I know this piece will not go down well with the many supporters, sympathizers, partisans and well-wishers of the CDC, but as a political pundit, I am oblige to providing our reading public an analysis of the chronicle of events from my perspective dating as far back as 2005, yes 2005! The CDC came in being on several platforms and with a number of conclusions. Firstly, the CDC argued that the “educated people” failed Liberia-apparently, she meant to say that those who have had the academic credentials plus service in government. Let’s agree for the sake of argument that she was referring to those mentioned supra because if it was just the educated people in general, George Weah wouldn’t have returned to school immediately after the 2005 elections. Secondly, the CDC asserted that it was time for the grassrooters to take over national leadership. Grassrooters for her was George Weah even though he is a millionaire who lives in a flashy home somewhere in Monrovia and spends most of his time commuting between Florida and Monrovia. What puzzles us is whether or not grassroots in this context means a Liberian who struggled to climb the success ladder in terms of being economically endowed? If yes, then it safe to say that most if not all of us are grassrooters. If not, what else is the true meaning of the term “grassroots”? Is it poverty and sufferings? Is it living in Liberia all through the war years or is it going to bed with deflated stomach? Or just maybe, is it not having a home? And thirdly, the CDC also presented the thesis that it was time for the young generation-a new breed of youth politicians, to take over the mantle of authority and that George Weah for them, represented the face of such youthful revolution.
The conclusions represented the core and fundamental reasons for the evolution of the CDC. It was against this backdrop that thousands of Liberians saw this platform as the way forward for Liberia. In both rounds of the 2005 polls, they demonstrated such attitude and though the CDC didn’t win, she made a clear statement to us all that she was indeed a party to be reckoned with. After the elections, the CDC remained the lead opposition in terms of numerical strength and not on sticky national issues. The CDC hasn’t been an outspoken opposition. That is, one that would critique government and present alternative solutions with regards to policies formulation. You will agree with me that the Liberty Party is in the lead among oppositions though her theories and solutions are somewhat debatable, yet she has been vocal.
Interestingly, many political analysts thought that the CDC would have grown not just in terms of numbers but political maturity. Contrary to this belief, the CDC instead degenerated with many key stalwarts deflecting across the political aisle. I wouldn’t delve into the specificity of each separate case but what remains a consensus among those deflectors is that the CDC lacks guidance and that it is a party of one-manism. For me, quite frankly, personality cult is one key component of every political party in Liberia and that the ruling party too is a culprit. Once the standard bearer leaves, the party tends to take a different dimension and in the end, we are left with an abandoned list of alphabets; NPP, NDPL, and TWP etc. This trend continues to permeate itself in our body politics and if it is to be curtailed, we must begin to focus more on organization construct and institution building rather than personality cultism. This much I know, is true!
Moreover, the CDC hasn’t demonstrated the guts of a political party seeking the presidency. Instead, it has allowed itself to be used as a casino- a place where hopefuls can go and try to win the bet based on their purchasing power. First it was Brumskine who lost at the 11th hour was allegedly duped and then lately, Winston Tubman won since the slot machines were blazing hot and in a rush to October. It is widely speculated that resources changed hands in this process. Howbeit, it would be cynical to think that a Tubman could defeat George in a CDC primary after joining the party in less than 14 days. If for argument sake CDC members would argue that it is the beauty of democracy, then it confirms our argument that Weah’s population has dwindled and that he lacks the political and academic pedigrees so much so that a Tubman is preferred ahead of him within his own pepper bush (CDC). If not, then it raises more questions about the credibility of the CDC. We can be sure that this latest subtle political maneuvering hasn’t resonated well among party’s faithful (the recent spilt and crossover and the many declarations within the social medias are classic examples which points to the facts).
The CDC in its attempt to win come October, managed to recruit a Tubman since he, like Ellen, is a Harvard graduate. So, will Liberians only vote Harvard trained or will they gravitate towards a candidate who besides being a vote magnet has the audacity to deliver the goods? I may not know the answers but 2005 clearly tells us that Ellen wasn’t the only Harvard trained but yet still, Ellen was the only Harvard trained who made it to the runoff. Well, this alone tells us that it was beyond just the Harvard credentials. Is the 70 years old Tubman now the new face of the youthful revolution? Hasn’t George learn that much since 2005? Is Tubman a grassrooter or a “Grass rooter”? Is Tubman among the new breed of Liberia politicians? Is the former Justice Minister during the Doe regime, the right pick ahead of the October polls? Is Tubman who is a direct beneficiary of the spoils, loot and abuse of the Tubman’s oligarchy capable of pulling the votes? Well, as we ponder on these questions, here is what I do know:
I know the selection of Tubman defeats the argument of age against Ellen since he too, like Ellen, is a septuagenarian;
I know that the discussion about “Americo-Liberian” no longer holds water with Tubman being the head of the ticket;
I know that the grassroots debate is finally lay to rest now that an “elite” bears the standard of the CDC;
I know that the long standing debate regarding recycled politicians is finally put to bed;
I know the TWP’s hegemony argument is finally dealt with since an offspring is now the standard bearer of the CDC.
Finally, I’d thought the CDC would have done a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis before zooming in on Tubman. That way, they would have understood that Tubman is more of an excess baggage than an asset. In fact, Tubman was able to barely gather 10% of the total votes in 2005-thanks to Jeremiah Sulunteh who was his running mate! It was his presence which made Bong County to think the Tubman’s way. With this, we can safely conclude that excluding the Sulenteh’s factor, chances are Tubman would have landed far below par. More besides, Tubman did throw his weight [feather] behind George in the runoff and despite his support and along with many others who are now with the already popular Ellen, CDC lost by over 100,000 vote margin. So, with all of these events and the many odds playing against the CDC ahead of the October polls, I am convinced that the CDC will lose again and this time, dismally. I am positive that this will be the final straw which breaks the back of the camel called CDC.
Your friend along the way, Stephen Johnson!
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