allAfrica.com: Liberia: Where is Thy Will Power? (Page 1 of 3)

All 22 candidates for the Liberian presidency in 2005 entertained no fantasy that the post-conflict reunification of the Liberian people will be a non-priority or easy.

They knew it would be the platform upon which the nation will grind the ashes of bitterness and hatred that dragged its people into a war of no substance.

Many hooted tcredentials and will powers; but Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf won. Two years later the country appears to still be asunder and former House Speaker Edwin Snowe is passing the buck.

The Analyst Staff Writer sifted his recent interview with FPA and compiled this report.

Former Speaker Edwin Snowe says the Johnson-Sirleaf administration lacks the will power and ability to contain corruption in government and reunite the Liberian people, plus that elements in government are planning a cover-up indictment against him.

These claims of the controversial Montserrado District #5 house representative were contained in the April 10, 2008 interview he reportedly granted to an online Liberian news magazine, FPA.

"I respect President Johnson Sirleaf. I think she's development oriented, I think she means well. She has good international contact; but I think she lacks the ability to reunite Liberia," Rep. Snowe (Independent) reportedly told the FPA.

The Montserrado District #5 representative recalled that he got President Sirleaf's promise prior to her take the gavel of state that there would be no witch-hunting and that the focus of her administration would be to reunite the Liberian people.

"I had a meeting with Mrs. .Johnson Sirleaf. Mrs. Sirleaf said to me, Edwin when I win the elections, my first priority will be a National Conference to reconcile this country. She said I believe Liberia is not reconciled and we must put Liberians back together no matter where you come from. We must reconcile this country. It's three years, there's nothing of such," he said.

Also, according to him, President Sirleaf told him at the time that she would not go after former public officials because it would be very difficult to choose a starting point.

"She said all governments in this country have been corrupt; will I start from Tubman, Tolbert, and Doe? I'm not going to go in the past. What I'm going to do is when I take over; the train is going to start on that day. Anyone caught with corruption in my government or doing any wrong, I'm going to go after you," he reportedly quoted President Sirleaf as saying and then wondered where Liberians were today in terms of those promises.

Rep. Snowe said he described the President's statements at the time as "welcoming statement" since the nation could not move forward if the citizens don't work together as it were in the past.

But then he wondered where were those promises as transitional government officials were being hunted for corruption while corrupt individuals currently in government were allowed to roam scot-free.

"We have left all the corruption walking around Broad Street in this government and said let's go after Gyude Bryant.

Whether is because Gyude Bryant defeated Mrs. Sirleaf in Accra, or the LAP confusion, or Mr. Taylor short changed her, so the Bryant and Taylor people are the targeted citizens today. I don't think it's the right way to proceed," he said.

According to him those who plunged the country into its current mess were the very ones that were being awarded high positions in government and wondered how the country would be reunited under this situation.

"How can we disabuse the minds of Mr. Tolbert and the likes of Mr. Tolbert or those that felt short changed in the process one way or the other either 1980,1990, 2006 or even now?

How can we reconcile? If you look at our government today, take for example Paul Mulbah. Before the President took over, she said Paul Mulbah can never work in my government; but there are people in this government today that their character is times ten of what we thought Paul Mulbah was or is.

"I read on the internet through the same FrontPageAfirca the "war letter" written by the same Harry Greaves to Clarence Simpson who is a key legal adviser to the president today. Dr. Amos Sawyer, he's Chairman of the Governance Reform Commission. Those are people, according to that letter and if that letter is true, those are people who brought and sponsored the war, ok.

"I live each day realizing that those that brought war on our country and to our people that have us today just looking for a college degree that carried our lives backwards are still passing around here free. Yes, you have one of them in The Hague, maybe he shortchanged the others and went on the fast lane, but the co-collaborators are still here.

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