Unity Party Quits CPP, Forms New Partnership
Monrovia – The standard bearer of the Unity Party and Chairman of the CPP has announced the withdrawal of his party from the opposition conglomeration which has been embattled for about a year now.
Amb. Joseph Boakai made the announcement Wednesday at a news conference.
He said, though he took over the CPP leadership with a good feeling of opportunity to reconcile the fractured collaboration and mend relations, all his efforts proved futile.
Amb. Boakai squarely blamed the inability to mend broken relationships in the CPP on the political leader of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), Mr. Alexander B. Cummings, whom, despite being accused of altering the CPP Framework Document, failed to attend meetings to resolve the issue.
Boakai: “You would recall that I personally attended all previous leadership turnovers, events, and meetings of the CPP in a show of support for every leadership and the desire to work together. I even campaigned with all collaboration Party leaders. You would also recall that during the turnover to me, all but the ANC leader and members attended, even though I had called Mr. Cummings personally the day before, and he responded by saying he was already in the United States to attend a meeting.
“The first meeting of the National Advisory Council, the highest decision-making organ of the CPP, could not hold because ANC had refused to attend. Under our rules, the absence of a single party from the four constituent parties constitutes no quorum because there must be at least a member from each Party to constitute a quorum to conduct business. The excuse then was that there was no agenda and no framework document to cause a meeting, even though a citation was sent way beforehand.”
He said the only meeting that was attended by the ANC political leader ended in a confusion which prompted, him, Boakai, to call for an exclusive meeting where three of the CPP political leaders urged Cummings to accept responsibility for the alleged altering of the CPP Framework Document as a way forward, but he refused and proposed the setting up of a committee to probe the allegation. He, Cummings, however, failed to show up for the first meeting with the Committee, Boakai said.
“The much-talked-about trip to Ghana was a further manifestation of our pursuit to reconcile the CPP. The exacerbation of the conflict in the Liberty Party on the day of my return further deepened the conflict within the CPP,” Boakai said.
According to the UP standard bearer and former Vice President of Liberia, the crisis in the CPP was further deepened by the crisis in the Liberty Party as all efforts exerted failed to yield results.
“Fellow Liberians, partisans, supporters, and sympathizers, you are all aware that political disagreements are resolved through negotiations or consensus. Our willingness to continue a CPP depended largely on our honest interactions and cooperation. Sadly, as of now, we see no way forward and so we have all decided to go our separate ways,” Boakai said.
He continued, “Many of you have told us how disappointed you are, and we understand your feeling of loss. Do not despair. Even though the CPP did not work out, the Unity Party is working with other political parties and individuals, and we can assure our supporters that there will be a more formidable and respectable partnership that will ensure president Weah is a one term president. This we can assure you that your hopes and the hopes of all Liberians will be restored.
“In closing, may I say that after so much demand from our partisans, the leadership, and even the Executive Committee of the Unity Party, the UP has finally resolved to withdraw from the CPP.”
Source: Front Page Africa
