Editorial: Unhappy With CDC’s Terroristic Threats

On Monday, November 21, 2011, Ambassadors Winston A. Tubman and George Oppong Weah declared that they and their CDC would continue to demonstrate against the re-election of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

Tubman and Weah made the declaration in separate interviews following a peaceful precession by supporters of the CDC from their headquarters in Congo Town through Tubman Boulevard and Jallah Road and back to symbolically lay to rest those they claimed got killed in the November 7 demonstration which later became violent.

Again on Thursday, November 24, the CDC issued two separate leaflets declaring and advertising a 30-day demonstration against the government under the caption, the Dice of the Dead and a list of institutions and individuals under the caption Axis of Evils.

While some well-meaning Liberians may describe this latest development as scare tactics or shoray  by Tubman, Weah, Solo and a few other stalwarts of the CDC who continue to give innocent Liberians of that party empty hope just to further gain relevance in the face of national and international condemnations, it is important to critically discuss these threats and actions, especially those the CDC referred to as “axis of evils calling ‘spade, a  spade’ in the interest of  Liberia-the one and only country we presently have.

Among the many institutions listed by the CDC as axis of evils is the New Dawn-Liberia. Of course, this is not the first time this paper is being negatively branded by the CDC and its leadership. During the 2011 political campaign, a New Dawn-Liberia reporter was asked out of a news conference hosted by George Weah on his relationship with Alan White and told that this paper was an ‘evil genius and an enemy of the CDC’.

While we too, may neither be harboring fear nor taking these threats lightly, the CDC leadership must be made to understand that the New Dawn-Liberia does not have anything personal against the CDC. All we have and continue to do is to provide coverage, as well as report and make critical analysis of the CDC and its activities from a distance.

We pray very hard not to be in the business of doing public relations or fine-toning the uncalculated, unstructured and uncoordinated utterances and activities of the CDC.

We believe that as we make critical report and analysis of their utterances and activities, Ambassadors Tubman and Weah and their political lieutenants must be in the position to re-examine themselves and party’s activities for further improvements.

They must realize that while our role may be to promote and strengthen democratic values, it is also incumbent upon us to ensure that we sustain the peace our international partners, including UNMIL, ECOWAS, AU, EU and US Governments have all helped to give us after years of self-destruction. When the security of this nation is threatened, it is also our responsibility to raise alarms, but in an accurate, balanced and credible manner. This is because of our unpreparedness to return to the days of social disorder, death and destruction as we almost had on November 7.

If the CDC will continue to consider the “Alan White Platform” as the best route to capturing state power in Liberia, the New Dawn-Liberia should never be held responsible for such political inadequacy.

Using these terroristic threats against some media institutions, including this paper to scape-goat the lack of structure and system within the CDC is most unfortunate of a political party that is considered the most populous in Liberia.

We appeal to ordinary supporters and other officials of the CDC not to allow themselves to be drawn into these terroristic threats and actions. This is because those issuing these threats do have their wives, children and other close relatives in the United States, Ghana or elsewhere in the world and could escape at any time, leaving them here.

We also appeal to the Government of Liberia, UNMIL, ECOWAS and United States Government not to under-estimate these threats emanating from the CDC and its leadership.