Amid Wave Of Endorsements Of Weah And Boakai For Oct. 14 Presidential Runoff Election
PHOTO: Leymah Gbowee, Nobel Peace Laureat
By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com
One of the two Liberian Nobel Peace laureates, Leymah Gbowee says some Liberian political leaders during this year’s electoral season have been behaving like what she calls, “Clever Devils.”.
A clever devil is an individual, who is very educated, but lacks character and practices politics without principle and regard to the public interests.
She shared the Nobel Peace Prize with former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in 2011 for their roles in ending the Liberian civil war.
Madam Gbowee’s observation comes in the wake as losing candidates in the first round of the October 10, 2023 presidential election, have been endorsing either President George Weah of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) or former Vice President, Joseph Boakai of the main opposition Unity Party (UP).
President George Weah and Former Vice President , Joseph Boakai are the two candidates who are contest in the November 14 presidential run-off election in Liberia.
Speaking in an interview with the VOA’s Day Break Africa, Leymah Gbowee, said some of the politicians lack character, integrity and truth in their conversation and dealing with the Liberian people as she feels for Liberian youths who idolize them
According to her, since the release of the results of the October 10th presidential and legislative elections, politicians have been flapping around as former enemies are becoming political allies.
Some of these political leaders are doing what people who stand for principle will doing some politicians are doing and the rest of the population is watching and seeing what they are doing.
Like some of these political leaders are saying that they have to walk over their mother just to get what they want politically, they will do that while ’ others are saying that they are prepared to dine and dance with the devil just to obtain state power.
“Look around the country now and see what we have as people, one minute this politician is saying what is good and the next minute , the same individual is saying another thing.”
“True leaders will never do some of the things that we are seeing and hearing because there is no integrity and true.”
“Never before that we, in Liberia, have never heard these words from politicians who are supposed to be role model for the young people to follow,” she said; adding: “this is very sad and bad for the ordinary people to hear their leaders saying all sorts of things and when former enemies are becoming friends”
“I do not think that politics should be dirty; politics should be without character, integrity and without true.”
“When we talk about politics is practiced where everyone can find dignity in their lives and I am not saying in different parts of the world that it is clean but some part of the world Like Liberia, it is just disgusting and very, very sad.”
“When you think about the way Liberians have been thrown back and forth, here, there and everywhere, like people will say same bed fellow, the next minutes, we are friends and the next we are enemies, so who do you believe in? and who can you trust? What are the values these politicians are putting out there? And what are the principles?”
According to her, politics is not about losing ‘yourselves’
“Economically, it is one of the contributing factors, but education plays a major role.”
“Most of the time, I definitely believe that our leaders keep the people in object poverty condition because they will usually use the electioneering time to exploit the people.”
She said that she thinks this is the time to start educating the young people and general public that voting is one day and we will live for the many years as a result of the consequences of their votes.
Madam Gbowee stressed the need for more civic education so as to liberate the minds of the people and this is what the international community needs to invest in.
She added that she always continue to stand for the true , integrity and many other things because she has been constant in her advocacy and from 2005 she has never go public with any endorsement and she will remain as such but that does not mean she will not vote.
“When it comes to Liberians and where to vote, we experienced six years of President George Weah and every Liberian knows what these six years have been. And everyone knows the aspiration for their lives in terms of what they want for their children and their future.”
The question to all Liberians is that what do you see? What are your aspirations? What are your experiences in six years? and what do you want for yourselves and your families?
Nobel Peace Laureate Gbowee said they should what they have experienced and that is her take to the Liberian people.