Editorial: Good Effort, PYJ, But…

One of the leading aspirants in this year’s presidential election has disclosed that he’s back on his campaign trail after reports indicated that he had been nearly paralyzed from a stroke.

“I developed pressure a few days before New Year, and my pressure went up to 200/190. It was very serious, certainly it was serious. It would have landed me into a coma; it would have led me into having a stroke. But, as God would have it, His grace survived me,” Johnson told a recent VOA interview in admission to the very media reports he said lied on him.

He says his campaign has not lost any momentum even though he has not been on the trail for weeks. Anyway, the main issue of the day is the return of PYJ and his ability to persuade a  number of opposition political parties in forming a coalition of political parties to challenge incumbent President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf in this year’s Presidential and General Elections in Liberia.

The Political Leader of the National Union for Democratic Progress or NUDP, Senator Prince Y. Johnson or PYJ is now proving to be the man who can bring the opposition together to ‘retire’ President Sirleaf from Liberian politics. Senator Johnson has just revealed that his party has been holding talks with three other opposition leaders on the possibility of a merger before the elections, although he says nothing has been finalized.

“Well, we are holding a series of consultations. Deliberations are being carried out among us, and our doors are opened. We’ve been fortunate to meet Counselor Charles Brumskine of the Liberty Party, Ambassador Dew Mason and Ambassador George Weah, and we are still talking and, until we conclude, I will hold my comment,” the NUDP Political told the VOA.

This latest move and revelation by the NUDP Political Leader sounds good, but may not be very motivating for many well-meaning members and supporters of the opposition bloc, owing to the political nightmare brought upon them by political  leaders of the Congress for Democratic Change, George Weah and Liberty party, Charles brumskine a few weeks ago.

When Many of their members, supporters and undecided voters thought these two men were acting politically responsible after breaking away from efforts aimed at the first formidable coalition under the Coalition for Democratic Change as suggested by Mr. Weah, the struggle for power between the two became very clear that except for the Liberian Presidency, either can never settle for anything less. And so, their own efforts broke down following the undue publicity they bestowed onto themselves following their meeting in Accra, Ghana and subsequent meetings in Monrovia.

This is why we are saying that the idea of Senator Prince Johnson may be welcoming for other political actors, including Professor Dew Mayson and other new comers, but also very difficult for Mr. Weah and Cllr. Brtumskine who are just too obsessed with the Liberian Presidency and will not go into negotiations for a coalition without demanding the political leadership of such group.

For PYJ and Professor Mayson, there may be no difficulty on the way to the leadership of such coalition provided all of the political decencies to include the democratic tenants do such are put into place. We do believe that their primary objective is to bring forth a force to challenge the political and economic potency of the incumbent for total victory come October or November this year. But for Weah and Brumskine,  going into a coalition and adhering to the process of become the political leader or standard bearer of any coalition will never be their ‘portion’ today, tomorrow and the day after.

Unless we are convinced that these two men are really out for serious business and are ready to put aside their personal egos, we will continue to harbor the belief that Weah and Brumskine are unserious Liberian politicians, and for the people of Liberia to place their trusteeship in their hands is a very serious risk.

Again, we say to PYJ, it’s a good effort and we wish you the best.