Liberia: “Weah Never Supported War”

The National Chairman of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change, Mulbah K. Morlu, has said the CDC’s standard bearer, President George Manneh Weah is a clean man of integrity, politically, and a decent man in the contemporary history of Liberia. 

“Those that continue to throw lies around about President Weah are living in falsehood,” Morlu said. “Weah is a clean man who does not believe in violence.” 

Speaking in Gbarnga, Bong County on September 16, Morlu said some political actors are attempting to smear his first partisan’s character with falsehood. 

“There are some political actors attempting to smear the character of our standard bearer with lies, falsehood, and misinformation,” he said. “Our President is a man of peace and tolerance. Those who are making up things know the facts, but they are pretending because of politics.”

“CDC did not come to power by violence; instead through a certified democratic means. The party is led by peace icon, President Weah, with global aspirations as a man of peace and not a man of violence.”

“President Weah did not build his career out of violence. He has never supported the war; he has done all things peacefully. I have never seen a political struggle built on violence that prevails. The most violent war ended on the table of dialogue. Violence only gets violence. Bloodshed only gets bloodshed. But a revolutionary CDCian cannot be violent in politics; it is time to accept those who made mistakes to reconsider them. We must be tolerant throughout our political and social lives,” he said.

“As leaders, one must always walk away from violence and build party principles and have people gearing toward the CDC. As leaders of the party, they are accountable to the people they serve.”

Deliberating the importance of the retreat, Chairman Morlu said that the leadership of the party, following several consultations, realized that the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), which is a conglomeration of the National Patriotic Party, the Liberian People Democratic Party, and the Congress for Democratic Change, needs engagement with the people and redevelop a method of unity.

Morlu explained that the leadership of the ruling establishment took a decision to dissolve its structures both at local and international levels, but with the understanding of restructuring and reorganizing all departments for progressive engagement and to make it effective. 

“When the decision was taken by the national executive committee of the ruling establishment to dissolve all leadership, it created noise. But the CDC is not a political party that is distracted by noise, so the decision of the leadership stands. But today, the exercise has reached its completion,” he said.

“After months in the United States, all structures there were restructured through a democratic means, followed by an engagement at counties’ level. The national leadership headed by him made several trips throughout the counties for the sole purpose of restructuring and reorganizing the local leadership. The strength of the CDC is from the people in the communities, counties, and those many considered ‘masses’ — they are the owners of the CDC. So, any decision-making affecting the leadership of the CDC, they are consulted,” he said.

He explained that the activities of the CDC slowed down for a period because some local leaders at the time had overstayed, while some had become too relaxed, and others had traveled or had become engaged in national politics through political appointments by the President.

 “But the CDC, being a focused political and revolutionary establishment, has doubled its engagement by restructuring all departments, leagues, and the entire leadership ahead of the 2023 Presidential and Legislative elections.

The convergence of the party’s leadership in the central region of Gbarnga, Bong County is a result of the restructuring of its local leadership. He termed the new officers as “problem solvers, committed and diehard partisans who are willing to sacrifice all it takes” to redeem the political points and achievements of the CDC ahead of the 2023 race, in which President George Manneh Weah is seeking reelection. 

The ‘Coalition for Democratic Change’s Gbarnga Retreat 2022’, was held under the theme; ‘Reinforcing the Patriotic Mandate: Weah 2023 Reelection Strategy’.

The responsibility of the newly elected local leadership is to ensure that President Weah and his Vice President, Jewel Howard Taylor, get reelected come 2023 and that those elected at the party’s level are achievers whose first priority is to ensure total victory for the CDC.