LIBERIA – The standard-bearer of the opposition CPP, Alexander Cummings says President George Weah knows that he has failed the Liberian people for which he did not put forth a candidate in the just-ended Lofa County By-election.
According to him President Weah and the CDC are right to be ashamed of their 5 years of leadership of our country – 5 years of lies and stealing, and 5 years of a few government officials making themselves rich while Liberians have continued to suffer.
He noted that President Weah and the CDC did not win in Lofa, instead, it was the people of Lofa won.
Mr. Cummings made the statement today when he addressed the outcome of the just-ended Lofa election.
It must also be said that the result of the election in Lofa is an important reminder to the opposition community, Cummings said, he said “However we try to interpret the results, one message to all of us who desire change in our country should be clear: Together, we are stronger. The Liberian people have shown us that they are more willing to trust us if we are together.”
He recalled that in 2020, together and under the leadership of the CPP, the opposition won. The CPP itself won 6 senatorial seats in the Midterm Elections including in the so-called CDC stronghold of Montserrado and supported five other successful candidates.
“The ruling CDC fought and spent as much as they could but the opposition victories could not be denied.”
Cummings: “Yes, Liberians want change. Yes, people are suffering. And yes, things are only getting worse. But Liberians are also tired of the division and disunity. People want us to move forward – boldly, differently, and reconciled. Liberians do not just want a change of individuals – our people want a change in the system, which for too long, has kept our country corrupt, and our people poor.”
He congratulated CPP, the people of Lofa County for the peaceful conduct of the election of a new senator for their county, he however urged all to maintain the peace even if their candidate did not win.
Many Liberians fought and died for us to freely and fairly choose our leaders, he said, adding “This is why when people vote, we must do everything to count it correctly so that the result we announce and publish will be based on the actual votes of the people. Only the people must choose their leaders. Doing so freely and fairly is the essence of democracy.”
The ANC Standard-bearer said to have the Senate doing business regularly without the full representation of Lofa for almost two years was wrong.
He pointed out that every constituency and county must be fully represented in the government because the government belongs to all of the people.
Therefore, he stated, the CPP welcomes the choice of the people of Lofa – the choice of Cllr. Joseph K. Jallah, who ran and won as an independent.
“After 5 years of leadership of our country, the ruling CDC could not run in Lofa in its own name and on its own record. When one cannot stand on what one has done, one has to know that he or she has done nothing good enough on which to stand to run”, the former Coke executive said.
Mr. Cummings said that in these results, both in 2020 and now in 2022, Liberians showed that they are no longer interested in political strongholds. He noted that Liberians want their country released from the economic stranglehold caused mostly by corruption and mismanagement, adding “Our people want jobs, foreign investments, better roads, better schools, and better hospitals.
“Our people want wages and salaries of teachers, doctors, nurses, police and other security officers, civil servants, and other workers in our country to go up just like the prices of food, transportation, gas, and fuel are going up.”
He said “Nobody should tell me we cannot increase people’s salaries because I know we can do it. We can do it if we stop stealing and manage our resources better.”
From Montserrado to Lofa, the message of the Liberian people is the same, Mr. Cummings said. He stated the Political strongholds will continue to fall in protest of the economic chokeholds Liberians are experiencing; People are right to demand improved living conditions, and assurances of a better future because Liberia is too rich for Liberians to be so poor.
The ANC official said rather than break up the CPP, with the Liberty Party, we agreed to keep it together. “We believe that breaking promises to the people is not the way we will change our country. We will continue to keep the doors of the CPP wide open because we know that our country needs all of its citizens to work together to rescue it. To do this, as an opposition community, we need to put aside our personal grievances.”
He extended an olive branch of peace and friendship to all opposition parties, other CPP stakeholders, and the broader Liberian opposition community and also asked for a reconciliation in the Liberty Party.
“The truth is that my heart bleeds to see where our country is, how Liberians continue to suffer, and how President Weah and his government have continued to dig our country deeper and deeper into a terrible hole. President Weah can spend his time playing around and dancing but it will not change the fact that lifting our country out of the Weah hole will require hard work and collective effort.”
