Monrovia – Rep. Edwin Melvin Snowe(Unity Party, Bomi County) has commended the opposition Alternative National Congress for its rejection of a Weah-Step Down Protest being planned for December 31.
In a statement Sunday, the Bomi County lawmaker said the ANC’s position signals a sign of a maturing opposition. “This is how responsible and patriotic opposition should sound. Any dissatisfaction of your government should be expressed at the polls and not by unconstitutionally using your citizens to satisfy your greed for unconstitutional power.”
Rep. Snowe says he agrees with the ANC that the planned protest is a “wrong move” for Liberia at this point in time.
The ANC on Sunday described the planned protests as undemocratic and unconstitutional. “The “Weah Step Down” protest, intended to use mass pressure for the sole purpose of effecting regime change and seeking the removal of a constitutionally elected president, is unconstitutional, undemocratic, and repugnant to Liberia’s desire for sustainable peace and democracy through competitive electoral politics. It was wrong then with the Ellen Step Down Campaign and it is wrong now,” the party said in a statement Sunday.
Any dissatisfaction of your government should be expressed at the polls and not by unconstitutionally using your citizens to satisfy your greed for unconstitutional power.”
Rep Edwin Melvin Snowe
Rep. Snowe, who is a ranking member of Liberia’s representation at ECOWAS, said the days of seizing power outside the democratic norms are over. “one is the days in all ECOWAS Member States for any person of group of people to think you can take power through the back doors or to setup any so-called interim government.”
The lawmaker is the second high-profile member of the legislative branch to reject the December 31st planned protest.
Last week, Senator Sando Johnson(NPP, Bomi) who was a staunch supporter of the June 7 Save-the-State protest said he was against calls for President Weah to step down.
Speaking on Prime FM radio last week, Senator Johnson recalled that the bloody civil war raped mothers and sisters and killed scores of Liberians while forcing many into exile. “We went through long civil crisis in this country. You know exactly what happened to us here; our mothers, our sisters were raped and killed in the bushes, even in the cities. Do we want recurrence of those ugly past? I will say no!,” Senator Johnson averred.
The Weah step down campaign is being planned by the Council of Patriots (COP), organizers of the June 7, 2019 protest against the Weah government.
Senator Johnson, like the ANC said he is not against protests, just now one calling for President Weah to step down. “I’m not condemning them(COP); they are Liberians. They have the right to peacefully assemble, but not to say the government must step aside. Because, then you don’t have feeling for the people because it will be chaotic.”
People will die, properties will be destroyed, no good leader will want that to happen,” he argues. “For the sake of peace, for the sake of Mama Liberia, they should abandon the December 31 step down campaign,” the Senator said.