Recently the London Times Online predicted that the upcoming Presidential race in Liberia will come down to two contestants, those being Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and George Oppong Weah. The pronouncement was further reported on The Perspective published online from Atlanta, GA, USA last week. I respond to this assertion as one that is unfounded and irresponsible, especially as the campaign period has yet to even begin.

This upcoming election in Liberia is one of profound significance for the people of this devastated country. Due to years of mismanagement and shear neglect by the ruling elite, the people of this country are so far behind many of the world’s nations in terms of economic empowerment, education, health care, infrastructure and just plain decency in living conditions that the stakes on the outcome of this election are monumental.

The people of Liberia are yearning for a leader that is well prepared, educated, and not carrying the baggage of years past. There is but one candidate that fits this mold. It would be beholden of the international media to explore what the people are saying about these proclaimed candidates before making assertions of who will be the front runner(s), let alone who will win.

I realize there are numerous declared, and now certified, candidates in the upcoming presidential election, and I also know what the people of Liberia are saying with regard to who they want in the executive mansion. No more should Liberian elections be determined in Monrovia. The United Nations and the international community have done an enormous and very successful job at registering voters throughout the country, and I am confident they will succeed in securing the votes fairly of all these registered voters.

The time has come where the voices of the people will be heard in numbers, and it is time that the world media hear what they are saying. There is no place for recycled politicians whose very mantra has been promised before and never realized. It is those very promises that are driving the Liberian people to the voting booth to show that no more will they be subjected to the “elite” who only make promises and never deliver.

As I mentioned above, there is but one candidate that meet the expectations and hopes for the future of the Liberian people. That candidate is Dr. Joseph M. Woah-Tee, Standard Bearer of the Labor Party of Liberia. Presidential candidate Woah-Tee is well educated, a humanitarian in his own right, and the most prepared to win the October 11 election.