Contributor
Monrovia, Liberia — Martin K. N. Kollie has provided a detailed analysis as to why he thinks Henry P. Costa is not suited to be a running mate to Joseph N. Boakai in the pending general and presidential elections.
Read Martin’s post below
Byron Byron, I have seen you and a few others tagging me since yesterday with an intent to solicit my position on brother Henry P. Costa’s latest ambition as a running mate to JNB. Consider this as my initial position pertinent to this discourse which I consider more of a distraction. We have to be serious about what we want –about what is possible –and about our people’s best interests.
Like you or anyone above 35 years of age, Costa has every right to aspire as a JNB running mate. Our Constitution guarantees his suffrage. Furthermore, it is up to JNB to pick a running mate. However, I do not support the idea of Costa becoming a running mate to JNB at this crucial time, and I could lay out dozens of reasons to justifiably prove my point. I hope Costa accepts this in good faith and does not see me too as being “envious”.
Do I want ‘generational change’? Yes, of course, I do. But does it come through hurry, overambition, and unpreparedness? No, it does not. In most democracies, including Liberia, one has to be nurtured and readied. The VP role has become even more complex and essential at this time. Everything we’ve ever gained, including our sovereignty, is at risk under GMW. Is Costa experienced and politically matured like those that I have named in my latest piece? Affirmative cannot hold true in this case.
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What is Costa’s public service record? From Sierra Leone –to Guinea – to Ivory Coast –to Ghana –to Nigeria, etc., I encourage you and other pro-Costa enthusiasts to check the record(s) of their VPs. Even the VP of the great USA, I encourage you to research her record. Each of them had a very solid public service record or public sector experience before becoming VP.
Though the VP position may seem ceremonious as some pundits may have you and others believe, it is a very technical position that requires vast knowledge, hands-on experience, managerial shrewdness, and interpersonal adroitness. I don’t think Costa fits in this parameter for now. If JNB is ever thinking about preferring him as his running, this won’t be a SMART pick. The backlash would cost JNB even more than he can imagine.
JNB has more to lose than to gain from such a choice. Truth be told, a lot of people will withdraw their support NOT necessarily because they “hate/envy” Costa as may be perceived in some quarters but because Costa is not just prepared for what he is attempting to get into, simply put. Don’t get me wrong, Costa has done a lot to support JNB since he lost in 2017.
Others too have made a similar sacrifice to support JNB. The debate surrounding this VP position should be policy-based and not support-based. If everyone who has sacrificed/supported JNB since 2005 decides to aspire for this VP role, then there would be endless brouhaha.
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In my opinion, I think Costa needs to proceed with circumspection. He is a brilliant brother with a lot of potential and energy but he has to manage his expectations. His “VP ambition” can be likened to an ambitious pupil wanting to lecture a group of Ph.D. students on Calculus. Did you, Byron, jump straight from nursery to Grade 12? If you did, then Costa would make a perfect VP candidate.
Statecraft is a whole different game/field. The differential between its theory and practice is even well established. The survival of over 5 million people is dependent on you as a VP.
Look at Boakai’s journey before becoming VP. Also, look at Jewel’s journey before becoming VP. This is a complex task. Arrival at this plinth is never a sudden flight. Byron, you need to know this. Costa has not even served as a director in government before. These are very critical times. We must not joke with it. This is no time for horseplay.
The future of our country and posterity is tied to this process. If we miss out on this moment to reshape our collective destiny, history won’t have clemency on us anymore. Do not be hoodwinked by political pageantry.
There will always be contradictions due to competing/clashing interests as Karl Marx’s dialectics has taught us. But these contradictions MUST be decisively resolved. That’s why I’ve called on JNB to be decisive during this critical epoch because “DELAY” is expensive.
My next point is that this election would be about bloc/base politics. Politically and statistically, what is Costa’s base and/or numerical strength? Do you care to answer this question also? The last time I checked, Costa ran as a representative candidate but an independent candidate (Samuel Enders) won him. Enders got 18,489 votes (45.2%) while ALP Costa got 3,287 votes (8%). Costa even came fourth place behind LP Martin Saye Kollah 4,939 (12.1%). Statistically, Costa’s numerical strength accounts for just 0.08. We cannot ignore ‘The Science’. It is time, to be frank with each other.
It is a fact that Costa is a popular talk show host, and I respect him a lot for his sacrifices/struggles. Not everyone who has struggled in history benefited. I can name more than 100 martyrs who struggled for freedom and democratic pluralism but did not benefit from their struggle because they were killed. A typical example is Albert Porte and Wuo Gappi Tappia.
For us to be here today evening talking about UP, LP, ALP, ANC, etc., these people’s blood was spilled. As ideological revolutionaries, we must never be expecting anything in return whenever we choose to fight/sacrifice for our people.
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The support base of Costa is mainly in Montserrado. Costa has no absolute dominance in any county. For JNB to win Montserrado, he really does not need to make Costa a running mate because even when Costa did not support his candidature in round one of 2017, he still got 155,651 votes in Montserrado alone. This means that he’s far more popular as a candidate in Montserrado. JNB needs another vote-rich county where he did not perform in order to add up his number.
And Costa does not provide this leverage or political capital. This is not intended to discount Costa’s support. It is needed but it cannot be exchanged/politically commodified for a VP role. This does not worth it in my opinion.
Byron, politics is SCIENCE underpinned by STRATEGY. It is far more than FRIENDSHIP. Costa is our friend but we must be able to speak the truth to him. I prefer nationship to friendship. I know that you and many others are afraid to speak these hard truths. But I am not because I have faith in our collective future, and such an onus is upon me to jealously protect it. I am not a member of any opposition political party but I know for a fact that even some opposition supporters are opposed to Costa and his form of politics. They would like to support JNB but not a JNB-Costa Ticket. Some free thinkers and diaspora Liberians share this view as well.
My next point is that Costa has been pushing a Boakai-Urey / Boakai-Nyonblee Ticket for many months. Lately, he even declared his intention to contest as a Senator. All of sudden, he wants to be JNB’s running mate. How come? What has changed so quick? This is inconsistent. As I said, I can outline dozens of reasons. Y’all don’t push me. It is good to be ambitious but such a pursuit must be done with caution and preparedness. I will stop here for now. Hope you rethink your comment. We love Costa but we love Liberia far more.
