With Ekena Nyankun Juahgbe-Droh Wesley
Darby
Delaware County, PA
+16107650305
Email: wes.critic@gmail.com
Critics, especially wishful thinkers, never run out of short supply in any political theatre. Surely, the small West African nation is no exception. Such is our intricating human complexity as it were. There’s no doubt that any two human beings are never the same – whether identical or fraternal twins.
We have made an unimaginably unprecedented progress in our infant democracy. It all came at the expense of the blood, sweat, toil and tears of courageous forebears interred in pursuit of the struggle and resilient activists still aggressively footstooling for greater equality, freedom and participation.
The country’s National Elections Commission had officially announced the winner of Liberia’s November 14 runoff. NEC, outside of any constitutional stipulation but consistent with its adopted Timetable, fixed a date for certification of victorious proponents of the October polls cum November runoff.
In the meantime, President-elect Joe Boakai was out of the country attending pressing national issues. National issues? Whoever chooses to second guess, is at liberty to do so. But Boakai does not need anyone’s approbation after all. The reeling of democracy is more often than not perplexing.
As commonplace, naysayers jumped on the bandwagon amid the craze of some kind of pseudo bombshell and unfounded claims. What manner of bombshell that never was, folks? During Liberia’s frosty campaign, ‘bombshell prophets’ were seen running amok with an avalanche of empty dossiers. Such are the trappings of perpetrators of wishful constructs frivolously consumed by little minds.
Against the background of perceived bombshell to dissuade the population, versus the fate or status of President-elect Joseph Boakai’s health, what kind of hallucinating cum grotesque “Bussy Quarter” medical personnel had unscientifically analyzed some data – when the majority of Liberians voted for him.
Joseph Nyuma Baokai’s post-elections visit to the United States immediately after the runoff – saw the propagandistic mobilization of mainly CDCians with a view to clumsily interpret the intent and purposes of a visit they were neither privy to nor familiar with.
For the majority of Liberians who voted for Joe Boakai, perceived speculations about his health and age made no sense. They often heralded: “We agree! Da Boakai we want!” They remain unperturbed and unbothered by shenanigans emanating from intellectually uncircumcised critics.
The elections governing body in Liberia, NEC could neither impose any fine nor reprimand President-elect Joe Boakai simply because he was out of the country for a date already previously scheduled by NEC. More so, Boakai and his Vice President-elect were not in error whatsoever! NEC’s date of certification was never cast in stone! Boakai’s Unity Party (UP) had communicated with NEC rescheduling the certification process. That’s precisely what civilized institutions ought to do.
Amid the diluted brouhaha created by naysayers, President-elect Joseph Nyuma Baokai returned to the country following a successful visit to the United States. On Wednesday, December 27, 2023, the National Elections Commission, performed the certification of President-elect, Joseph Boakai and Vice President-elect, Jeremiah Koung respectively – in keeping with the letter and spirit of the Commission’s statutory responsibility.
With the certification process now a matter of history, what’s the next move of naysayers? Lest we forget, the bombshell became a complete fiasco amid a resolved and determined people. Boakai and Koung’s supporters continue unabated in their smartly carved campaign rhetoric: “We agree! Da Boakai we want!” In the words of comrade Macon B. Garway, they’re not naysayers but buffoons. Huh!
