By: Archie Boan
Veteran Chairman emeritus of the Student Unification Party (SUP) and former Assistant Minister at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Cde. Carlos Tingban, has called on progressive youth and SUP veterans to step forward and take up national leadership roles as Liberia heads toward the 2029 elections. He delivered the message on Friday during celebrations marking the 55th Anniversary of the iconic campus-based movement.
Addressing what he described as an “intellectual powerhouse,” Tingban said 2029 must not be viewed as just another election cycle, but as a turning point demanding the participation and leadership of the progressive class.
“2029 is the future demanding our participation and leadership,” he told the gathering. “It is time for progressive youth and SUP veterans to stop occupying the margins of society. We must lead with our ideology, our discipline, and our unmatched experience in social mobilization.”
Tingban urged SUP militants to contest electable offices, influence public policy, and take charge of sectors including academia, civil society, industry, and government.
He praised President Joseph Boakai for what he described as “significant achievements” in a short period, attributing part of that progress to the appointment of ideological SUP veterans within the administration.
He emphasized that the 2029 elections should serve as a platform for SUP to expand its influence in national governance. “We must be prepared to fill the Legislature,” he said.
The veteran chairman warned that no revolutionary movement can thrive without discipline and organization. He reminded militants of the principle of democratic centralism a tradition he said has guided SUP through decades of ideological battles and political repression.
“Party discipline must be reinstated and popularized,” Tingban stressed. “Freedom comes with responsibility, and effective revolutionary work is built on unity, not individualism. Discipline is how we win.”
He called for peaceful and transparent transitions of leadership within the Party, arguing that integrity must remain at the core of SUP’s revolutionary ethos. Power, he cautioned, must never “poison purpose.”
Tingban dedicated a portion of his speech to honoring SUP veterans who he said paid heavy prices for their political activism. He particularly highlighted the contributions of exiled activist Martin K. N. Kollie, whom he described as a “pillar of the Movement,” noting his years of harassment, intimidation, and eventual forced exile.
He also recognized Comrade Christopher Walter Sisilu, recalling the brutal attack that left him stripped and beaten by what he said were gangs allegedly linked to the CDC. Tingban lamented that Sisilu, too, now lives in exile.
“These comrades represent not just names in history, but pillars of the Movement embodiments of courage, ideological purity, and patriotic service,” he said.
He urged the Party to make a conscious effort to reconnect with all veterans and comrades facing similar circumstances outside Liberia.
Tingban described SUP’s 55 years as a story of resilience, evolution, and ideological consistency. He said the movement is “not old, only rich with experience,” and called on militants to use that foundation to advance a new generation of national leadership.
“Let us honor our past with action. Let us take charge of the present with courage. And let us shape the future with the thunderous voice of the people we serve,” he concluded to loud applause.
The ceremony brought together current SUP militants, alumni, advocacy groups, and national stakeholders, all celebrating more than five decades of student activism and political influence in Liberia.
