L/R: President George Weah in conversation with Philipbert Browne

Philipbert S. Browne Issues Another ‘Scaring Statement’ On Social Media Page, But PAL Says He Is On His Own

As Liberians continue to pray for peace ahead of the October 10, 2023 general and presidential, some Liberians are in the constant habit of recklessly creating situation to reawaken the ugly past by posting on social media these things that will have the propensity to scare Liberians not be out to vote in these upcoming elections.

One of such reckless statements recently posted on social media by Mr. Philipbert S. Browne warned Liberians ahead of the election, noting that “There will be blood on our streets; parents should purchase dry goods, water and medication before the October 10th election. Regardless, no one will accept the polls result”, Mr. Browne’s post warned.

However, when GNN contacted the President of the Publisher Association of Liberia (PAL), Mr. Othellor Garblah on these statements being made on social media by Mr. Browne who is also an executive of the PAL, said all statements made by the Hot Pepper Newspaper Publisher, Philipbert Bowne was made on his own and that the Association is not part of such.

Few weeks ago, the proprietor of the Hot Pepper newspaper in Liberia, Philipbert S. Browne, accused the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and some Western countries whose names he fell short of disclosing, of being complicit in vote-rigging in two successive elections in Liberia.

Browne, a controversial media manager, made the claim Thursday, 21 September 2023, in a series of social media interactions via his verified Facebook handle, averring among other things that he’s a witness to how the regional group and the West overturned election results twice in Liberia in favor of the former ruling Unity Party of ex-President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and her Vice President, Joseph N. Boakai, who is now the closest contender to incumbent President George Weah in Liberia’s presidential race slated for next month.

Under the Unity Party-led government rule in August of 2014, Browne, then the publisher of a local daily, the National Chronicles, was arrested by state security officers and jailed, and his newspaper shut down. He later established the Hot Pepper newspaper, which broke the news at the inception of the Weah administration that the former soccer star’s regime was complicit in the alleged disappearance of some 16 billion Liberian dollar banknotes.

Browne writes: “We lived to bear witness, how ECOWAS and the WEST, twice over-turned the presidential elections in favor of the Unity Party EJS & JNB. Did George Weah start a civil war?”

Bowne in one of his Thursday Facebook posts implied that since nothing was done when ECOWAS and the West allegedly rigged two elections in favor of Unity Party against Weah’s CDC party, should the current regime rig next month’s presidential election, it should as well be accepted by those who may feel aggrieved.

“WHAT IS GOOD FOR THE GOOSE IS ALSO GOOD FOR THE GANDER,” Browne wrote, to support his previous point that in the event the 10 October presidential election is rigged by the Weah’s regime, there should be no war, as certain opposition figures are predicting.

Browne, who is yet to show any evidence to substantiate his vote-rigging claim against ECOWAS, further claims that at the time the regional body and the West allegedly overturned election results in Sirleaf’s and Boakai’s favor against Weah, he supported such action because according to him, the retired footballer turned politician was ill-prepared to lead Liberia that was just coming out of a brutal civil war.

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