Editorial: Nothing But the Truth, Snowe

The front page lead story of the Wednesday, January 4, 2012 edition of the New Dawn-Liberia captioned: Snowe’s US Dollar Make Woman Go Naked attracted a few, but alarming concerns. As this paper kicked off the exposure of the unwholesome and immoral behavior of Representative Edwin Snowe to the amusement of other senior government officials during a bachelor’s eve party at his residence on the Monrovia-Robertsfield Road in Paynesville on the morning of Friday, December 30, 2012, others present added on through their publications and broadcasts.

While some guests, including officials of government continue to either remain mute or deny being presence when young Tracy Demi was ‘made to go naked’ by Representative Snowe, a few others decided not to keep silent.

Despite corroborative accounts by journalists present during the occasion, reputable Liberian women groups/organizations continue to remain intentionally silent, even though a small group of women protestors paraded before the Providence Baptist Church on Sunday, January 8 during a worship service with placards, calling for the revocation of Snowe’s Father of the Year Crown because of the disgrace he has brought upon womanhood, which is a compromise against morality.

And barely a day after President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf expressed serious concern, and called on any official involved to clear the air more than a week following his conspicuous silence over his US$1,000.00 offer to Tracy for ‘going butt naked’ before him and other guests, including senior Liberian Government officials, Representative Snowe of Montserrado County District Number Six on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 commented for the first time, describing our publications and those of other media institutions as “false and misleading.”

“I have never and will never do anything to bring womanhood into disrepute no matter their status in society”, Snowe told a news conference in Monrovia after coming under pressure to do so.

“I am deeply troubled by the manner in which a gathering intended to celebrate the holy matrimony of a brother and friend is now being transformed into degradation of womanhood; for this I express deep regrets,” the Father of the Year of the Providence Baptist Church said. While we may not want to be seen as creating an antagonistic stance against Representative Snowe, it is also important to note that he exhibited one of the attributes of diplomacy – deniability.

Upholding all of the principles of good journalism, we at the New Dawn-Liberia do assure our many readers that our January 4, 2012 publication was in consonance with nothing, but the truth at Mr. Snowe’s residence. We had anticipated that as Father of the Year of such a prestigious Church as the Providence Baptist, Mr. Snowe would have confessed his sin for God’s forgiveness.

Truly, only confession and repentance were required of the Monyserrado County lawmaker to lay the matter to rest. Instead, he chose to make politics of the matter. How be it, whether or not he told the truth to the public, it’s only God, the Almighty Creator, who will make the final judgment.