-Cummings tells Liberians, as thousands attend CPP victory rally
By Jerromie S. Walters
Liberia’s October 10, 2023, legislative and presidential elections will be held a little over 10 days from now, and in this period, interested politicians are knocking the doors of Liberians with different messages or what one may describe as assurances, in order for them to be entrusted with the first citizenship of the country.
Accordingly- Alexander B. Cummings, the Standard bearer and political leader of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) and Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) says upon his ascendency to the presidency, his administration will concentrate on providing remedies and tackling challenges that have long suppressed the growth and development of Liberia, in order to improve the lives of Liberians.
In his official remark at the CPP victory rally on Sunday, October 1, 2023, Cummings said he holds apt interest in providing good paying jobs, looking after the old people of Liberia, looking after the women, and providing loans to Liberian businesses.
“We want change for the young people of Liberia, we want to provide good paying job, we want to look after the old people of Liberia, we want to look after our women, we want to provide loans to Liberian businesses, we want to fix this country,” he assured.
“Cllr. Brumskine and myself will fix Liberia, we will stop the suffering, your lives will change, this will be a different country, so on October 10, my people it’s up to you, the choice is yours, don’t listen to all the noise.”
He further appealed, “To the young people of Liberia, to the women of Liberia, to the elders of Liberia, on October 10, let’s give President Weah a red card. Let’s take him off the pitch, let’s restore good governance for our country, let’s give President Weah a red card.”
Furthermore, he told his supporters, “You know what I want you to do, you need to keep the spoiled car in the garage, and we need to elect real change in our country.”
Cummings further applauded his supporters for attending the event, as he vows to deliver the change they are yielding for- if he’s elected as Liberia’s next president. “Elect Alexander Cummings, Cllr. Charlyne Brumskine and all the CPP legislative candidates and you will see this country will change, quicker and faster than you can imagine.”
Like several other presidential candidates, the Standard Bearer of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) Mr. Alexander B.Cummings has an intrinsic plan to transform the lives of Liberians.
As revealed by his manifesto, Mr. Cummings has guaranteed that the CPP will ensure quality and affordable education, and work towards providing free public education. Our primary focus will be on youth and adult education, especially vocational training to put Liberian’s first in line for new jobs.
The Collaborating Political Parties CPP’s short-term focus will provide access to free, quality national primary education, as well as a streamlined vocational educational system aligned with current private sector needs.
It considers construction, information technology, services, tourism, and manufacturing. Long term, we will reform higher education in Liberia by focusing on teachers’ training, innovate in education delivery and strengthen a Liberia’s network of colleges and universities.
“We will apologize to no one for enabling and prioritizing Liberian success at home. This will include from business to sports, music, movie and other forms of arts. If you have the dream and the drive, the Cummings-Brumskine-led government will help you thrive,” Cummings assures.
Mr. Cummings has been persistent in championing the establishment of a special anti-corruption court and enforcement mechanisms to hold corrupt officials accountable.
By tackling corruption and ending wasteful spending, the campaign believes that Liberia will realize a more efficient and effective government. “We must end the mismanagement of our natural resources”, he repeats often.
Cummings’ CPP government is also aiming to institute the requisite political and governmental reforms with the goal of making all Liberians, including members of opposing political parties, genuine stakeholders in national governance.
Additionally, the party plans on Implementing the necessary reforms returns power to the people so that they have a direct say in choosing their local leaders, building institutions, including a reformed judicial system that fosters transparency and mitigates against corruption and supports the rule of law.
Cummings says his administration and its officials will be held to account and will leverage innovative technologies that automate some government processes, creating efficiency, transparency and cutting waste. By tackling corruption and ending wasteful spending, a Cummings-led government hopes that Liberia will realize a more efficient and effective government – one that works for all Liberians.
Consistent with his desire to subdue corruption, the CPP is aiming to create a special anti-corruption court, support and appropriately resource existing judicial institutions; and establish the enforcement mechanisms to hold corrupt officials accountable.
The CPP under Cummings also aims to identify the positions where individuals are most likely to engage in corruption and publicize them so that identifying corruption is a public engagement.
Additionally, a Cummings-led government will also ensure that there is a balanced distribution of government spending, especially in terms of officials’ compensation and will push to reduce the compensation and benefits received by high-level government officials and increase those of lower-level officials and civil servants.
The Cummings-led government is looking to prioritize transparency and accountability through strengthening existing integrity institutions, setting high standards for accountability, including at the presidency, and balancing distribution of government spending such as reducing compensation & benefits of high-level government officials and increasing those of civil servants, including police, teachers, nurses, and others. Priority will be placed on eliminating wasteful spending.
The ABC-CPP-led government is also promising to establish independence of controlling, procuring, and auditing functions within government agencies and reform the judiciary system to ensure the efficient and effective administration of justice and to protect the rights of every Liberian. The Cummings agenda also plans on utilizing technology to automate government processes.
On foreign policy and security, the Cummings-led CPP is pledging to sustain the peace and ensure that the security of the Liberian people is the top priority.
Mr. Cummings’ CPP is vowing to commit itself to modernizing security forces, improving relations with our West African neighbors, and expanding our economic and diplomatic relationships across the world.
The CPP will look to move Liberia away from a dependence on foreign aid and toward self-sufficiency. Liberia’s development partners can now serve as sources of foreign direct investment, as our relationships can evolve from aid to trade.
“While Liberia will welcome support and assistance from international partners and friends, we will be respected in the comity of nations beginning with our desires to do for ourselves what we can and must do for ourselves.”
The party believes that the first step in keeping the peace in Liberia is economic development and job creation with emphasis on the unemployed, underemployed, and unemployable youth which represents a simmering threat to the consolidated peace and stability Liberia has enjoyed over the last 18 years. Thus, employment under the CPP-led government will be a matter of national security.
Priority, under a Cummings-led government, will also be centered on free health care for children up to 6 years old and elders 65 years and over with focus on primary and preventative health care and increased access to healthcare facilities by constructing new health clinics throughout the country.
With regards to Education, the Cummings-led CPP agenda will focus on three pillars: vocational training to address the demand for relevant skills in revenue generating industries for Liberia; teacher training as means of properly equipping our teachers to deliver 21st century education to 21st century youth; and adult education to increase access to opportunities for those who were left behind by the absence of education delivery by this administration.
