Dear Mr. Editor,
Kindly be informed that I am one of your chronic readers due to your style of reporting.
Almost daily, depending on my financial capacity, I buy your newspaper to get abreast of current events. This is not due to the fact that you are the only newspaper in Liberia.
Your analytical reporting which should be the hallmark of reporting news stories by all professional journalists, endear me to your paper.
Indeed, newspapers must go beyond the ordinary way of telling stories or reporting news stories by doing sophisticated analytical reporting to bring out the real truth of the event and help inform, entertain and educate the reading public on national issues.
In these political times where it is easier for people to link newspapers to political parties whether wrongly or rightly, it is prudent for our newspapers to be mindful as to how they do reporting regarding political events to help our people understand the political dynamics.
In this regard, I think your paper has done exceptionally well. The story in question is your July 4, 2017, edition of the FrontPage news paper’s cover story entitled: “The Veep’s Pick”.
Under this headline, you wrote: “Nimbaians rarely vote for outsiders and some political observers are beginning to fear a backlash if the ruling party candidate does not pick someone from a county already boasting a Chief Justice and one Associate on the Supreme Court bench”.
This phrase of your headline clearly drove the point home. I just do not understand why people who claim to be politicians are not mindful of geopolitical balance. Why do some people think political power of the country should be concentrated in their county or region especially for a country just coming from civil war?
Since the 2005 elections which brought the Unity Party to power the idea of population politics has been introduced. There were times particularly 2005 to 2011; appointments in government were in favor of so-called populated counties or regions to the detriment of so-called least populated counties.
When this divisive political card was being played, outstanding politicians that I admired and held in high esteem over the years were drinking in entertainment centers celebrating this backward policy due to regional solidarity.
Today, this so-called populated region card is being considered to select the running mate for Vice President Joseph Boakai.
It appears the question of competence and integrity for public service has now been subordinated to what region you come from or county. People from so-called populated counties are trooping to the house of VP Boakai to be selected as running mate.
They see it shamelessly as their right to the position. What sort of country we are! The selection of a running mate is the prerogative of the presidential candidate.
It beats my imagination that people running all over the place for their regions or counties to be selected for the VP slot in the name of their big “population”.
Competence and Strong character
The selection of a running mate for any presidential candidate must be based on competence and good character of the individual over the years.
He must have name recognition across the entire country that is not peculiar to his region.
The running mate can be selected in either populated or least populated region provided he is a consensus builder and has demonstrated in his life as a man or woman who is trustworthy.
As a country trying to build a post-war democracy, we must ensure that we take into account geopolitical balance to solidify the gains we achieved for peace and stability.
In the Grebo parlance, it is said: “if you eat, give others chance to also eat”. We are all from one mother Liberia.
This country belongs to all of us. Politicians should see the need to do away with divisive politics. Let’s vote for leaders who can move our country forward other than regional consideration.
Tiswen N. Synyenlentu Sr.
[email protected], 0886544063/0776544063