Weah Set for 2014?

By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor

Speculations in certain quarters of the Liberian society that the political leader of the main opposition Congress for Democratic Change or CDC will contest the 2014 mid-term election may be nearing confirmation.

Unimpeachable sources within the CDC suggest that with the necessary political mechanisms in place, the National Executive Committee, including the leadership may likely consider Ambassador George Weah for the senatorial race in 2014.

The party’s National Secretary General, Nathaniel McGill could neither confirm nor refute the speculations, but noted that the CDC will field its most popular candidate.

“The CDC will put up a candidate that we all are aware of, in terms of his or her popularity with the Liberian people, and even those who hate the CDC are fully aware of that person’s strength when it comes to Liberian electioneering.

The 2014 senatorial election in 2014 will be a stepping stone for the Congress for Democratic Change in order to win the presidential and legislative elections come 2017,” McGill told the New Dawn-Liberia in a much moderate tune.

Though he did not squarely mention Ambassador Weah as the candidate, analysis of the previous statement points to Weah as the person who attracts the admiration of not only CDCians, but tens of thousands of voters in Montserrado County. Opinion poll suggests that it may be “politically disastrous” for candidates attempting to go against Mr. Weah. Already, Representative Edwin Snowe has expressed fear, assuring that should George Weah contest the mid-term senatorial election, he wouldn’t.

Secretary General McGill has, meanwhile, described the mid-term election as a litmus test for the CDC to justify its preparedness to take state power in 2017.

The CDC Chief Scribe, who is also an Assistant Minister at the Internal Affairs Ministry, used the occasion to shower President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf with praises for the establishment of the Constitutional Review Committee and subsequent appointment its Commissioners, adding that the constitutional review has been the dream of the CDC, especially that which deals with the tenures of the elected officials, including the presidency and legislators.

According to him, the tenure of the president should be reduced from six to four years, while senators from nine to six years and members of the House of Representatives six to four years.

He thanked members of the House of Representatives for the smooth passage of the so-called political parties funding bill, maintaining that the bill, if passed into law finally by the Liberian Senate and signed by the Chief Executive, would strengthen Liberia’s young democracy.

The recent passage of the so-called Democratic Sustenance Bill by the House of Representatives has and continues to receive condemnations and negative public opinions, with calls for the Liberian Senate deny passage.

Many public opinions are that public funding, through the government, is not the only means of sustaining democracy in Liberia. Suggestions are that the concept could be strengthened through public funding of civil society, training of leaders of political parties, as well as special projects to teach civics in primary and secondary schools across the country.

So far, support for the Bill is only within certain quarters of the ruling Unity Party, CDC and National Union for the Democratic Progress or NUDP mainly the leaderships.

Some cabinet ministers have described the Bill as an economic waste.

Posted by admin on Aug 28 2012. Filed under Community News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry