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House
of shame: Nothing surprises me anymore
Saturday,
January 14, 2006
By Tewroh-Wehtoe Sungbeh
Politics in
Liberia can be a strange and interesting phenomenon.
It is corrupt, it is mean, it is nasty, and it can be
violent. With the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf era about to
begin, there is that sense of expectancy that the
president-elect will work much harder to bring the
changes that are long overdue.
Interestingly, two months after Ellen Johnson
Sirleaf was elected president, and a week before her
inauguration as Liberia’s 22nd, 23rd
or 24th president, (depending on which
historian one is listening to), Liberians are still
sorting out what really went wrong now, and how can a
notoriously corrupt fellow like independent candidate
Edwin M. Snowe Jr., slip through the cracks to sail
through his latest victory as Speaker-elect of the
Liberian House of Representatives.
Just ask the locals about the Liberian
elections and they have a lot to say about who did
what, why, where and how, and will reveal some of the
things they experienced during the elections when just
about every Dick, Tom and Harry wanted to be either
something or president of Liberia.
Edwin M. Snowe Jr., became the something he
always wanted to be despite the fact that he has a
baggage, and did not take into consideration the idea
that international prosecutors are watching his every
move, which would have discouraged a normal person
from trying his or her hands into that which would
bring them unwarranted attention.
Snowe, the former son-in-law of the deposed
former president, Charles Taylor, gambled by
campaigning to be Speaker of the House of
Representatives months after he won a congressional
seat many believed he shouldn’t have campaigned for
in the first place.
When his critics turned the heat on him, Snowe
threatened to resign from his newly elected position
as a member of the political body he wanted to lead,
if his accusers can corroborate any links he has with
Charles Taylor.
If there is any evidence that he has any links
with the former president who is wanted by the
international war crimes court in Freetown, Sierra
Leone, it is reported, he is “prepared to quit that
august body.”
Speaker-elect Edwin M.
Snowe
Rep-elect Dusty Wolokollie
Snowe, the “political magician,” “wonder
boy” and “come back kid” did not quit his post
as suggested, and did not wait for the charges to be
corroborated, but worked the same magic he performed
in November by convincing a segment of the population
to vote for him.
He did convinced those Liberians that he’s
not the corrupt figure some believed him to be, and
was shrewd enough to drive away his House colleague,
Dusty Wollokollie, whom he beat decisively by a
whopping 48-13 victory margin.
If he were to be sworn in on January 16, Snowe
would be the third most powerful political leader in
the country next to the president and the vice
president. And that’s scary.
Dusty Wollokollie, the former student and
party leader who ran to be Speaker overplayed his cards
with his singular focus on Snowe’s shady past as if
he Dusty is without sin also.
Dusty demonized Snowe throughout the campaign
and failed to convince his colleagues why he’s the
better candidate than the guy he was constantly
attacking.
I read one report in which the former Mrs.
Dusty Wolokollie came out in defense of her ex by
questioning the competence of Snowe, as if her former
husband is the better choice in a race that will
ultimately define the direction of Liberia throughout
Ellen’s six-year tenure.
By losing a House race he Dusty should have won
clearly exposed him, and truly shows the so-called
popularity and “competence” of Wolokollie, whom I
think is the most overrated politician in Liberia
today; and he certainly is not the most experienced of the two
candidates his supporters want us to believe he is because
of his involvement in politics for such a long time.
It is not difficult to measure Dusty’s
experience and his political accomplishments as a
leader, because he was never an inspiring and
outstanding leader in college.
According to his former college colleagues,
Dusty, the student leader did not leave a visible and
positive legacy admired by those around. Wolokollie cannot say he’s any of that on the
national level either.
Because like many others during his college
days, Wolokollie jumped on the bandwagon, followed the
master plan and echoed the political sentiments of his
day like he was programmed to do.
As an opposition political leader of The
Liberian People’s Party, Dusty jumped ship to Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf’s Unity Party many times during
national elections without ever thinking of the
consequences his actions would have on his fellow
partisans, his candidates and his party.
As a result of Dusty’s unstable political
nature, his abilities as a leader, his commitments,
his principles and his politics were always
questionable and under attack by those who viewed him
as a corrupt and opportunistic individual who will use
others to achieve his selfish political objectives.
And if his controversial tenure as chairman of
the political party he abandoned so many times to
chase his political dream on the other side of the
aisle is the barometer that measures his
accomplishments, than we are in for a long ride.
I don’t trust Dusty Wolokollie’s politics,
and I am not a fan of Edwin Snow either. I think both
men are the worst that has happened to the republic
since the civil wars that destroyed the nation.
Snowe’s record as a former managing director
of the Liberian Petroleum Refinery Corporation where
he cannot account for $30m, and the Liberian Football
Association are too tainted for him to lead anything.
Snowe also cannot travel out of the country to
forge alliances and use his incredible political clout
to negotiate for Liberia because of
the UN travel ban. So how can a key political figure and a
would-be Speaker govern effectively when international
prosecutors have him in their bull’s eyes?
During his tenure at LPRC, that corporation
lost over half a million dollars because of chronic
corruption and incompetence. So why will anyone elect
this guy in the face of mounting allegations without
even looking into the matter?
What’s wrong with George Weah’s Congress
for Democratic Change political party? Why didn’t
his party members campaign for the office of Speaker
in the first place?
With Mr. Weah’s party victories and
sizeable lead in the House of Representatives, isn’t
it obvious that the party in the majority would occupy
the position of Speaker? Are these guys ignoring
political precedents and political realities?
Edwin M. Snowe Jr., has given new meaning to
what it is to be a Teflon candidate, and a hated
leader whose political savvy, political connections
and street smarts elevated him to the epicenter of
power.
With two brutal and successful political
campaigns behind him, Edwin Snowe has proven that he
is a candidate who can take the heat no matter where
that particular heat is coming from.
By displaying such toughness under fire, Snowe
sent a resounding message to the politicians
positioning themselves for the 2012 presidential race
that he will be a formidable presence on that day.
If he is clear from his international
troubles by that time, I am sure Liberians will pay
attention to Snowe the same way they paid attention to
him in the 2005 general election and the 2006 election
for Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Meanwhile, Speaker-elect Edwin M. Snowe Jr.,
who cannot travel out of Liberia because of the UN
travel ban, must now get with the world body to work
out a solution to end the crisis, serve his prison
term, or resign his seat to save the nation any more
embarrassment.
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