Editorial – We’re prepared to Engage, But…

“CDC Demands Criminal Investigation” was the Monday, March 26, 2012 front page lead story that placed the New Dawn-Liberia on the agenda of the Plenary of the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

We reported that an official of the main opposition Congress for Democratic Change had alleged that individuals, including Representatives Thomas Fallah, Edwin Snowe and former Montserrado County Representative Alomiza Bah, should answer questions on how they lastly interacted with one of their colleagues (Moses Saah Tandapolie) before his death.

Already harbouring malice against the New Dawn-Liberia and its Legislative Reporter E.J. Nathaniel Daygbor for exposing his nude party at his home on the Robertsfield Highway in Paynesville, Representative Edwin Snowe chose to retaliate in the manner and form he did on Tuesday.

“your reporter, who claimed I asked a woman to walk naked in his “grandpa” house has reported on me again,” Snowe undiplomatically addressed the New Dawn-Liberia Editor when he called on Monday, further threatening to get even with Reporter Daygbor by teaching him a lesson.

However, during Tuesday’s regular session of the House of Representatives, the issue was introduced on the floor through a communication submitted to plenary by Representative Edwin Snowe, who claimed his character was at stake following the publication.

The Montserrado County District Number 6 Representative, who pretended before his colleagues to be very angry, vowed to do everything possible to defend his character-probably to get at this paper and its management.

While some members of the House viewed this as a ‘non-issue’, others thought that it should be discussed, and on, on they went. An initial motion for a formal complain to the Press Union of Liberia was raised by Grand Bassa County Representative Byron Brown was overshadowed by Speaker Alex Tyler’s intervention for collaboration between the House’s Leadership and PUL on the matter.

But as the Honourable men and women of the House went ahead with their decision, CDC’s Mulbah Morlu, on the other hand, claimed responsibility for the publication, emphasizing that the New Dawn-Liberia should be left alone, and that he would defend his comments, which he made at a press conference recently.

Morlu reiterated that as a CDC official, he took full responsibility for the sentiments expressed, calling for criminal investigation into the death of Montserrado County District #11 Representative Moses Saah Tandapolie.

While we do stand by our Monday, March 26 publication and would only be prepared to constructively engage the House’s leadership and Committee on Information, we do take Mr. Snowe’s threats against us very seriously, being cognizant of his financial strength to do “everything possible to get even” with us.

Just as some members of the House of Representatives, we too at the New Dawn-Liberia consider this matter a non-issue, owing to the availability of the story main source and his preparedness to defend the publication attributed to him.

It is an open fact that Representative Edwin Snowe is out for serious vengeance because of our publication on the highest degree of immorality he exhibited when he turned a bachelor’s night into a “nude party” at his residence.

Let it be made emphatically clear that our publication at the time was not targeted at him as a person as he continues to think, but the disgrace brought upon Liberian womanhood, the Legislature and the Church, being Father of the Year of the prestigious Providence Baptist Church and member of the Honourable House of Representatives, respectively.

This is why as public officials, people must exercise the highest degree of care in whatever social activities they participate (because they know not who’s watching out for the NEWS).

As we prepare ourselves for any future engagement with the House, we do emphasize that such interaction and exchanges must be on the basis of merit and mutual understanding and respect, not on sentiments only because Snowe is a member of the Honourable House of representatives.