Editorial – They Must Prove Us Wrong

Of late, we at the New Dawn have been highlighting discussions and other efforts by a number of Liberian political parties to group themselves into an alliance or coalition ahead of the 2011 general and presidential elections in Liberia. So far, we of eleven parties either in a political marriage or striving towards such efforts, all in an attempt to ensure the reduction of the number of parties so that Liberian voters can make informed decisions during the electoral process next year.

It is only the new Unity Party, hatching out of the matrimony of the previous Unity Party, Liberia Action Party and small group of officials and partisans of the Liberia Unification Party that we can boast of meaning well, despite the odds which characterized the Ganta convention in April this year.

The CDC, NPP, Liberty Party, Liberia National Union and a few others began their process last November during the senatorial bye-election, but broke apart a few months ago, with Charles Brumskin’s Liberty and some stalwarts of the NPP led by a former LPRC Managing Director and National Security Advisor Lewis Brown linking up with Liberian progressives of the seventies for the proposed Democratic Alliance. The NPP, CDC and others were left behind in discussions to for a grand coalition, but were again interrupted by Brown and other NPP stalwarts already in the DA recently, so much so that the NPP is yet to chose the political grouping it wishes.

Similar confusion again ensued in the Alliance for Peace and Democracy, which should have met on last Saturday in Monrovia, but to no avail due to “unfavorable behind the- ence” discussions among  officials and stalwarts of the party, including Togbah Nah Tipoteh, Amos sawyer, Marcus Dahn, as well as D. Karn Carlor. What, we see as more puzzling about these opposition parties, is their inability to clearly understand that selfishness and manipulations will only strangulate and keep them at bay, with regards to whatever objective(s) they claim to have.

From all that we know and have followed about these opposition politicians, we seriously envisage difficulties in all attempts towards a genuine alliance or coalition. We strongly harbor the belief that most of our politicians, especially those that referred to as progressives, will only continue to be “King makers” and not leaders because of the “wicked political ways.”

Others may also find it difficult to excel to the nation’s highest office because of their belief that God had actually designated them to be our President, and no one else. With such selfishness and other bad political behaviors, an alliance or grand coalition may find it very impossible, if not difficult to challenge the ruling Unity Party that has already reorganized itself and become well grounded with the necessary resources.

These are the same opposition politicians, whose failure in the process leading to the elections, may lure them into crying foul at the end of the day. The challenge now is theirs. They must prove us wrong.