By Kanio Bai Gbala
It was around 9pm last night while undergoing my final rituals before heading to bed that I received a text from a loyal junior comrade announcing that The Doctore had resigned as Chairman of our dear party.
To confirm the veracity of his text, I hurriedly rushed to view his timeline on Facebook lest I was being conned by some kind of false propaganda. But to my greatest shock, the information was indeed true.
Eventhough we had somehow long anticipated a certain “action” from The Doctore given all his trials, tribulations, disrespect and political isolation during the last 6 years of the CDC’s leadership, his resignation nonetheless still dealt a sharp indescribable blow to me.
For my relationship with the Doctore was/is not platonic. It is one of a brother to a brother. A Comrade to a Comrade. An Ideologue to an Ideologue and a friend to a friend.
Though I had been ideologically allied with the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) for many years commencing 2005 when I and other lesser known comrades campaigned for the CDC without any formal positioning, I credit my public association with the CDC to The Doctore. This is a man who walked, slept, breathed and lived the mantra of the Mighty CDC.
He was one of few persons I spoke to about the reasons underpinning my decision to leave the CDC in mid 2017 and one who warmly embraced me back into the fold upon my return subsequently.
Our active engagement commenced almost a decade ago in 2015 when he had listened to me outline a series of policy flaws associated the then Sirleaf administration on national radio. He promptly reached out.
And I still recall his actual words roughly paraphrased-“Kanio! We need everyone on board who can add value to this revolution. Just as we need militants. We also need professionals-engineers, lawyers, doctors etc. to publicly associate with the party and defend the people’s revolution”.
It was from that conversation that the CDC-Professionals Auxilliary was eventually birthed. And since that conversation, I have readily availed myself to the party, and The Doctore who was then VCO of the people’s revolution would routinely “deploy” us strategically in octopus fashion whenever there was a need to erect the proverbial “intellectual checkpoints” against our detractors.
Like me, The Doctore has never been one to mince his words, submerge his respect or fear his colleagues.
He is not a sycophant but rather a trusted brother and leader of the rarest sort. He is a brilliant community organizer, powerful and charismatic speaker, prolific writer and inspirational leader who led from the front and never from the back. His medium of trade was always mutual respect.
He would vehemently disagree with you if the need arose but always from a place of respect and intellectualism.
His home was the home of CDCians. His livingroom was our livingroom. His bedroom was our bedroom. He had no privacy.
We would eat there, drink there and even sleep there if we wanted to. His doors were always open to us. He was the personal property of the CDC and I dare say the most loved and respected of the rank and file leaders in our party.
From our days at Camp David (his previous home) where the likes of former comrades like (Ivah Tukpa, Julius Banto) and junior comrade Siaka Sheriff and others etc. convened regularly to chant battlecries and discuss a still far-away future under Amb. Weah to his current home now, The Doctore always represented that which was stable, resilient and permanent about the CDC.
I know that his decision to leave now in the midst of all that has transpired is especially heart-breaking for him. But in classic Doctore style, he has once again demonstrated that leadership is far removed from selfish aims by placing the cohesion and stability of the party above his own personal interests.
God’s Prince! Jack Law! The Trainer of Gladiators! You have served very well and history will be super kind to you. CDCians will always remember you. And the CDC will never be the same again!
Aluta Continua
