By: Richard Manuba, A Journalist/Sociologist professionalrfm@gmail.com/+231770902967
With serious concerns, it has come to my attention as a bonafide citizen of Africa’s first black and oldest Republic; Liberia, running issues relative to our crucial 4th democratic presidential and legislative elections which I sadly see going scout-free [void of checkmating].
As though we do not have any national civil rights institutions here [Liberia], my collections and capturings of these unfavorable situations are enjoying being unnoticed whereby ours is not a bobo Nation. First off, the most publicized Inter-Religious Council of Liberia, Liberia Council of Churches, CENTAL, Angie Brooks International Center [for women’s empowerment] which plays major roles in Liberia’s and global elections, among several others, were right in this town [Monrovia], when the National Elections Commission (NEC), grossly violated the elections laws of the Country by not adhering to the 30-day threshold for publication of the Final Registration Roster or voters roll. It took a political party to the process to raise the red flag which saw them rather receiving the FRR via the Supreme Court.
A plethora of the others are of open public knowledge which worth mentioning may be an attempt to buy time.
Right here again in full glare, rights institutions are acting as though the national electoral body feet-dragging coupled with the insolence the NEC Boss has continuously meted out at Journalists are not measurable for checkmating. When I mention feet-dragging, my collection is that is it Liberia alone that has inaccessible places as in towns and villages? Doesn’t Guinea have, or Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Mali; one of Africa’s largest Countries, least to mention the most populous Nigeria?
The contradiction here even is that those aforementioned countries have far more larger populations than we have. Come to think about it; a 5 million population country in Liberia using 15 days to process valid votes and announce winners, when the populous in most cases declare winners of their national elections within three days. Our argument reliance in this regard is because it is lawful. For me to agree to such an argument is a recommendation from me to have that law in our Constitution repealed to save the too much ‘wait’ after polling concludes. In my Liberian experience, even if all facilities and human resources were available for the NEC to conclude on counting, tallying and final announcement of results a good number of days far away from the stipulated 15 days, our NEC in their “Liberianness” will apply laxity only because a 15-day clause exists in the Constitution. In my candid opinion, too much delays in announcing final results of our national elections give rise to speculations about tampering with the actually tallied figures which breeds violence and disagreements amongst the citizenry.
When NEC has most of its funding and capacity building of its electoral and other technicians having the blessings of government and international partners, yet, Madam Chairperson, Davidetta Browne-Lansana, will be telling us unbelievable tales of delays in tallying. When the international partners are seated in the hall, told a press conference start time is 4:30 post meridian, Madam Chairperson is rather beginning the proceedings 45 minutes later. Doesn’t this make us Liberians seem as irresponsible people who do not respect time? Isn’t it respecting time that accounts for one’s success globally? If anyone doubts this, ask Mark Zuckerberg.
INSOLENCE TOWARD THE MEDIA
You may agree with me or not, the current Chairperson of the NEC, Madam Davidetta Browne-Lansana is not threading on a good path at all in exchanges between her and the Liberian and international media representatives as she informs the Nation about outcomes of the October 10, 2023 polls, through the ‘very’ Journalists. As much as these are crucial times in this Country whereby everyone is on heels awaiting pronouncement of the winner of the Presidency, as well as seats in the 55th Legislature, the head of the electoral body in the Country cannot be seen responding harshly to Journalists as though they shouldn’t ask her any questions at all after she concludes reading of the official progressive results from the elections. I expect her, a Journalist herself who’s presently inactive, to be a beacon of hope for the crisis management we need now by electing to answer the Journalists’ inquiries in a much more tender tone. Acting as though the Chairperson of NEC and the media are In a brawl or fussing is uncalled for and I hereby entreat Madam Chairperson of the NEC to choose a tension-cooling approach toward taking questions from the Journalists because they both share a symbiosis. Without the NEC, we wouldn’t conduct credible elections, same way, when there is no news media, how do we get the public informed about outcomes of elections here? I also call on free speech organizations to join me in this.
FLIMSY EXCUSES TO ADDRESSING IRREGULARITIES AND SECURITY-RELATED ISSUES
I have sat at my vantage point with grave concerns, observed a lot of irregular activities attempting to becloud our much anticipated 4th democratic presidential and legislative elections which have only been announced by the NEC with little or no actions taken in remedy. First stop is the lifting of ballot boxes [2] on a motorbike whose rider could only say his boss told him to ferry them over to him. Till date, the NEC, on the watch of Madam Chairperson Davidetta Browne-Lansana is yet to tell us who this “boss” is, and in the first place, in an accessible by vehicles Montserrado, our ballot boxes will be seen on a motorbike.
In several districts across the country including mine in #10, Montserrado County, unscrupulous individuals tampered with voting cards which they were seen with on voting day. In the lead up to October 10, a little more than two dozens of voter registration cards were discovered with a man in Grand Gedeh County, yet, the Chairperson of the NEC has given all flimsy excuses as her answer to the media and interest and pressure groups who have enquired about why such strange things were happening to a process that is supposed to be free, fair, credible and transparent. The essence of being the arrowhead of any national institution is to prevail on timely results and bring resolution to issues when they occur. Has the NEC run short in supply or availability of qualified and well-capacitated professionals who can handle findings realtime? This is unfortunately unacceptable and I recommend we do otherwise what serves the good of our voting populace.
On the other hand, it is extremely regrettable for me to see the National Elections Commission of Liberia joining ranks with the unending investigation oriented National Joint Security to be telling the people of Liberia, when I receive the investigation report from the joint security, I will let you know. Can you imagine? We are talking about electoral violence and civil disobedience here that requires fast-track resolution and perpetrators named to face the full weight of the law, then we can only be constantly be mesmerized by our Chairperson of the NEC, Madam Davidetta Browne-Lansana? This is a breeding ground for more attacks on peaceful citizens during further elections in the name of support or loyalty to their respective political parties or hierarchies. We have gone days now, the NEC Chair cannot tell us about any closure to those electoral violence incidents which have serious insecurity implications. What constitutes the NEC’s overall budget for conducting such big elections? Isn’t security a key component that has its own special mandate to look into cases using a fewer number of days than their regular methods at the LNP headquarters. Lives have been lost, deep wounds are being nursed, the victims and their families plus the public cannot get any outcomes from the joint security through the National Elections Commission.
FEEBLENESS OF THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY AND RIGHTS GROUPS
Unlike other Faith-based organizations elsewhere who lead the charge when there’s a semblance of an imminent twist in the normal running order of governance, ours in Liberia most times wait for knocks on their doors before they see action necessary. The concerns I raised in this piece has met their attention either once or twice in terms of speaking out seeking remedy. But, on those occasions, their doors had to be banged by Talkshow hosts, or calls made in newspapers or online platforms. This is not an elderly service to country at all.
My reasons for picking this up is that religious leaders constitute our single largest group of revered (respected) personalities no politician or poliyactor can threaten when they say truth to power. So, what is stopping the religious community in this Country at such a crucial turning point to hold the National Elections Commission in check? I don’t see any reasons at all gor not doing so to save the peace. Typically, if the religious community were to demand answers from the NEC Boss on her pattern of releasing the tallied results, she won’t respond anyhow but will be circumspect. I, as well, have observed that rights groups seem to be having no issues absolutely with the NEC’s rollout of these 2023 elections. I think they need to look a little more deeper because we do not need to be seen looking for last minutes solutions when tensions have escalated. Once again, I plead with us to act now so that the National Elections Commission can know that their fiduciary responsibility is to deliver credible elections and nothing less than that if our democracy must be respected.
I rest my pen for now.
Comments are closed.