MONROVIA, Montserrado – Liberty Party’s presidential candidate, Charles Brumskine has proposed to embark on reconciliation for the country if elected as Liberia’s next president.
In a special interview granted to The Bush Chicken, the Liberty Party leader cited reconciliation as one of four key pillars of focus for his government, including reform, recovery, and rebuilding.
For someone preaching about reconciliation, Brumskine was asked about his failure to make peace with former pro-temp Gbezonghar Findley, another son of his native Grand Bassa, in a saga that has torn a rift between supporters in the county.
The turmoil between the two prominent sons of Grand Bassa began when Findley announced his support for Sirleaf in 2011, over Brumskine. Brumskine, in response to Findley’s action, supported Jonathan Kaipay in the senatorial race. Kaipay won.
Brumskine said the issue between him and his native brother is simply a political difference that does not need reconciliation.
“Democracy entails having elections. You run against me; you win, I lose. There’s no reconciliation issue there involved,†he said.
During the interview, Brumskine was also asked about why he took the risk of selecting a running mate who would have likely been found ineligible to run because the Code of Conduct required contestants to resign from government jobs two years before running.
Brumskine demonstrated no regret and claimed that he knew the law was on his side. However, the Supreme Court had ruled that Karnwea had violated the law. However, the rulings clarified that the violation was not “egregious” enough to warrant being barred from the elections.
The decision itself was controversial and had legal scholars like human rights lawyer Tiawon Gongloe suggesting that the court had gone too far.
Brumskine was also questioned about the special ties between President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Liberty Party leaders, including prominent partisans such as Harrison Karnwea, Musa Bility, Fonati Koffa, and Darius Dillon, who previously held or still hold positions in the current government.
Although he told The Bush Chicken that he has no special ties with Sirleaf, Brumskine announced his support for Sirleaf in the 2011 presidential run-off elections after losing in the first round.
He was also one of the two nominees whose credentials were presented to become the country’s Special Representative to ECOWAS, by the president, although he was not selected.
Watch the full interview below:
Featured photo by Zeze Ballah
