Cummings breaks silence as CPP folds up

Mr. Cummings has expressed hope that the Unity Party Government will work to stop corruption and division and unite the nation, which has suffered at the hands of corrupt leaders for decades.

By Lincoln G. Peters

Monrovia, April 16, 2024: Liberian opposition politician Alexander B. Cummings has vowed to hold the Unity Party (UP)-led government’s feet to the fire in a quest to end corruption and division among the citizenries.

A two-time defeated presidential candidate, Mr. Cummings headed the opposition Alternative National Congress and the erstwhile Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) during the just-ended 2023 presidential and legislative elections.

Addressing a major press conference on Monday, 15 April 2024, at the ANC headquarters in Congo Town, Mr. Cummings vowed to hold President Joseph Nyumah Boakai’s feet to the fire to ensure accountability and a check and balance in government.

Mr. Cummings said Liberia is too rich for its people to be poor. He hopes that the government will stop corruption and division and unite the nation.

“I am hopeful that we will stop dividing our people and unite our nation. As leaders and citizens, we can do more to be law-abiding and to respect and care for each other,” said Cummings.

The ANC leader suggested that Liberia is also too connected to be poor. 

“As the CPP draws the curtains today, this is my hope for our country and people. Therefore, I will continue to be engaged and involved in espousing these hopes and holding the Unity Party-led government to account,” said Mr. Cummings. 

“From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank the Liberian people for allowing … us into their homes and lives.”

“We will never forget the welcoming spirit of our people and their pleas for change in their lives and conditions,” Mr. Cummings stated.

He pointed out that corruption does not have to continue to be the pathway to success and prosperity.

The corporate executive-turned-politician believes that the government doesn’t have to remain the biggest employer.

“We can and must act more meaningfully to stop the explosive drug epidemic ongoing in our country that is killing our children and undermining the future of Liberia,” Mr. Cummings urged. 

He argued that more could be done to improve schools and hospitals so that Liberian children could do more to compete for jobs at home and globally.

As Cummings thought, Liberians don’t have to continue to die from preventable and treatable illnesses, and the country can provide basic services to its people.

Under these conditions, he suggested that anyone who chooses to live in Liberia can experience life in the twenty-first century like everyone else.

The erstwhile CPP former leader noted that the government can negotiate better deals for the country so that the natural resources benefit the people rather than only a few leaders.

“The truth about our country today is that, in the 177th year since we declared independence, we are still far from the nation we are capable of becoming,” Cummings lamented. 

“But, I’m still hopeful. I’m hopeful that we will put our country over party and national interest over self-interest,” Mr. Cummings stated.

However, he said he is hopeful that they will commit to changing not only the financial conditions of government officials and their families but also the economic and social conditions of the Liberian people.