By Sidiki Fofana |Truth In Ink
The “Indestructible” Cllr. Kanio Bai Gbala, self-proclaimed “Supreme Ideologue of the Liberia Political Centrism Movement”, I read your recent commentary with interest. You speak of centrism as the ability to collaborate across political divides, to foster patriotism, and to promote national development.
On these foundational values, I agree; count me as a partner in this regard. In a fractured nation like ours, haunted by history, crippled by corruption, and polarized by party lines, centrist thinking is not just strategic. It is necessary.
Indeed, in fragile democracies such as Liberia’s, the center is often where national healing begins. It is where coalitions are built, reforms are negotiated, and shared visions are crafted. From Konrad Adenauer’s postwar Germany to Nelson Mandela’s post-apartheid South Africa, centrism has offered a powerful antidote to political extremism and national fragmentation.
“Centrism does not mean being halfway between two extremes; it means using reason and evidence to adopt positions that make the most sense, regardless of where they fall on the spectrum”, Tony Blair, A Journey (2010). 
But it is precisely because centrism is so important that we must protect it from being distorted, reduced to sound bites and rebranded as commendation, which can easily be interpreted as praise-singing. And it is here, Cllr. Gbala, I respectfully diverge.
You write, “When JNB succeeds, and the country succeeds.” It is a catchy phrase, one that appears to invoke unity and national interest. But it confuses two very different things: governance and good governance. The fact that a president is in power does not mean his success is automatically the nation’s success. When partisan interests override national needs, when political appointments undermine technocratic competence, and when critical voices are dismissed as “disloyal,” a centrist position would not celebrate such governance, it would challenge it.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, is morally treasonable to the American public.”, Theodore Roosevelt
And so your call to protest organizers to abandon the planned protest action was never that of a political centrist, but rather echoed the sound bites of Unity Party supporters. To stand in the middle does not mean standing silent or standing down when power errs. Centrism is not neutrality in the face of injustice, it is an active search for balance, accountability, and inclusiveness.
Your framing of centrism implies that national development depends on aligning behind the sitting president. But true centrism does not orbit around the presidency, it orbits around the people, their rights, their needs, and their voices.
It demands that the president himself governs from a centrist position, building coalitions, embracing dissent, and pursuing policy over politics.
And if we are to be honest, President Boakai has not governed from the center. From turning over key cabinet appointments to sitting senators, to prioritizing party loyalty over competence, to quietly sanctioning budget manipulation and executive overreach, his administration is, in many respects, a continuation of the winner-take-all model.
The idea that his success equals national success may satisfy those in power, but it insults the suffering of those still waiting for inclusive governance.
“The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality”, Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
Political centrism in Liberia must mean more than calling for calm when protests arise. It must mean more than quoting high ideals while defending partisan power. It must mean:
- Condemning corruption, regardless of the party involved.
- Defending democratic dissent, including peaceful protests.
- Calling for competence in appointments and transparency in budget execution.
In sum, centrism is not the act of supporting power, but of challenging power to serve a broader national interest. It is not about shielding the president from critique, but ensuring he governs with humility, moderation, and inclusiveness.
So let us reclaim the center, not as a hiding place for politicians, but as a meeting place for patriots. Let us use it not to protect the powerful, but to empower the people.
For centrism, if it is to mean anything at all in this moment, must speak truth to all sides, including its own. And when that defines political centrism, no amount of partisans’ insults can prevent such movement from spreading across party lines.
