PHOTO: Former Minister Brownie Samukai
By Mark Mengonfia, mmenginfia@gmail.com
Liberia’s National Election Commission (NEC) says COVID-19 is the reason for the postponement of the 2020 senatorial election, but former Defense Minister, Brownie Samukai has dismissed it as a poor excuse.
Samukai was on March 24, 2020 convicted of corruption by the Criminal Court ‘C’, but his Lawyers have given exception to the judgement and appealed to the Supreme Court.
The longest serving cabinet Minister in the former Ellen Johnson Sirleaf government during her 12-year rule, the former Minister and two of his former top officials were convicted of misappropriating some US$1.3 million. His leadership of the Armed Forces of Liberia had received huge amounts for the AFL’s Compulsory Contributing Fund, which the Government of Liberia had sent to the Ecobank Liberia, Ltd.
Appearing on Truth FM on Monday, June 1, 220, the former Defense Minister said that COVID-19 pandemic should be no reason for the delay of the election on grounds that preparations should have been made long time before the outbreak of the pandemic.
He said that there were conditions Liberian faced during the Ebola but it didn’t in anyway stop the election.
Referencing the 2014 Ebola outbreak, Samukai said “During the Ebola crisis, people called on president Sirleaf to postpone the election and she said no”.
According to him, the NEC should have started the public awareness and other preparations since 2019, long before the outbreak of the December 2019 Coronavirus, but said the government did not provide the money for said projects.
The former Liberian Defense Minister indicated that leadership of the NEC since presented all projections, facts that needed to be in place for the conduct of the election.
According to Mr. Samukai, the National Election Commission has projected 17 millions United States dollars to conduct the October 2020 Senatorial election, but said the Liberian government failed to provide the funding.
He said if what was projected by the NEC were adhered to and all the earliest preparations made, lazy accuses being placed at the feet of the COVID-19 wouldn’t have been made.
Mr. Samukai said he is not against the postponement of the election to December of this year, but said he doesn’t agree with the excuse that the COVID-19 is the reason for the postponement.
The former Liberian Defense Minister said there are some things that are time banding and if not handled on time, serious problems arose because of said breakdown in timing.
“If the government of Liberia does not have the money to run the the election, let them say it and Liberians will support it.”
“We have not prepared for this election.” Mr. Samukai added.
Another point raised by former Defense Minister also called for a fresh registration or update of the national voters roll.
He said people who were 17 years of age close to voting age need to get the opportunity to vote in the upcoming.
“We should not disenfranchised people because of administrative mistakes,” Mr. Samukai indicated.
Liberia should have in October of this year conduct an election which should have ushered in a new breed of Liberian Senators, but the COVID-19 is now being used as an excuse to postpone the process including the already delayed National census which itself had been postponed many years.
If the COVID-19 excuse is granted as requested by the government and NEC, it means that the Senatorial election will be held in December and by extension hampers the Liberian Constitution that speaks to conduct of elections in Liberia and provisions in the Liberian Constitution that speak to seating of the Liberian Legislature in January of each year.