By Bill W. Cooper
The four Collaborating Political Parties (CPP’s) Chairperson, Alexander Cummings has frowned on the Weah-led Administration for what he called fighting against women participation at the National Legislature.
Addressing a news conference over the weekend, Mr. Cummings named Nimba and Gbarpolu as some of the counties in which females have been detained and marginalized by some officials of government, something he said is an affront to women across the country.
According to him, in the two counties where both Madam Gbotoe Kanneh and Edith Gongloe-Weh were said to have been the presumptive winners turned otherwise within split seconds thereby indicating that the situation is a clear manifestation that the government of President Weah is not interested in promoting women participation in the governance of the country.
He noted that from the CPP angle, they believe that the National Elections Commission (NEC) should not conduct any other election in Gbarpolu now until calm be restored as well as proper mechanisms be put into place by the NEC before the resumption of the electoral process in that county.
The CPP chairperson further stated that the CPP is seriously troubled by the decision of the ruling establishment to silence more women representation at the legislature, adding that female participation is cardinal in the Democratic process of any nations with Liberia being of no exception.
Mr. Cummings however promised that the CPP under his watch is doing everything possible in its capacity to ensure that women are adequately represented as female lawmakers at the House of Representatives through a transparent democratic process.
He added, “We are very serious about this because you know and I know that today, we only have one female Senator in the Senate and we are very bothered by the fact that officials of this government will be fighting against the will of the people to have more women in the senate.”
“As per information gathered, Gbotoe Kanneh was in the lead since the end of the December 8 polls and as such, nothing should deprive her victory in that county to go and represent her people at the Liberian Senate. We also hope that the NEC will do the right thing in ensuring that the will of the people of Nimba is not tampered with,” the CPP chairperson averred.
Meanwhile, Mr. Cummings has also frowned on State Security for arresting the Alternative National Congress (ANC) Secretary General, Cllr. Aloysius Toe stating that his arrest along with others is an assault on freedom of speech and expression, freedom of assembly and association, which are rights that are guaranteed to all citizens by the Constitution.
In a related development, the Secretary General of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), Cllr. Aloysius Toe who was arrested recently along with others in Gbarpolu County has finally been released from the Liberia National Police (LNP) Headquarter in Monrovia.
Cllr. Toe was heading a CPP delegation dispatch to Gbarpolu County where serious tension ensued resulting to his arrest along with others on December 15 by State Security although this paper is yet to ascertain as to what really led to the ANC SG and others arrest.