Former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is cautioning members of the board of commissioners of the National Elections Commission (NEC) that they owe a sacred duty to the people of Liberia to conduct free, fair, transparent, and credible elections, come October 10th.
Speaking at a women’s forum Friday, August 4th in Congo Town, Monrovia, she emphasized that men and women on the Board of Commission of the NEC should know that they have a sacred duty to the State and its people to ensure processes leading to the polls enable everyone to have a freedom of choice.
This is advice coming from a voice of wisdom, an icon of Liberian politics with 12 years of experience from the Presidency that the NEC should heed as it endeavors to conduct free, peaceful democratic elections.
The NEC should uphold the Constitution as its guide in conducting these elections to ally all suspicions and doubts, leaving no room for confusion.
It should apply rules governing the electoral process across the board without fear or favor or other interests than the stability of the State and its citizens that includes the former President.
An electoral process that lacks credibility and trust is a recipe for confusion and chaos that no peace-loving Liberian wants, especially at a time when the entire West Africa is in turmoil arising from leadership struggle.
Already, Liberians had have their own share of bloody conflict with devastating consequences that they don’t want repeated from poorly managed elections. Transparency and proactiveness should be the hallmark of the NEC as it moves on with the process.
Transparency and proactiveness would require the NEC to provide regular and timely updates to the public and willingness to listen to all sides in the competition.
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Liberians should be proud that, for the very first time in many, many centuries, the nation has a former President that is alive and lives right in the country, willing to offer pieces of advice for the steady progression of the Motherland.
We should not take it for granted. She is an enormous human resource that this nation needs and should tap from to remain on the path of peace, stability, and unity.
On the other hand, we appeal to political parties and politicians vying for public offices to place the nation above their personal quests. The Presidency is for only one person chosen by majority of the people at the ballot box, so the 20 candidates in the race, including incumbent President George Weah should be cognizant of this and allow the will of the people to prevail. Absolutely nothing else.
The reality is that 19 candidates will lose at the close of the polls whether in the first round or second round. Hence, Leaders of political parties telling their partisans and supporters that they can never be defeated should begin to tune down such rhetoric, because it sets the stage and prepares the minds for violence.
