By: Jerromie S. Walters
Maryland County Senator and Chairman of the National Patriotic Party (NPP), Senator James Biney, believes it is time to rescue the country from the CDC-led government by voting for the Unity Party’s Boakai-Koung ticket during the October 10, 2023, general elections.
The NPP is a constituent member of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC). He played a pivotal role in crafting the document that formed the ‘Grand Coalition’ that led to its resounding victory in the 2017 Presidential and Legislative Elections.
Senator Biney, who is also credited with revamping the NPP, has been at loggerheads with the party’s political leader, Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor.
The power struggle between the two top officials degenerated into acrimonious internal wrangling that split the party at its biennial convention last year.
All efforts exerted by the governing CDC and President George Weah ended in vain. And when Senator Biney boycotted the signing ceremony where the three constituent parties within the CDC reaffirmed their commitment to stay together for the upcoming elections, it was crystal clear that he and his supporters would go their separate ways.
So, on Tuesday, the vocal NPP Chairman joined several Senators in the joint chamber of the Legislature to witness the event marking the Legislative Staffers’ endorsement of the Boakai-Koung ticket.
In a bold statement at the event, Senator Biney stated that the CDC-led government headed by ‘footballing’ President George Weah has dismally failed the Liberian people.
Biney said most of the developments that President Weah and his team are bragging about were all initiated by the Unity Party-led government of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and ex-VP Joseph Nyumah Boakai.
He said he and others offered their candid pieces of advice to President Weah and his team, but it fell on deaf ears.
The Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the Liberian Senate used the occasion and called on all Liberians to support the Boakai-Koung ticket and urged the electorates, especially first-time voters, not to be carried away by money that will be used by the ruling party to buy their votes.
“Our major challenge is the first-time voters because the CDC-led government is now using money to encourage the children to vote. So, if parents should see it as their responsibility to guide the little ones because they are in great numbers and elections are about numbers, remember that children are carried away by what they see,” he said.
The Maryland County Senator indicated that southeastern counties that boast top officials of the Weah-led government are the least developed counties in the country. He said there was no good road network.
He frowned on President Weah for doing little or nothing to improve the lives of ordinary people, yet he considers himself the best President Liberia has ever had, something he termed troubling.
“You praise yourself for building markets but go see the Railey Town that was built under the Samuel K. Doe, you come built mid-shaft, you call it to market if you are building a market at this time it should be better than Doe time, somebody says you were there, and let me say to you that we advise over and over, but our voice is never heard.”
He continued, “I heard people saying that the government is doing the RIA road, but the road from the RIA junction to Buchannan Grand Bassa County and many other roads were done by the former Unity Party’s administration. You are building substandard roads rather than making noise all over the place.”
Commenting on the crisis within the NPP, the embattled chairman has described Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor’s faction of the National Patriotic Party as lawless partisans, adding that both groups can’t be on the same side.
Also at the event, Grand Bassa County Senator Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence expressed confidence in the election of former Vice President Joseph Nyuma Boakai in the upcoming October 2023 general elections, as she believes the Unity Party standard bearer is set to secure a one-round victory.
Former Vice President Joseph Nyuma Boakai is expected to confront his major contender, who’s also the sitting President in George Weah, who overwhelmingly won 14 out of the 15 counties of Liberia in the 2017 general elections, which Amb Boakai came second in.
However, the Campaign Chair of the Unity Party’s “Rescue Team” and Grand Bassa County Senator Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence seems to be sure about her candidate’s victory, as she also told a gathering that Liberians are five months away from changing the current government.
“We are not going for a second round”, she said. In addition, she articulated, “We are five months away from changing this government”.
On Sunday, May 15, 2023, Senator Lawrence endorsed the presidential and vice presidential tickets of the Unity Party at a well-attended event in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.
In a special remark at an event marking the endorsement of the former vice president by the Legislative Staffers Association, the Grand Bassa County Senator said Liberians have decided to put a team together to liberate the state, and said team is the “Rescue Team,”, which is being headed by the Unity Party’s (UP) standard bearer.
Ahead of the campaign, she wants supporters of the team to support the team’s campaign genuinely, void of pretense, as she’s certain about their victory.
At the same time, she recorded the Staffers Association’s support for her, from the death of her husband to other major occasions, something she’s grateful to them about.
The female senator said her decision on Sunday to support the UP was also attributed to the fact that she couldn’t return to session without a decision, especially for their generosity. “You also influenced the decision”.
The Grand Bassa County Senator further vowed to support the association and ensure that they become one of the strongest campaign teams to protect their votes.
On his end, Nimba County Senator Jeremiah Koung thanked the Legislative Staffers Association for their decision to support the UP electoral bid.
He thanked the Grand Bassa County Senator for her decision to support them and for remaining committed to them.
The VP candidate believes the presidency is a serious job that requires serious people, which he thinks only the former VP is in the position for.
In his analysis, the government is at a challenging portion of its governance, as he believes if the government tries to use the new money to campaign, it will create inflation and a massive increment in the rate, which will also result in an increment in the prices of major goods.
On the other hand, he believes that if the government doesn’t use money, it will be a more challenging game for them.
In the overview of the occasion, Charles Brown, the Senior Advisor of the Legislative Staffers Association in support of Boakai and Koung’s election, said they have resolved to stand by the UP.
As one of the major critics of the former Vice President during the 2017 elections, he described his decision as a mistake and vowed to apologize to the UP standard bearer.
According to him, supporting the reelection of President Weah will be a mistake, as they have been directly harmed by the CDC government, specifically through a massive harmonization of their salaries and other benefits.
He characterized the basic purpose of the program as welcoming Senator Koung, whom he termed “Liberia’s next VP,” and assured their commitment to the UP presidential endeavor come October.
Moreover, he applauded Grand Bassa County Senator Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence for her selfless role in Boakai’s recent VP pick, something he sees as a patriotic decision.
He encouraged his colleagues to rally support for Mr. Boakai’s election in October, a decision he believes will yield a better result for Liberians.
