28 November 2011
The standard-bearer and vice standard-bearer of the beleaguered Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), yesterday, issued an edict announcing the expulsion of five influential members of the party’s executive committee. The edict, which was read to journalists, yesterday, accused the expelled executives of “spreading misleading information” by contradicting announcement by Cllr. Winston Tubman that the party would stage a month-long series of demonstration.
The edict says the standard-bearer expelled National Chairman Senator Geraldine Doe Sherif, Representative Edward Forh, now chairman of the CDC Legislative Caucus, Deputy National Chairman for Administration Budu Wilson, J. Amos Swaray, and one Louise Karmo. The expelled executive officials reported circulated an interdiction last week admonishing CDC partisans to ignore announcements that the party would hold violent streets demonstration in demand for the annulment of the results of the 2011 presidential elections.
“We strongly condemned the distribution of an anonymous leaflet in the city calling on the CDC partisans to stage a peaceful demonstration beginning November Monday, 28, 2011, and urged those behind the plan to abandon their planned protest,” the CDC National Executive Committee members had said in their communication released to the press. The CDC national executive committee members had noted in the release their attention was drawn to certain members of the party and people that they described as infiltrators and detractors calling on partisans of the CDC to stage series of street protests and noted the call has the propensity to besmear the good image of the party.
They indicated in the release also that as the national decision-making body of the institution they were not aware of the planned street demonstration as reported in the media. The executive committee members further noted that those who are planning to stage such demonstrations were not in the interest. They then called on people who were elected on the party’s ticket as representatives and senators to turn out and received their certificates from the National Elections Commission (NEC), an event that is scheduled to take place today, November 28, 2011, at the commission’s headquarters in Sinkor.
The executives also indicated that CDC partisans were all peace- and law-abiding citizens of the land, and that those who wanted to get in the streets to stage the demonstration should not use the name of the party to carry on their hidden agenda. They therefore called on all of its partisans across the country to remain calm as they are doing everything humanly possible to engage the government and the international community to address its allegation of massive electoral fraud.
They also used the medium to thank the international community and other partners for their continuous cooperation with the party. But, immediately following the release of the press statement by the CDC-NEC’s protesting the holding of the party’s planned demonstration across Monrovia, the party’s Deputy Campaign Manager, George Solo, and Vice Standard-bearer, George M. Weah, at a news conference late Sunday evening announced the expulsion of the group, describing their press statement as irresponsible and divisive.
Mr. Solo said the party’s decision to expel some of its high-ranking officers comes from the fact that the CDC has noticed with sufficient proofs that the expelled officials’ action has culminated into a misleading and unauthorized position of the institution, in addition to several secret meetings held by them aimed at undermining the policies of the CDC. A statement Messrs Tubman and Weah reportedly issued yesterday corroborated Mr. Solo’s statement. It noted in part thus:
“Having established beyond reasonable doubts that your series of secret meetings held over the period, which has culminated into a misleadingly unauthorized position of our noble institution, were politically motivated assemblies intended to hatch a conspiracy against the doctrine, manifesto, and the grassroots philosophy of the mighty Congress for Democratic Change. “Your well-calculated act of betrayal is contemptuous and a direct flouting of Article 6. Rights and Duties of Members, Section 49 j of our Constitution. It requires all party members to ‘Refrain from publishing and/or distributing any media on the CDC without prior authorization grouping, body organ, or structure within the CDC’.
“Hence, your selection of the chosen course testifies to a calculated plot to mislead others in ‘Participating in organized factional activity,’ contrary to part ii by-laws, chapter 1. Code of conduct, Rule 7e of the BY-LAWS and Constitution of the CDC, which forbids members’ participation in organized activity that goes beyond the recognized norms of free debates and tolerance in the party and which is tending to threaten it unity.’ It is also necessary to inform you currently that by this flagrant disregard for the governing standards of the CDC, especially in your official capacities, you and your co-conspirators stand in breach of the constitution of the CDC for which disciplinary measure is necessary.”
“Now that your membership has been removed from our official registry, you are kindly advised to turn over all party belongings entrusted to your care during the discharge of your official duties and responsibilities while you served in your various capacities.” Meanwhile, political observers viewed contradictory statements emanating from the CDC camp a serious recipe for confusion within its leadership and amongst its ranks and files. They suspect that the contradiction might lead to the dismantling of the entire CDC structure and weakening its position as a national political institution.
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