Lord, Has He Really Betrayed The Struggle?

Dear Father,

Is it true that the Footballer has betrayed the struggle of the masses? I heard he sold the oath of the commoners to Government Bone.

You mean Government Bone who has been thrown out of all the associations around here? Yes, Father, the original Government Bone, a member of the lords, and of a family of the elites of the lords. But how could the Footballer do such thing my son? Father it is very difficult to explain.

So what are the commoners saying about this betrayer? Father from the look of things, I think the commoners are not happy, but they have no choice. The Footballer has smelt the rat and definitely it is very clear that his chances to make an impact this time around are very slim.

My son, are you saying the Footballer has lost his relevance amongst the commoners who believe in him so much?

Trust me Father, the guy has no relevance as we speak not among the commoners but the village politick. Whether he stays there to captain the commoners or not it makes no difference. Simply put, the guy is finish and hence he must bow out gallantly. And truly, he is a hero because not many of the old guys can do what he did.

But tell me something my son, can Government Bone with his wise background adequately lead the commoners to victory or they just have to look for someone of their kind?

Father, from the name Government Bone, it sounds like someone who has been rejected by his own and can just be chewed by anyone anyhow. And with this kind of name he must take comfort in the commoners and see himself as one of them. But the one billion dollar question is whether the commoners will see him as being one of them or as someone who is just riding on their plight to gain prominence or achieve a life time dream.

Another thing is the way many of the commoners are already disgruntled about Government Bone hijacking their heritage, I am not too sure if he will command that kind of following that we have seem over the past time behind the Footballer even though the number had been dwindling of late-I mean months before he could throw in the towel.

Now that some of the commoners are being disgruntled, expressing loudly that they don’t want this Government Bone, who can actually represent their interest.

Father, the last time the commoners had a true representation was some 20 years ago, when a real commoner came to reign in our village, but was slaughtered for some difficult reasons.

But my son, I am talking about this coming voting, who do you think can be pointed at directly as a commoner to lead his compatriots.

Father, there is this Old Soja man who is being considered as a true commoner, but whether he can represent the entire village’s commoners is what I can’t vouch for him.

Already, most of the commoners from the other ethnic groups who joined him are running away accusing him of being tribalistic. They say the man in fact does not represent all commoners but his kinsmen.

And did you say most of the other people are running away? Ay mehn, Father, that fire coming from my mouth. I say, not they say. Because when people are not too sure of what they are saying especially when they know that they are knowingly spreading gossip they tend to use “they say,” but in this case, I am saying, “I say”, so it means I am a credible source.

Tell me something my son! Father, I say all the people who help to put the group together are leaving because of chuchu.

Anyway, so they say what is happening in the Old Lady’s group? You mean the group with that of the Rooster Man? Yes, my son. I heard there were some troubles and people are resigning the same way they are doing in the Old Soja man’s group.

Yes, oh, Father, I heard the people say the Old Lady and the Rooster Man are pushing their own agendas oo. So if you are not in their good books or they feel that you can deliver, you better start going independent. Another thing is they say most of the conmen them not want to spend.

Shea, I think most of the people I know will run away. What do you mean? Ah, but already they say the Old Lady get glue on her hand she can’t release, then you think she will want other people with glue to join her and ride on her sweat, who will release for their friend now?

Well, Father that the result of forming these kind of groups around one or two persons-because like it is often said, he that pays piper calls the tune, so let the guys keep dreaming about free ride.

Father, the way I see things, I think this other voting that is coming every monkey for himself or herself oo, because nobody is going to ride on the popularity of his friend.

People will be voted for based on their own popularity and not of another individual.

Editorial: Challenging the Ruling Unity Party

“Internal Rift Intensifies In UP” was the front page banner headline in our Thursday, May 5, 2011 edition.

The story highlighted the internal rift characterizing the ruling Unity party ahead of its convention and primaries.

At the core of this wrangling is the party’s representation at the Liberian Legislature, i.e., who to contest on the UP ticket for legislative seats come this year’s general and presidential elections.

According to the story, a number of legislative aspirants who are party loyalists to include current lawmakers seem not to be in line with the hard politics ongoing within the Unity Party among the tops.

Such may just be leading to the frustrations and fears, considering the fact that their respective electoral districts may be awarded to others favored either by the party’s political Leader and President, Ellen Sirleaf, as well as National Chairman Varney Sherman in the absence of primaries.

This paper quoted an investigation inside the ruling Unity Party as suggesting that Chairman Sherman and President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf were ensuring at all cost behind the scene that aspirants of their interests were awarded party tickets to contest the various legislative seats.

Most of the current lawmakers, most especially some of those who defected to the UP and others considered radical, may not have the opportunity to seek re-election on the Unity Party’s ticket.

From all indications, there’s a suggestion that the leadership of the Unity Party could be harboring the fear that fielding individuals with discouraging popularities in the various electoral districts of Liberia may be a political risk for the party, owing to the fact that voters would base the decisions on the qualities of candidates.

It is an open fact that some current representatives, not only of the Unity Party, have not actually been in good relations with their respective constituents since entering the Capitol Building.

While this may be the really, the leadership of the Unity party must give aspirants (representatives and senators) who it may think are not popular, the opportunities to justify their aspirations by ensuring that there are primaries, and that they participate.

The Leadership of the Unity Party must not bury the fact that democracy is not only at a party-to-party level for state power, but also within a political party.

The Unity Party must try at most try to avoid a repeat of its May 2010 Ganta Convention occasioned by “armed-twisting, threats and promises”  in favor of the interests of its political leader and President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, including National Chairman Varney Sherman and his Vice Chairmen, including the current Labor Minister Jeremiah Sulonteh..

We believe that as a ruling party,  the UP must actually lead and not to follow their imprints of the National Union for Democratic Progress, whose political leader Prince Johnson has begun making his autocratic intentions known to the people of Liberia.

Should President Sirleaf and Chairman Sherman have  any political interests among either of their partisans, the best to do  is extensive lobbying among delegates during the convention and primaries to ensure that their interests prevail.

But to create such situation as we are hearing at the moment is tantamount to strangulating and hijacking democracy, as well as sending the message that we all need to harbor fears for the main electoral showdown come October or November this year.

The Unity Party must begin now to set the record straight or else public perceptions may just be judgmentally wrong. 

This is the challenge to the ruling Unity party.