Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan

Providence has gathered us here today in order for us to participate in an event that the chroniclers of today and tomorrow will never forget if they are to do justice to the History of our great country. We have come to launch an organization that intends to positively shape the history of Liberia. Yes, we have to launch the Youths for Ellen’s Presidency (YEP).

The YEP was conceived some eight weeks ago by a group of young Liberians who became intensely concerned about the future of Liberia post October 11, 2005 and about the need to guide the voting behavior of the Liberian people, especially the youths who constitute a critical mass of registered voters. The founding fathers of the organization include your humble servant, Mr. Steve F. Paye, Mr. James Hallowanger, Mr. Alex Blamo, Mohammed Ali, Ms. Decontee King, Ms. Christline Berry, etc.

YEP is a mass-based movement of young people from diverse political, religious, economic, and social backgrounds behind the presidential candidacy of Madam Sirleaf. One does not have to be a member of UP to be a member of YEP. As a matter of fact, our membership cuts across the 30 political parities and includes those who have never been members of political parties. Before we settled on Madam EJS, we did a rigorous and meticulous analysis of the overly crowded presidential race and used the following criteria to zero down on a single candidate: competence, experience, education, integrity, love for the country and its people, international contacts, etc. Indeed candidates scored different grades in these different areas of assessment. Some made very high marks in one area and low marks in other areas. And as is done in schools, we then found the cumulative average of the array of candidates and juxtaposed the averages in order to determine whom we will lend our support to in the October 11, 2005. Ladies and Gentlemen, we are pleased to announce that Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf topped the list of candidates in terms of cumulative presidential leadership average, hence our massive support.

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me state that Madam Sirleaf’s ascendancy to the presidency is an inescapable judgment of History and nothing can reverse this grand historic march. The Liberian people can no longer afford to be led by half-baked, terribly corrupt, and dictatorial leaders. The Liberian people can no longer tolerate the excruciating effects of bad governance; they want a reversal of their dismal financial situations; they want to make pays that will take them home; they want the restoration of social services – water and electricity; they want paved roads; they want their children to leave the waywardness of the streets to the productiveness of the classroom; they want their dear Mama Liberia to be respected by other nations. They want prosperity. And that’s why they want Madam EJS, a drum major for good governance, transparency, justice and fairplay.

Ladies and Gentlemen, support for the candidacy of Madam Sirleaf has gained steam across the country and this groundswell of popular support has begun to put jitters in the systems of some presidential contenders, some of whom have now stooped so low that they are now engaging in gutter politics and the propagation of outright lies in a desperate attempt to be President. Cllr. Sherman and his COTOL are now saying that the Liberian people should not elect Madam Sirleaf because she has enemies who will fight back. By this statement, Cllr. Sherman implies that he does not have enemies – he is whiter than whiteness and more immaculate than Jesus Christ who, despite being the epitome of virtues, was crucified by a host of enemies. Cllr. Sherman forgets to know that in a country where corruption is going through the roof, where a domineering dictator suffocates freedom of speech, muzzles the press, rigs elections, and where a few live in paradise while the majority of the people live in penury, men and women of good conscience cannot afford to be neutral for fear of making enemies. They must make enemies in order to right the wrongs and put the country on the right track, for Martin Luther King rightly says that passive acceptance of evil is equivalent to an endorsement of evil, and as John Bunyan says, “In a country where people are imprisoned unjustly, the right place for a just man is the prison.”

Now Cllr. Sherman says that he does not have enemies, but can he make such a statement among Bong Mines Workers, the down-trodden Firestone workers, the many parties litigant against whom he has won cases. Can we now say, Don’t vote Cllr. Sherman because the Bong Mines Workers, the Firestone Workers and those who have lost of hundreds of thousands of dollars and probably millions of dollars in cases won by Sherman will bring war because their “enemy” has ascended to the presidency.? What a naivete!

And again he says, “Don’t vote for people who participated in wars because they have enemies who will fight back.” Now our question to Cllr. Sherman is, Who is your senatorial candidate for Nimba? Is he a priest? Doesn’t he have enemies? How can you ask the good people of Nimba to vote for a former INPFL and NPFL General and at the same time say don’t vote for people who participated in the war? This is a classic example of political chicanery and treachery and speaks volumes of the political character of the man Sherman.

Ladies and Gentlemen, before I take my seat, I will want to remind the Liberian people that October 11 is the eleventh hour for Liberia. We have repeatedly failed our tests, and Providence and the international community have given us the last make-up test. We ewill either make or break our country by the decision we make October 11th. Liberia will either progress or retrogress by the way we vote. In essence, we Liberians have embarked on a journey and on this flight we need our best pilot – some may have problem with the pilot’s height, complexion, accent, race, etc., but the best pilot is the person who can safely pilot this jetliner called Liberia to the land of prosperity. If out of emotion, we chose a carpenter as our pilot, this jetliner called Liberia will crash and we all will bear the horrible consequences. Madam Sirleaf is our best pilot at this point in time. And as we say in YEP, we know the rest; now let’s try the best – Ellen!!!!

God Bless Us All and Save the Nation!