Editorial: Why Fellow Oppositions, George Weah?

The political leader of the Congress for Democratic Change or CDC, Mr. George Weah is pointing accusing fingers at opposition parties and loafers for sowing seeds of discord and undermining the concept of a merger of his party with Charles Brumskine’s Liberty Party.

In a statement issued in Monrovia on Sunday, November 14, 2010, Weah described his political relationship with Brumskine as a strong and united force to defeat incumbent President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. According to him, those seeds of discord were now deeply planted in their ranks and files (CDC), threatening division within his party.

“After careful evaluation, I have concluded that CDC’s participation in the 2011 Presidential and Legislative elections as a single political party is not the best political strategy. A united opposition with the two leading opposition parties under one umbrella is a clear defeat for this government,” Weah declared in his statement issued from the United States.

He called for clam among party officials and supporters, encouraging the Executive Committee of the CDC to work in developing the party’s posture in the merger talks. George Weah also urged the CDC Executive Committee to put the merger resolution to a vote as quickly as possible, so as to build a strong united and undefeatable opposition bloc with the Liberty Party as his party’s main partner.

We, at the New Dawn-Liberia, do remember that this is neither Weah’s first or second political matrimony. It began with Cllr. Winston Tunman of the Liberia National Union when he signed a collaborative pact in Accra, Ghana, and then initiated collaboration for a grand coalition of several political parties, including the CDC, NPP, PRODEMP and LINU, to be named and styled Coalition for Democratic Change after divorcing Winston Tubman in a twinkle of an eye.

While a technical committee was working out the modalities for the coalition, Weah secretly surfaced in Accra again for a new political wedding with Liberty Party’s Charles Brumskine without the knowledge of his party’s national Executive Committee.

Such action on the part of George Weah resulted to discontentment among executives and members of the Congress for Democratic Change back home. Weah again charged his party’s NEC with the responsibility to study the Accra agreement between him and Brumskine to be able to determine whether or not such should hold.

Of course, the CDC National Executive Committee rejected that political marriage, recommitting the CDC to the August 14, 2010 communiqué signed at the Monrovia City Hall regarding efforts towards the formation of a grand coalition.

We believe that for George Weah to overrule the last decision of CDC National Executive Committee , only suggest that he’s not himself and cannot be trusted with any leadership. If there should be any seeds of discord within the CDC, it has to be those being sewed by George Weah at the moment.

The mere fact that Weah may not actually be consulting his party’s National Executive Committee on these matters, there is a great potential for division within the CDC. We do believe that there may be factors responsible for the confusion George Weah finds himself. Such confusion is obviously not politically healthy for party growth and development.

Let George Weah not blame his fellow opposition members for what’s happening, but himself. He must understand practical politics and always consult before making decisions or public statements.