LOOKIN’ INSIDE FROM OUTSIDE: Liberia’s Political Matrimonies – Part II

Liberia’s political matrimonies or marriages may be voluntary or involuntary, depending on the factors inter-playing in the political system. In part one of this issue under discussion, political marriages were attributed to economic and security reasons, and that such could be voluntary or involuntary depending on the variables.

As our country moves toward voting day on October 11, 2011, the country’s politics has and continues be characterized by two types of political matrimonies or marriages-wisdom and convenience. The former is a representation of collective interest, while the latter focuses on personal aggrandizement under the guise of loyalty and support.

When Comrade David Kortie of the All Liberian Coalition Party, Clrr. Varney Sherman and other officials of the Liberia Action Party, as well as Isaac Mannah, Cletus Sieh and other officials of the Liberia Unification Party made their decisions to join the ruling Unity Party in a merger, many Liberians welcomed them as a political marriage of wisdom because they considered the general interest of the country.

By just entering into such marriage to reduce the number of political parties and relief voters of the confusion they may encounter in political decision-making were sufficient to justify their decision.

In the case of  Isaac Jackson  and Darius Dillion of the Liberty Party, Edwin Snowe of the NPP, LAP and  NDC, Eugene Nagbe of the NPP and CDC, as well as, of late Lewis Brown of the NPP, DA and NDC and other political pendulums, marriage of convenience was applied.

In the marriage of Wisdom, the possibility of loyalty and sincerity are very high, while marriage of convenience entails pretence under the guise of sincerity and support, with self interest at the core.

While no one may  want to question the sincerity of the political marriage entered into by  Snowe, Brown and others with President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and the Unity Party, it is also important to note their untrustworthiness, judging from their recent past political history.

With the insults and derogatory remarks they rained at the President and her  government, one would have thought that Snowe, Dillion, Brown, Jackson, Nagbe and others would have ‘never’ gone close to ‘Ellen’ and the Unity Party.

But again, in practical political politics, “your enemies may be your best friends”, most especially in political injury time, if politics must really be considered as “the act of the possible.”

And so, the ‘beat goes on and on board they are-on-on they go because their votes and those of their  families and other supporters may as well  help Madam President and her Unity Party in winning the October 11, 2011 Presidential race for the second term.

Brown, Dillion, Jackson, Nagbe and others may primarily be seeking political greener pasture after ‘Ellen’ shall have won the Presidency. But Snowe’s main objective for  “killing himself” for ‘Ellen’ at the moment is for the UN travel ban to be lifted, even though he’s still opting to be Speaker of the House of Representatives, and may want to attract President Sirleaf’s support in that direction.

I am of the strongest conviction that just as they are ‘playing the cards close to their chests, so is Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. Keeping an “eagle eye” should be the nature of the marriage of convenience.