An opinion by John H.T. Stewart
To all me Sa Lone man dem, all me Sa Lone bra dem, all me Salone mammy dem, grannie dem, pa dem, dreg man dem, savice man dem, rar ray man dem. Una for hearee me well.
This is a warning to all my Sierra Leonean and Liberian compatriots.
According to informed sources, a deal has been struck between Senator Edwin Snowe, member of the ECOWAS Parliament, the current Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament and other higher ups in Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Informed sources also allege that the current Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, a Sierra Leonean by nationality, attended school in Liberia and is a graduate of the Cuttington University College.
Since becoming a member of the ECOWAS Parliament, he has allegedly forged a strong friendship with Senator Snowe who is currently representing Liberia in the ECOWAS Parliament.
Incidentally, he (Snowe) will form part of the ECOWAS delegation to monitor the Sierra Leonean elections due in a few days from now.
And according to informed sources, there are plans afoot to rig the Sierra Leonean elections and Snowe, according to informed sources, acting in concert with others will give a clean bill of health to the elections results being fully aware that those results are fraudulent.
Informed sources say it is a “scratch my back, I scratch your back” arrangement wherein the current speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament will render the same favor to Senator Snowe for and on behalf of the CDC. Sources further say there are massive plans afoot to rig the October 10 elections.
It must not be forgotten that it was Charles Taylor’s NPFL rebel forces acting in concert with a local stooge and surrogate, Foday Sankoh that invaded Sierra Leone in 1991 and laid waste to that country, wrecked its economy killed and maimed thousands, forcibly displaced thousands also and forcibly exiled several thousand others.
Senator Edwin Snowe, according to informed sources was a fighter of the NPFL and a strong Taylor loyalist although it is unclear whether he formed part of the NPFL invading force that went into Sierra Leone.
And lest we forget, rigged elections in Sierra Leone has implications for security and stability in Liberia and vice versa. We recall the 1985 elections in Liberia whose results were stolen by the military incumbent Samuel Doe.
Only a month later, following the elections, on November 12, 1985 former AFL Commanding General Thomas and his group invaded Liberia from Sierra Leone.
The short-lived rebellion was crushed and bloody reprisals followed against Quiwonkpa and his ethnic kinsmen which sent thousands across the border into the Ivory Coast from where they would regroup later to launch an invasion of Liberia. The rest is history.
ECOWAS needs to take a serious look into this matter and act to nip it in the bud should these reports prove to be of any substance. This country and subregion especially Liberia and Sierra Leone have suffered immensely from the consequences of rigged or flawed elections.
There are those who profit from war and conflict and me no mistake about it, Edwin Snowe is one of them. As for Sierra Leone, President Julius Maada Bio only needs to be reminded of the horror and carnage of his own country’s civil war in which he fought as a soldier as well as the horror, carnage and suffering he witnessed in Liberia as a member of the ECOWAS Peace Keeping Force, ECOMOG.
Sierra Leoneans, Liberians beware for where there is smoke there is fire.
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