IN 2018 WHEN the Coalition for Democratic (CDC) headed by former President George Weah ascended to State power after 12 years in opposition where it kept the feet of the Unity Party (UP)-led Administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to the fire with criticism over governance issues, among others, little did Liberians know that the very CDC upon taking over the state would repeat those very things it criticized the UP-led Administration did during its first 12 years of governance.
CDC CRITICIZED the UP-led Administration of President Sirleaf about almost everything, including bad governance, human rights abuse, arbitrary arrests, poor economy, rule of law, foreign travels among others, but failed to realized that President Sirleaf had just taken over a country that was labeled as a ‘rogue-state’ by international partners and community during the regime of former President Charles Taylor.
PRESIDENT SIRLEAF AND her administration had a mandate to rebuild all of the broken pieces after the devastating civil war, something her supporters saw as being very herculean and needed to make lots of foreign travels to engage partners for the reconstruction of Liberia. But in the eyes of the CDC as an opposition political party, lot of tax payers’ monies were being used on foreign travels and Liberia was not getting anything tangible in return. However, on the contrary, Liberia gained a lot from the international community, including the waving of Liberia’s debt in the billions, more development partners engaged and brought relief to certain sectors of the country among others.
AND SO, IN 2018 when the CDC took state power and President George Weah started to make lots of foreign travels with huge delegations, the UP which had now become an opposition started to criticize the Weah’s Administration for repeating what it criticized its predecessor – UP Administration of President Sirleaf – did while in state power. Whenever the CDC government was criticized for any imprudence in governance of the state, they would respond, saying ‘but UP government of President Sirleaf did the same thing’.
FAST FORWARD TO 2025 President Joseph Nyuma Boakai is heading the country as president of Liberia, again the CDC has returned as an opposition to begin to criticize Boakai’s Administration for mishaps in governance, but this time around UP officials, supporters and followers on the other hand are saying the very thing the CDC said when it was heading the country. UP partisans and government officials are sadly saying: ‘But CDC government of President Weah did the same thing’.
THIS BEHAVIOR BY the CDC and UP whenever they are in or out of government, where they would criticize each other flaws but at the same time do unnecessary comparison is becoming unbearable and needs to stop. If a government is elected and officials are appointed to serve the nation, they are under obligation to carry out their respective mandates for the betterment, growth and development of the country and its peoples. This CDC and UP partisans’ unnecessary comparison of ‘you did it so I will do it’ is detriment to the nation.
UP AND CDC do not own Liberia and should desist from unnecessary comparison whenever they are in power and they should focus on the job they were elected to do. Liberians have begun to deduce that the CDC and UP are of the belief and notion that Liberia belongs to them, where they both can take turns to govern and their officials pillage the country wealth and amassed wealth for self-aggrandizement.
ACCORDING TO LIBERIANS, both CDC and UP have repeatedly positioned themselves as the only viable political options in the country, leaving voters feeling trapped between two underperforming administrations. These two parties, according to Liberians, will continue to abuse the country and think that Liberians cannot do without them and that is why they keep doing unnecessary comparisons in governing the state whenever they are in and out of power.
CDCIANS ARE CRITICIZING UP government officials for the very things that they did during the six years when their party governed the state. UP partisans and government officials on the other hand say ‘CDC government did it so they will do it also’ to the detriment of Liberia and its people. And so, CDC is using UP’s shortcoming to reportedly wage a propaganda that in 2029 they will return to state power and truly rescue Liberia from the UP government rather than what the UP government says it will do for the country.
THE LIBERIA POST urges UP and CDC to desist from blame game because this cannot help the country and its people. The current UP-led government must focus on the work it was elected by Liberians to do for the state and stop comparing itself to the CDC who it said did wrong things in governing the country six years ago. Liberians elected the UP-led government based on the manifesto and agenda it sold to them so let them focus on that agenda and make Liberia and Liberian lives better.
THERE ARE HUGE challenges at hand that need urgent attention and remedy, including education, health, rule of law, human rights, the economy, joblessness, infrastructure, public utilities, agriculture, among others. Now is the time to focus on these priorities to shift the lives of Liberians upwards instead of doing unnecessary comparison with the former CDC-led government of President George Weah. The CDC-led was voted out of state power because it failed to implement its platform it promised it would do for Liberians, so it was rewarded with a vote of no confidence and voted out of office.
THE UNITY PARTY-led Administration must desist from comparing itself with its predecessor and do the work Liberians elected it to state power to do for the country. Liberians are peculiar set of people who can lift you up and in no time withdraw their support from you because you betray their trust and confidence. Stop the unnecessary comparison and do the work Liberians hired you to do for them.
SOME LIBERIANS ARE beginning to predict that a new political order will come to bare sooner than later if the CDC and UP feel they own Liberia and can do whatever they feel like in governing the state whenever they are in power. Time may run out one day for such belief when Liberians will have no option but to look to a new alternative to govern the country in the interests of every Liberian. Time is near so, stop the unnecessary comparison and do the work you were elected and appointed to do for Liberia and Liberians.
