By Linus Aleke, Abuja
The Chairman of the Committee on Political Affairs, Peace, Security and African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), of the Community Parliament of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe Jr. has said that ECOWAS is not a toothless bulldog, as been erroneously insinuated in certain quarters by some commentators.
He also dispels the skewed belief that ECOWAS Election Observation Mission Reports, are often in contrast with other observation missions from Europe and America, arguing that ECOWAS does not monitor elections but observes the process.
This is as he urged the electorates in Bomi County, to vote for the incumbent President, George Weah, during the October 10, Presidential and Legislative elections in the country.
The Leader of the Liberian Delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament made these clarifications at a public forum, in Gbab, Bomi County, which brought together, a large number of youths and other electorates in the County to interface with the President, who is seeking another term of office as the president.
Senator Snowe Jr who represents Bomi County, at the Liberian Parliament said: “You see, some of the mistakes some of us make, ECOWAS does not take part in domestic elections. When ECOWAS says that election is free and fair, what we do is observe the process, we should get it clear. For example, you are here in Bomi and observe the elections, nothing happens, but after you leave someone slaps someone what will you report? Some people are saying ECOWAS cheats. No, we observe the elections, and some people even call ECOWAS a toothless bulldog, no, ECOWAS is not a toothless bulldog”.
He told the forum that Liberia is peaceful today because of the concerted effort of ECOWAS, and that demystifies the notion held by some people that ECOWAS is useless.
READ ALSO: ECOWAS MP decries political intolerance in Liberia
“As we were killing ourselves in this country before the Americans came, it was ECOWAS that came in to intervene,” he recalled.
He further recalled that when rebel forces were cutting peoples’ hands in Sierra Leone, it was ECOWAS that stepped in with ECOMOG to put a stop to such brute force.
“Today ECOWAS has troops in Gambia and Guinea Bissau; we are trying,” he said.
While addressing the forum, he urged the constituents to embrace political tolerance since the whole political contest is a contest of ideas.
