By Naneka A. Hoffman
Nobel Peace Prize winner Laymah Gbowee, says some Liberian political leaders in the 2023 election have been behaving like what she calls “Clever Devils.”
Speaking to the Voice of America Day Break Africa on Wednesday, November 1, Madam Gbowee explained that a clever devil is an individual, who is very educated, but lacks character and practices politics without principle or regard to the public interests.
She notes that some of the politicians lack character, integrity and truth in their conversations and dealings with the Liberian people, as she feels for those who idolize them especially, the youth.
According to her, since the release of the results of the October 10th Presidential and Legislative Elections, politicians have been flapping around, with former enemies now becoming political allies.
The Nobel Peace Laureate says some political leaders are doing what people, who stand for principle will do and the rest of the population is watching and seeing what they are doing.
She states that some of these political leaders are saying that they have to walk over their mother just to get what they want politically, they will do that while others are saying that they are prepared to dine and wine with the devil just to obtain state power.
“Look around the country now and see what we have as people, one minute this politician is saying what is good and the next minute, the same individual is saying another thing.”
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Madam Gbowee underscores that true leaders will never do some of the things that happening in the country because there is no integrity and truth.
Never before that we in Liberia, have ever heard these words from politicians who are supposed to be role models for the young people to follow.”
She laments that this is very sad and bad for ordinary people to hear their leaders saying all sorts of things and when former enemies are becoming friends.
“I do not think that politics should be dirty; politics should be without character, integrity and without truth”, she notes.
“When you think about the way Liberians have been thrown back and forth, here, there and everywhere, like people will say, strange bedfellows, the next minute, we are friends and the next, we are enemies. So who do you believe in and who can you trust? What are the values these politicians are putting out there? And what are the principles?” She questions.
She argues that politics is not about losing oneself, but economically, it is one of the contributing factors, adding that education plays a major role most of the time “I definitely believe that our leaders keep the people in abject poverty because they will usually use the electioneering time to exploit the people.”
Madam Gbowee thinks this is the time to start educating young people and the general public that voting is just one day, but as citizens, they will have to live for many years with the consequences of their votes.
She stresses the need for more civic education to liberate the minds of the people, calling on the international community to invest in this sector.
The Nobel Peace Laureate maintains that she will always stand for truth, integrity and many other things because she has been constant in her advocacy, adding that since 2005, she has never gone public with any endorsement and she will remain so, while continuing to exercise her franchise at the ballot.
“When it comes to Liberians and where to vote, we experienced six years of President George Weah and every Liberian knows what these six years have been. Everyone knows the aspiration for their lives in terms of what they want for their children and their future.”
Gbowee shared the Nobel Peace Prize with former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in 2011 for their roles in ending the Liberian Civil War. Editing by Jonathan Browne
