Tension brews in CDC

Tension seems to be brewing within the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), a political institution built on the pillars of three political parties, just months after wrestling power from the Unity Party.

Emerging events seem to be showing complete disenchantment among some party officials over claims that President George Manneh Weah’s nomination of officials is not allegedly cutting across the three parties satisfactorily as anticipated during the formation of the coalition ticket.

The Chairman emeritus of the National Patriotic Party (NPP) Chief Cyril Allen, one of the pillars of the ruling CDC has alarmed serious disenchantment within the CDC in the wake of President Weah’s ongoing appointments of officials in government.

In confirming the situation on Wednesday, 7 February via a local radio, Chief Allen, however, dispelled the rumor that the conflict is only within the camp of the NPP and former House Speaker Alex Tyler’s Liberian People Democratic Party (LPDP).

“Let nobody tell you that the disenchantment is only in the NPP and the LPDP, there are lots of disenchantments within the Congress for Democratic Change and I think as a body, together we all representing the interest of our partisans, they are depending on us and they look up to us to protect their interest,” Chief Allen says.

According to him, there are disenchantments that are going on among the three parties that make up the Coalition, adding that since the CDC was announced winner of the just ended election, the party’s Governing Council has only met once.

But he says there is need that the CDC’s Governing Council continues to meet as a decision – making body on the basis of consensus.

The NPP chairman emeritus continues that if the body was involved in the decision – making or the nomination process, things would have been put in place to avoid the kinds of embarrassment the President’s office is facing.

He notes that the Governing Council is very experienced in the formation of government because it has several people who have been in a transition government, interim government and duly elected government.

He argues that it is a process and not an event that a handful of people can sit down, know everybody and know the history and duties surrounding each of the individuals before the submission of names for the president’s signature.

Chief Allen notes that it is very appalling for an institution like the CDC with the kind of experienced and exposed personnel available to make those elementary errors and embarrass the office of the president.

He is worried that their international partners are watching them, reminding his colleagues that Liberian citizens have confidence in them after giving them an overwhelming support to perform in line of what was said.

By Ben P. Wesee–Edited by Winston W. Parley