Sen. Lawrence Calls For Unity

-Amidst Reported Rifts In CPP; Says They Must Stand Up; She Considers 2020 Senatorial Elections As A Test

The political leader of the opposition Liberty Party (LP), one of the four political parties in the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) is calling for unity amidst reported rifts setting in between the All Liberian Party (ALP) and the Alternative National Congress of the CPP.

Of late, there has been some misunderstanding between the ALP of Benoni Urey and ANC of Alexander Cummings over the usage of the Voters perception survey to determine the popularity of a suitable candidate ahead of the CPP impending primary in the country. The proposal for the VPS was made by the ANC, but said the VPS will not replace the impending primary.

The ANC believes without using a VPS to identify the candidates that the voters prefer, there is a chance that the CPP would select a candidate that has a very low or poor voter approval, causing a significant number of supporters of individual party and CPP supporters to choose not to participate in the elections, since they do not like the candidates chosen.

According to the party, this could then cause the CPP candidate to lose. It says the VPS will show who the people see as the best candidate to win, thereby allowing Primary participants to make informed selection.”

Benoni Urey’s Opposition:

In reaction to the VPS, Benoni Urey of the ALP addressing the media on Wednesday February 19, 2020, said “if anyone will head the ticket of the CPP, that person has to be voted at a primary.”

“I Benoni Urey will not be part of anything; other than going to a primary to elect our standard-bearer. We will not give the right to a foreign group to do a survey. The people who have the right to vote the standard-bearer must not be compromised,” Urey added.

Senator NyonbleeKarnga-Lawrence of the Liberty Party:

Senator Lawrence in her official Facebook Post said in the unforeseeable event of the lack of consensus as to a Presidential Candidate, voters perception survey will be used to help influence the decision to be ultimately made at the Primary of the CPP.

“The CPP embraces and encourages the political aspirations of all of its leaders and members. Political aspirations are healthy for the fertilization of democracy. What is unhealthy is the temptation to assert an individual’s political ambition over the aspirations of the collective, and the general will of our people. Our parties have therefore come together as claimants to the will of our people to unite and rescue our country from its ongoing and steady socio-economic and political decline,” Senator Lawrence said.

Senator Lawrence added “It is therefore to be expected that political leaders and members of the four collaborating parties will work within their political parties to strengthen their constituencies for all future competitions within the CPP. What must be critically avoided is to lift internal competitions by which we examine each other and settle only for the best to distract our focus from the duties we owe ourselves and the Liberian people – a duty to rescue our country.”

“This, too, is within the spirit of the collaboration we are about to declare, and admittedly, it is healthy for our democracy. We must remain convicted to the truth that the stronger the parties in a collaborative effort, the stronger will be the collaborative outcome,” she added.

According to her, the truth also is that to get to 2023, the CPP has to be tested in 2020.  The Liberty Party political leader further said the CPP must field the best and compete as one collective force in the upcoming Midterm Elections.

“We must win together for the Liberian people and announce a new day of doing business when the CPP senators are sworn in to represent the counties as we have promised our people that we would,” she said.

The Grand Bassa County lawmaker said “Winning every county is not expected to be an easy feat against a government overtaken by corruption. However, it is a duty we must collectively share if we truly desire to change the direction of our country. The change does not begin in 2023. It begins in 2020. For the sake of our declining country, the CPP must stand up – strong and united – and win in 2020.”