observed that unfortunately, the body is constrained to conclude that this is not the presenting reality, and as such, the CPP cannot lend its name, character, resources and expertise to be stamped upon an obvious failure in presidential leadership at this time of a serious national crisis.
Notwithstanding, the communication continues that the CPP, both as a collective and in individual capacities, will continue to support doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers who are selflessly struggling to fight the virus often without the needed support from government, saying, “We will also continue to do all we can in support of our people who obviously deserve more serious leadership in this crisis from this administration of our government”.
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Minister McGill however explains that President George Manneh Weah further placed a telephone call to one of the opposition leaders, Mr. Benoni Urey, requesting for the involvement of the CPP, and advised the President to do a formal communication to that infect.
He argues that Liberia plagued by a major health problem and in the midst of the crisis, for a major political actor to walk away, then it becomes difficult to see logic for their action.
According to the ruling CDC stalwart, President Weah has rally the entire world for support to the fight against COVID-19. “Those guys just believe to mislead the public and that’s not leadership. They are talking leadership crisis, the work of the President is overwhelming,” he defends.
He says the accusation by the CPP of corruption in the COVID-19 fight, means the opposition is accusing the international community and not the President nor the government, but those international actors like the World Bank, IMF, and World Health Organization that are part of the process.
By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor–Editing by Jonathan Browne
