Monrovia – Political campaign officially kicked off in Liberia Monday but the enthusiasm often associated with start of campaign was not felt in the capital, Monrovia.
Report by Lennart Dodoo, [email protected]
A few campaign posters could be seen on walls around the city, however, some political parties like the Movement for Economic Empowerment (MOVEE) of Dr. J. Mills Jones, Alternative National Congress (ANC) of Alexander Cummings, among others are yet to unveil their campaign posters.
At 12:00 A.M Monday morning, there were several youngsters in the streets with piles of posters and bottles of glue pasting posters on walls and buildings. At least FrontPageAfrica witnessed a few of them being posted in the Sinkor area. Liberty Party, Coalition for Democratic Change and All Liberian Party were among the first to get the campaign rolling at midnight.
The Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) headquarters is well-known for being overwhelmed during these periods, however, the premises was scantly occupied Monday despite the sound of loud music to attract partisans.
It is not yet clear when the CDC will launch its campaign, but a confidante of the standard bearer, George Weah, confided to FrontPageAfrica that the party will kick off its activities on August 19.
Unity Party standard bearer, Vice President Joseph Boakai, delivered a campaign statement early Monday morning calling on citizens to see the next two and half months as period for celebrating democracy.
“At times, we agreed on a way forward. Other times, we simply agreed to disagree.”
“Similarly, the participation of different political parties in these elections testifies to the fact that, like every functioning democracy, we represent different perspectives on what is good for our country.”
” It is this freedom of liberty and democracy that allows us to put the needs of the Liberian people first,” he said.
The headquarters of the ALP was also virtually empty upon the visit of FrontPageAfrica on Monday.
A few partisans were, however, seen escorting the political leader in a convoy through Sinkor. Urey is yet to announce a date for the official launch of his campaign.
VOTERS APATHY
Some citizens who spoke with FrontPageAfrica said though campaign is just starting, the spirit is low because many Liberians have learned the deception of politicians during previous campaigns.
“It is too early for us to start making judgment, but trust me, this year’s campaign will not be heated like the 2005 or the 2011 campaign.”
“We are tired of being deceived. These people come and tell us all kinds of stuffs, they fool us, they lie to us and we vote for him. But this year, I’m not wasting my vote on anyone,” Patrick Kollie, a money exchanger in Sinkor told this paper.
David Flomo, a visually impaired told FPA: “We the citizens in this country have the problem. The reason why I say we’ve got the problem is because we’ve got a lot of greedy people who don’t have interest in this country.
“When they go up there and lobby around and they get money to develop this country, they put it in their pocket and carry it back to their family aboard.”
“I always told my friends that we should not mind these people because they do not have an interest in this country. If anything happen here, they will run away and leave you and me here.
“Let me tell you something, I have no interest in them. Because their brothers, their sisters, their children do not live here. They only come to get it from us and go back. The 20 political parties in the race, I have no interest in them.
“The place I am standing now I do not want to vote because I do not want to waste my time to vote.
I registered because I am a citizen. But I don’t want to vote for anyone of them.”
“They always promise and fail. None of them have the disable people on their list, which is why I say they don’t have interest in us; the only thing they have time for is the money they can get from here.”
Felecia Tarr is a resident of Barnesville, she told FrontPageAfrica, “I’ve told my children I don’t want to see them among any political party campaigning. If they go and anything happens to them, they will be responsible for themselves.”
“What have we benefitted from these politicians before we’re going kills ourselves for them? On Election Day, I will decide whether to vote or not to vote, but for now, I’m not sure of who to vote for.”
Some citizens including partisans have called for peaceful campaign.
Simmons B. Wleh of the Movement for Economic Empowerment (MOVEE) said, “We the partisans of MOVEE are ready for this campaign, we are ready to take the election, we are ready to rule Liberia, and we are ready to make Mills Jones take over as the next President of the Republic of Liberia. We want for Liberia to be a country of law and not of men, so I want all the politicians to keep the peace.”
Romeo Famuleh said, “For the fact that we are going for election is a very critical time in our country’s history. We should first of all know that above us it is Liberia and this is the only place that we cannot be deported from.
“We all want to see Liberia become better. If you feel that you are dissatisfied and you go about carrying on electoral violence, what type of Liberia you want to see? That will be your question, but equally so we hope to see transparency. We hope that our election commission and other international partners will work together for Liberia to go into a peaceful election.”
President Sirleaf Calls For Peace
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in a special address to the nation Monday said the 2017 elections will signal our irreversible course on the path of peace and democracy. She noted that this is the first general elections organized by us, conducted by us, and therefore all ours.
She cautioned political actors that as the campaign develops, let us strive to focus our discussion on the bigger issues and challenges of our society.
She challenged political leader to be clear on the kind of country we want for ourselves and posterity and said we must seek to inform and enlighten the electorate, treat each other with respect and clarify choices, while sustaining our electoral environmental free of violence and conflicts.
President Sirleaf said it is within this spirit that on Sunday afternoon, July 30, 2017, she had the pleasure of exchanging views with presidential candidates and other political leaders – representing twenty of the twenty six registered political parties.
She thanked all of them for their active participation and their commitment to the Farmington River Declaration that the majority of them signed on June 4, 2017 in the presence of ECOWAS Heads of State and representatives of the international community.
“We hold them, as political leaders, who seek the highest office of our land to act with dignity and responsibility that benefits the office, to live up to their commitments to ensure violent free elections, to seek mediation when differences pose a threat to the campaign process,” she intimated.
She said she was particularly pleased that the party leaders expressed their confidence in the NEC for the conduct of its functions so far and urged the National Elections Commission to continue to do all within its powers to prepare adequately and operate efficiently and effectively in this campaign phase of the electoral process.
She used the Sunday meeting to remind political player about the need to establish the Hot Line as provided for in the Farmington River Declaration in order to facilitate rapid communication and facilitate prompt preventive action on the part of presidential candidates, the leadership of NEC, the National Security forces and the Mediation Committee.
She concluded by assuring all Liberians that the government under her leadership will do everything to ensure a peaceful environment within which political campaign will be conducted.
She further assured that the administration will mobilize the resources of the state to ensure that all phases of the electoral process, including the campaign phase, are successful and that the Liberian people can once again elect the leaders of their choice.
“I am convinced that after elections, we will regroup as a proud and determined nation to proceed with the development of our country,” she noted.