UP overlooks quest for change

Opposition Liberty Party (LP) stalwart Benjamin Sanvee is supposing that ruling Unity Party (UP) is underestimating the level and appetite for change in the country, and predicts that UP will not reach the second round of the polls.

“Look Boakai, the people are going to be very shocked. They’re going to be very shocked, you know they’re underestimating the level and the appetite for change in this country,” the LP stalwart said on a local radio talk show on Wednesday, 20 September in Monrovia.

Mr. Sanvee alleges that Vice President Boakai does not have one vote to start on because he has not been tested in elections like LP presidential candidate Mr. Charles Brumskine who has lost in past presidential elections here.

“Most of the people who were driven to go and vote, they vote for the top of the ticket. So in mine estimation Vice President Boakai [doesn’t have] one vote to start on. At least Brumskine was third and came fourth, at least. So wherever he’s starting from he can start from that,” Mr. Sanvee argues. He supports claims that “people don’t vote for Vice President,” but they do vote for the President.

While claiming to be worried over claim that the UP has vowed to win these elections at the first round of the polls, the LP stalwart however says it is possible that his party which fell from third place to fourth place can win the very elections being contested by some 20 presidential candidates in the first round.

But in reaction to Mr. Sanvee’ claims on the live talk show, Mr. Boakai supporter Jacob Jallah claims that “change argument” coming from opposition like Ben and the Liberty Party “is deeply politically suicidal,” urging the LP camp to drop such argument quietly and quickly “because it is not resonating with the people.”

“I think … the Liberty Party should not buy a fish in a change argument. They should change it … pretty quickly,” he says. Judging from past political gains of the opposition LP, Mr. Jallah wonders how the opposition party will jump from 65,000 votes [in 2011] nationally to getting a magic number of about 500,000 votes in these elections.

“It is as difficult as bringing a dead body to life,” he claims, adding that it is the reason why the few people the opposition party had are now switching sides and following Boakai, knowing that it is a waste of time to cast a vote for the LP in these elections.

By Winston W. Parley