Editorial: Our Ardent Plea To Politicians And Liberians

On Wednesday, January 6, 2011, the Secretary General of George Weah’s Congress for Democratic Change or CDC announced his resignation from the party. Mr. Eugene Nagbe attributed his divorce between him and the CDC to the fact that he could no longer continue to work with individuals he claimed, were “intolerant and inflexible.”

Another factor responsible for Nagbe’s resignation had to do with the “wrong direction” to which the CDC was heading, and according to him, he was not comfortable with the party and the level of intolerance and inflexibility within it.

“I tried my best to move the party forward, but it never succeeded, and I have no option, but to leave,” Eugene Nagbe told a New Dawn interview.

Though Nagbe clarified that his departure from the CDC had nothing to do with speculations about the “broken political agreement” between George Weah of the Congress for Democratic Change and Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine of the Liberty, claims and counter-claims regarding last year’s Weah-Brumskine deal characterized the relationship between him and other members of the National Executive Council of the CDC.

We are informed that the Accra agreement was for Weah and |Brumskine to contest this year’s elections on a single ticket at which time Weah would be second to Brumskine in the Presidential race, and that “cash” influence had a great role to play in convincing Mr. Weah to submit.

Many CDC Executives and stalwarts here at home suspected Mr. Eugene Nagbe and a few US-based party stalwarts, including Samuel Tweh to be at the core of the deal, something Mr. Nagbe publicly rejected.

Considering the cracks, antagonisms, suspicions and opposition which developed following the news of George Weah’s submission as Brumskine’s Vice Presidential running-mate, it became very obvious that some members of the CDC who sympathized with the deal, including Mr. Nagbe would eventually take their exit-and here we are.

This is why Liberian Political Leaders and Executives of their respective parties must exercise their highest degree of maturity, openness, as well as commitment in their quest for state power.

For political free thinkers here, governing a nation is far different from leading “boys scout” organizations or captaining a football team or even being popular -it has to do with understanding issues and transforming such into the realities which positively impact the socio-economic and political well-being of the governed.

And those aspiring to be the governors/leaders must not be ill-prepared, but immune with state craft on the basis of experience so that when issues of national concern are discussed, the interest and future of the governed will take precedence over selfishness.

As we enter the “much talk-about” 2011-the year to determine political maturity and tolerance and decide whether or not we, as a nation, are ready for true democracy, we at the New Dawn-Liberia admonish all politicians and political parties to place the survival of Liberia first, in their drive for the country’s leadership.

Our ardent plea to them is to exercise sincerity and openness as they interact with their respective partisans and executives, as they prepare to enter into the 2011 political exercise for the governance of our motherland.

May we also appeal to our mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, cousins, as well as other relatives and friends who find themselves within the 43, 000 square miles of Liberia and are qualified by the country’s constitution to visit the various centers around the country to register with the National Elections Commission, so as to be able to confidently politicians who want to be Representatives, Senators and President of Liberia in October.

We also trust that our engagement with these politicians will be on the basis of their commitment and credibility, in terms of tangible achievements they have made for the past five or six years, so that we can determine their abilities to deliver us politically, economically and socially.