By Bill W. Cooper
The National Patriotic Party (NPP) has complained its embattled party’s Chairman James P. Biney for allegedly threatening the safety and security of the party’s standard bearer, Jewel Howard-Taylor.
The party’s leadership called on the Justice Ministry to take seize of the matter and ensure the speedy investigation and subsequent prosecution of the Maryland County Senator.
The NPP in a letter dated December 27, 2022 which this paper possesses, said its decision is predicated upon Sen. Biney’s recent message posted in their NPP chartroom, something which they maintained amounts to threat to the security and life of VP Howard-Taylor.
However, in the chart spotted by this paper, the NPP embattled chairman said, “Madam, what a Christmas present you have given us. By this, you have drawn the line and mark my word today; your latest decision to recognize Mr. Kparklin as the party’s chairman will cost you dearly.”
It added, “You have put everything you have politically on the line. This response will require you and your advisors to decode to understand its interpretations. I wish you a blessed Christmas.”
With this, the NPP further urged the Justice Ministry to consider the statement as a serious National Security concern and as such, there is a need for speedy investigation so as to delve into the motives and intent of the author.
“The Senator in his post directed to the Vice President and threatened her. So, while the NPP acknowledges some disagreements within the party which emanated from the conduct of the 7th Biennial Convention on October 7, 2022, it gives no justification for former chairman Biney to issues such statement that borders on the security and safety of our standard bearer,” the NPP statement intimated.
“We are therefore calling on the Ministry of Justice to ensure the arrest and questioning of Mr. Biney for such a threatening remark against Madam VP Taylor. This is no joke or politics but the life and safety of a prominent and astute states woman,” the NPP statement added.
It can be recalled that with the boiling internal wrangling within the NPP, one of the sects in the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) reached its peak during the party’s recent biennial convention on October 7, 2022 in Paynesville.
Furthermore, the convention was meant to elect the party’s new officials ahead of the crunch meeting with the other two factions of the Coalition that comprise of the Congress for Democratic Change of President George Weah and the Liberian People Democratic Party (LPDP) of former House Speaker J. Alex Tyler ahead of the 2023 Presidential and Legislative Elections.
Subsequently, in line with the convention’s theme, “Unity, Commitment, Trust and Reconciliation, the requirements for a genuine national partnership,” it was also meant to unite the party and reconcile the leaders’ differences following years of bitter disagreements, between the Party’s Standard Bearer, Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor, and the party’s National Chairman, Maryland County Senator James P. Biney.
But the Friday’s, October 7, 2022 event was the complete opposite of the partisans’ anticipation, as it was marred by bitter disagreements that led to violent altercations among partisans loyal to both leaders.
Both sides accused each other of tampering with the delegate’s list, and when their disagreements could not be resolved, the convention split, and VP Taylor, claiming to get the backing of thirteen of the party’s county chairpersons, moved outdoors with her supporters and conducted their affairs, while Senator Biney and his team who stayed within the hall held theirs.
During VP Taylor faction’s convention, a resolution was adopted declaring all positions within the party vacant and new leadership was set up. VP Taylor was unanimously chosen as the standard bearer while Cllr. Stanley Kparklin was elected as National Chairman.
Speaking to reporters, the Vice President said the decisions reached were legitimate because it met the approval of the majority members of the party’s executive committee.
“We gathered together with all the county chairpersons who brought their delegates and they have chosen their leaders. There is a resolution that is signed by 13 county chairpersons so, when you have two-thirds of the delegates that have signed this resolution for this new leadership, then it is legitimate. Where the leadership is, is where the party will sit,” she said.
On the other divide, Senator Biney was re-elected as the party’s national chairman, along with several others including former Bong County Representative, George Mulbah, Vice Chairman for Administration; Met+zgar Daudar, Vice Chairman for Operation and Alison Bargo, Vice Chairman for inter-Party Affairs.
Senator Biney’s side also adopted a five-count resolution mandating the new Chairman to maintain cooperation with the Coalition for Democratic Change for the 2023 Presidential and Legislative Elections and to re-negotiate the framework document of the CDC.
He accused VP Taylor of sowing seeds of discord within the party and said the election of the party’s new code of officers was in fulfillment of the court’s order to conduct the Biennial Convention within 45 days.
“This party is based on constitutional democratic values. It is unfortunate that our standard bearer brought herself so low today. But our collective resolve has proven to us that the party is stronger,” Biney said.
He then constituted a 15-member committee headed by former Grand Cape Mount County Senior Senator Abel Massalay to represent the party in renegotiating the framework document with the CDC and LPDP.
The National Patriotic Party (NPP), one of the sects, in the Coalition for Democratic Change, has endorsed a Weah-Taylor Ticket as a legitimate structure for the continuation of George M. Weah’s Presidency, come 2023.
Meanwhile, minutes after both VP Taylor and Sen. Biney controversial elections, the Chairman emeritus of the NPP, Chief Cyril Allen said the decisions reached by both divides were illegitimate and will not be accepted by the party.
Chief Allen said the party’s constitution did not give the authority to VP Taylor, as the standard bearer to preside over a convention.
He also claimed that while Chairman Biney remains legitimate, the decision reached by his faction could not be accepted because the resolution to open the convention was not officially endorsed by the party’s executive committee.
He then called for both sides to return to status quo ante and implement the court’s mandate in accordance with the party’s constitution, clarifying that the VP was in error to have presided over a convention.
He added, “The NPP disputed convention should have been in fulfillment of the Civil Law Court’s mandate to take the party to its long overdue 7th Biennial Convention in keeping with the 2004 constitution.”
