THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER

SERIE II: WINSTON TUBMAN – The Worst Embarrassment to CDC

Qualities & Services

To start with, it’s better to have some knowledge of the main character in this discussion. In lieu of this, The Truth of the Matter (TTM) researched on Counselor Winston Tubman and found the following:

Cllr. Tubman sprang to glory through royal stature, his uncle (traditional father), William V. S. Tubman, was the 18th president of Liberia. This royalty scored for him (Winston) a huge academic achievement paid for by tax payers' money, while the very masses' children sat in one-room school houses taught by poorly trained and inadequate teachers. Regrettably and interestingly, it appears difficult seeing how his education has truly benefited Liberia or the Liberian people.

Having acquired all the educations from the best of universities in Great Britain and the United States of America at early age, Mr. Tubman returned home to serve his uncle in a very lucrative and strategic government position with multiple responsibilities. At age twenty five (probably without the requisite experience though), he was appointed legal counselor at the Planning Ministry (then Department of Planning). His authority extended to that of Chief Negotiator of the Republic of Liberia with all mining and forestry concessions respectively. He was also the final negotiator of Government on economic agreements such as double taxation, and petroleum contracts between Liberia and Sweden, as well as Liberia and Iran.

With such responsibilities, one would wonder over the magnitude of negotiations conducted by the twenty five year old (a boy by Liberian standard) in the interest of our country when the roads to those industrial sites – Bong Mining Company (BMC in Lower Bong), Liberian -American-Swedish Mineral Company (LAMCO in Nimba), Liberian Mining Company (LMC in Bomi), Liberian National Iron Ore Company (LNIOC in Cape Mount), and all other forestry sites were not even paved during the era of his uncles' reign. Even the Firestone Rubber Plantation Company right in the nose of Monrovia did not have a standard and reputable elementary, middle and secondary school for workers’ children. The employees (laborers) and their families lived in one-room deplorable huts. Was President Tubman's nephew the only one qualified in the country then to perform in this significant national capacity? The answer is left with us all to seek.

Cllr. Winston Tubman served as Justice Minister under President Samuel K. Doe in the eighties. At the helm of national justice, he was one of those architects and facilitators of the codification of the terrible, horrible and infamous junta laws of "Decree 88A and 88B". Decree 88A and 88B were military laws sanctioned by the People's Redemption Council (PRC) Government headed by Master Sergeant Samuel K. Doe to suppress and hunt unlawfully anyone who spoke against the military regime then. This is the man who implemented and imprisoned innocent citizens for violation of the so-called Decree 88A and 88B. As a matter of fact, public demonstration was vehemently subdued. Today, Mr. Tubman wants to be president of Liberia at all cost. He is the one putting innocent kids in the streets of Monrovia to demonstrate under the guise of social and political justice. Has he repented from his actions prior to and during the eras of the eighties? It is TTM's guess that you will help in answering this one.

Later, Mr. Tubman spent much of his time in foreign services for international institutions. He was adviser to United Nation's military chief in Croatia and later special envoy of U N Secretary General Kofi Atta Annam to Somalia. In Somalia, he facilitated a peace deal which in fact intensified that country's conflict due to his lack of negotiating skills and expediency. Lest we forget, this is the same man who served in negotiating capacities for the Liberian government at age 25 though. One would think that while in his mid sixties, Cllr Tubman would have been prepared to broker a peace deal in that war-tone country. His failure led him to quit the job to shuttle to Liberia in quest of the Executive Mansion in the 2005 Presidential election.

Contemporary National Politics

Ambassador Winston Tubman is known by many to be arrogant and thus lacks any particular principles for Liberia. They see him as lacking interpersonal relationship, charisma and out of touch with the Liberian populace. He is noted for not having any particular political party – frequently trekking from one party to another in search for the least opportunity available to him as a presidential standard bearer.

He left the True Whig Party (TWP) to establish the Liberian National Union (LINU) and in a relative short span of time moved to the National Democratic Party of Liberia for which he became standard bearer in the 2005 general elections. In those elections Mr. Tubman won 9. 2% of the total votes for the presidential seat. It's apparent that his attempt to form an alliance with the National Patriotic Party of Liberia failed for which he landed in the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) with the hope of relying on the Tubman brand name and exploiting the popularity of Amb. George M. Weah to win.

Tubman & CDC

In the case of the CDC, Mr. Tubman did more harm to the party than good. Hoping that the UN diplomat would have guided the party with wisdom thereby helping to dilute the level of fragility and vulnerability within CDC, the membership's thoughts were dashed in the deep political valley. To the contrary, Tubman had nothing to offer except his uncles' parochial style of politics (reference the "Love of Liberty" by Twan Wreh). He went to the CDC with a volume of hidden baggage. It is TTM's guess that had the CDC caucus really known Mr. Tubman from the onset, they would not have placed their party in the hand of this opportunist who had all along been buried and bounded in egotism and pride. Amb. Tubman had never been a grass-rooter, nor even ever identified with that class of our society. CDC under George Weah did not lead any of its members to death (may the soul of the fallen brother, Mamadee Kromah, rest in peace) or injury as did Mr. Tubman. Under Mr. Tubman, there are more inner fights, crisis and misunderstandings within the CDC than ever before.

It beats TTM's imagination that a man who once stood at the very top of the laws as Justice Minister would now propagate, orchestrate and perpetrate disorderliness in Monrovia for his personal aggrandizement. TTM would like to know whether Mr. Tubman ought to account to the Liberian people for his action or not.

Thinking that he would distinguish himself from that of his uncle, the CDC standard bearer noted "I am Winston Tubman and not William Tubman", during one of his campaigns. Knowing very well that he is a direct beneficiary of the spoils and booties of his uncle’s mismanagement of Liberia for 27 years, Mr. Winston Tubman least had the guts to distance himself from the ills of his uncle's regime. Like his uncle, Cllr. Tubman still sees Liberia and its people as properties of the Tubman’s. What a fallacy.

Without remorse for his action, Cllr Tubman still takes the Liberian people for granted. He has now open another can of worms by demanding for nine key ministries and other significant government positions for the CDC as if they won 50% of the just ended presidential elections. According to him, if these demands are not satisfied, he shall continue to keep his boys demonstrating in the streets of Monrovia. His bargaining chip leaves one to ponder if this re-conciliatory negotiation is in good faith and national spirit. If Tubman cannot ably manage the CDC, why should the Liberian people trust him with major ministries and other agencies of government? TTM finds it quite hard for the Liberian people to mortgage our government to Mr. Tubman on the basis of his so-called threat. Don't know about you.

In closing, The Truth of the Matter would like to know your position on the following:

• Did the messages of Cllr. Winston Tubman resonate with the Liberian people during the just ended presidential election?
• Outside of the CDC or Mr. George Weah's popularity, would Mr. Tubman have got 10% of the total votes of Round I (October 11) of the presidential elections?
• Do the Liberian people really need another Tubman as their president?
• Should the Liberian Government submit to the demands of the CDC Standard Beer in the spirit of national reconciliation?
• Will the CDC presidential standard bearer sincerely served the Liberian people in good faith as a patriot in any position when appointed by the president?

TTM looks forward to seeing your comment from a true, sincere and realistic point of view.

Author: J. Sackie Kennedy is a resident of Minnesota and a former member of the OLM Board of Directors. Mr. Kennedy also served as Secretary General of the Liberian Football Association (LFA)—1993-1999--with honor and distinction. He is currently the President of the Tubman High Alumni Association in the United States. J. Sackie Kennedy can be reached at sackiek@yahoo.com