By Moses D. Sandy then
NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE, USA – Liberia’s former Minister of Internal Affair, Morris Momolu Dukuly, Sr, is urging former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to stop the divisive politics and abstain from meddling in who becomes the country’s next president.
Mr. Dukuly, who also, served in the Unity Party (UP) led administration as Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, said, “As Liberians, we can’t have one person determining the leadership of our country”. He continued, “Mrs. Johnson-Sirleaf should give other people the opportunity to freely and democratically decide, who they want as their next president”.
He said the former President must not use international connections, political strength and leverage, and what he called “cash violence” to decide, who becomes president of Liberia. He said even though the former President has the constitutional right to support any candidate of her choice for the presidency, she must eschew acts that tend to brazenly undermine the candidacy of former Vice President Joseph Boakai.
He recalled, “She did similar thing in 2017 when she openly endorsed then the candidacies of President Weah and Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor”. He said the former President’s action contributed hugely to the loss the former Vice President suffered that year. Mr. Boakai is UP’s Standard Bearer. He is one of the 20 presidential hopefuls the National Elections (NEC) has qualified for participation in the October 10, 2023, general and Presidential elections. He served as Vice President to Mrs. Sirleaf in the UP-led administration for 12 years beginning 2005 through 2017.
Former Minister Dukuly, who is also, an ex-Speaker of the erstwhile National Transitional Legislative Assembly (NTLA), spoke recently in the US when he appeared virtually as a special guest in The Issues Room, a social media platform owned and operated by a group of US based Liberian journalists. He said Liberians gave the former President 12 years of their lives to lead Liberia, and she must desist from acts that have the propensity of infringing on their constitutional rights.
Meanwhile, the former Internal Affairs Minister, has endorsed the candidacy of former Vice President Boakai for the Liberian presidency. He said after a sober reflection, he and his supporters, especially the people of Bomi County, have decided to support Mr. Boakai’s presidential bid, because he has all of the attributes of a true statesman. He maintained, “The former Vice President will make a good president if elected, because he is a decent man. Also, he is experienced and honest”. Moreover, he said the former Vice President is neither clannish nor tribalist, and he believes in collaboration and consultation.
At the same time, former Speaker Dukuly has described the 2023 general and presidential elections as consequential because Liberia is at a crossroads, or critical juncture. He emphasized, “I hope the NEC and the national security apparatus would be vigilant in making sure that the people cast their votes, and their votes are counted because anything short of that might lead to consequences that we don’t want. Liberians have suffered too much to have another conflict”.
He said Liberian voters are aware that the presidential election will produce one winner, but the NEC and all actors involved with the electoral process must make sure that whoever wins the election, does so fairly. Former Minister Dukuly reminder Liberians and the various candidates that money doesn’t win elections because the people are not stupid. He maintained, “Having the resources of the country doesn’t give a candidate the people’s vote”.
