THE SOONER, THE better, it is often said. To put it the other way around, the delay is dangerous.
UNLESS THE NATIONAL Elections Commission, NEC, the elections governing body of Liberia, acts now, it will be held liable for any elections-related dispute that may erupt during this year’s crucial legislative and presidential elections.
MANY HAILED THE electoral body after it warned all political parties and their supporters against unauthorized campaign activities in the form of billboards, posters, advertisements, and others that have a semblance of a political campaign ahead of the official date for the commencement of campaign activities.
DESPITE THE ELECTORAL commission’s warning we have begun to notice in some major streets and communities campaign billboards and posters inscribed on them not only the faces of aspirants, but also campaign messages.
SOME OF THESE campaign billboards and posters are in the vicinity of the elections governing body, but its officials or commissioners remain mute.
A CASE IN point are the giant campaign billboards of incumbent President, George Weah, that have littered several parts of Monrovia, even near the door stairs of the National Elections Commission on 9th Street in Sinkor and others also on Capitol Hill where the National Legislature is situated, but NEC is yet to utter a word.
THE SIGHT OF these campaign billboards bearing the portraits of President Weah with a campaign message such as ‘Weah 2023’ and the muteness of the electoral body has already drawn the attention of opposition politicians, including Alternative National Congress, ANC’s political leader, Alexander Cummings and President Weah’s bitter critic and Montserrado District-10 Representative in the Legislature, Yekeh Kolubah.
APPARENTLY ANNOYED BY NEC’s silence and inaction, Representative Kolubah on Tuesday raised eyebrows when he drove on the premises of the Capitol Building in a pickup two separate giant size billboards of Unity Party’s political leader and presidential hopeful, Joseph Boakai and ANC’s leader and presidential hopeful, Alexander Cummings.
INSCRIBED ON ONE of the billboards are the words: Hon. Yekeh Kolubaha says Cummings 2023. Change: we can trust Alexander Cummings. Similar campaign messages are also inscribed on the Boakai’s billboard.
AS IF TO send a message to his colleagues in the Legislature, Kolubah has erected both billboards on the grounds of the Capitol Building.
IT IS LIKELY that NEC’s muteness may also provoke other opposition politicians and aspirants to begin erecting campaign billboards around the Country.
THIS IS WHY we foresee an imminent crisis ahead of October’s presidential and legislative elections if the National Elections Commission does not intervene now, or be blamed for any elections-related conflict or violence that may engulf the electoral process.
LIKE ANY OTHER competition, there are rules and guidelines governing all electoral processes and it is incumbent on NEC to compel all stakeholders to play by the rules.
PREVENTION IS BETTER than cure. Besides, delay is dangerous. The sooner it acts, the peaceful the elections will be. A hint to a wise, is quite sufficient.
