By: Assistant Minister Emmanuel K. Barnes
“MY POSITION ON THE LIBERTY PARTY DECISION TO BOYCOTT THE UNITY PARTY’S HOMECOMING AND THE MANY CONCERNS ON WHY I WAS PRESENT…
Let me state in an un-esoteric manner that the wilful absence of the Liberty Party from yesterday’s event was a poor judgement on the part of the party’s leadership. The first thing we must acknowledged is the fact that we have a reconciled Liberty Party is accredited to the Unity Party.
Why do I say so?
During the entire LP crisis, when “Hijacker in Chief” Hon. Musa Hassan Bility was bend on destroying the Brumskine’s Legacy, it took UP lawyers like Cllr. Gloria Musu-Scott and Cllr. Augustine Fayiah to represent us in court. Musa only let go of the fight to hold on when his side didn’t win the 2023 elections. If God forbid, CDC would have won, there would have been to United LP today. You can say same with there being a united NPP today.
This very Unity Party that leaders of LP decided to boycott their headquarters program was ever present at the dedication of Liberty Party’s new Headquarters. How have we forgotten so soon that executives of UP like Senator and Senior National Vice Chair Dabbah Mabande- Varpilah spoke on behalf of all the executives that were present like Mo Ali, Whroway Bryant, Melvin Cephas, Lansana PFofana CountyOne, just to name a few.
We can’t be claiming to be an Alliance Member who still support the leadership of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr, but also positioning ourselves as an opposition. The decision to stay away yesterday was a political minus and I won’t shy away from saying this.
Some may say I’m trying to protect my job as an Assistant Minister, while many other Liberty Partisans are without jobs. I don’t care about what they say, I care about my conscience and how I see things from a practical perspectives. Let no one fool you, during the formative stage of this government, the LP had if not her fair share, but an integral role in appointments. Instead of recommending Party loyalists who would have extended the impact of their appointments by carrying along partisans of lower ranks; we opted to recommend fewer Party Stalwarts and went fetching for people we term as professionals. These perceived professionals now don’t know who the true partisans are and this is causing upheaval in the ranks of the party. A classic example is the undemocratic suspension of the entire leadership of the Youth Congress. A decision that Guinness Book of Records must acknowledge.
Let me state firmly that the conspicuous absence of Party’s Executives yesterday is even a betrayal of those partisans who envisage being brought on board the government. That action will lead many of these heads of entities not being sure of where does the Liberty Party stands.
If we intend to be an opposition party who will have an eye on the Presidency in 2029, let’s state it now. We can’t eat our cake and still have it. The plain painful truth is that we didn’t empower many of our own when we had the opportunity to do so.
Do have a pleasant Sunday evening.
Former Representative Candidate for District #14, Unity Party-2023 General Elections
Former Representative Candidate for District #14, Liberty Party- 2017 General Elections
Emmanuel K. Barnes, I.
Former National Secretary General
Liberty Party National Youth Congress
Former Deputy Secretary for Press and Public Affairs, Liberty Party
Now a Member without Position.”
