In my thinking thoughts, I considered recent confusion generated by claims and counter claims regarding Liberians who are holders of American passports. Overtime, it has been alleged that these citizens of the United States of America, instead of fronting for political positions in their country, have surged on Liberia and qualified by the National Elections Commission (NEC) to vie for presidential and legislative seats. While focus is on American passports, there is another group who are “green card” holders in possession of US and Liberian voting cards; they are either in government, or in the race. Suffice these claims to be true, it can be safely declared that these people have “Dry Face”; they are shameless, and brave enough to infiltrate the leaky NEC elections system and bamboozle our sovereign nation.

Dry Face Makes Pig Fat
In Liberian parlance, “dry face” means for one to put all shame face aside, be brave,  and try his luck to achieve something knowing it could be wrong or impossible, with equally slim assurances of success and failure. If you play dry face and fail, fine; if you succeed, you enjoy and live well. We have a cliché in Liberia which says, “Dry face makes pig fat”

You see, pigs can eat anything that other human beings and animals would not readily consume because they have shame face or are selective. For pigs, they will not even taste see if it is good or bad, whether nasty or juicy; their mouths make the determination and as they chop with unbelievable zeal. Some of the things we say are bad or nasty that we cannot eat, before your very eyes, pigs can wrap (eat them); so we say dry face makes pig fat because he eats anything at anytime, in the presence of anybody just to survive. Some human beings like pigs, have also applied “dry face” to survive in their lives.

Back in the days when boys were boys, some of our friends had God Ma’s. These were older ladies who were either widows or wives who chose to cheat on their husbands using more potent and stronger young boys. Those of our friends who had God Mas usually mocked us saying we were suffering because we did not have “Dry Face” to approach older ladies who were our mothers’ ages.

You see, the God ma would be your girl friend and would take care of your financial and subsistence issues including your school fees, clothing and food. When the husband was around, you would keep low profile, but when he was away, you “played dry face” and took over your God ma who was your mother’s age, as if you were her equal. “Pekin, that old ma correct” you would boast to others. Because those friends ate on time and were satisfied, they look more prosperous and healthier than us with our boney faces and flat stomachs almost hitching to our spinal cords from hunger. When we attempted to mock them for being shameless and brave to venture into a love relationship with women of their mothers’ ages, they simply replied, “My man, dry face makes pig fat”

It is this same “dry face” that people who know very well they are American citizens and are foreigners may be venturing into our elections even at the point of wanting to be “President” Lord have mercy!!

American Passport Dry Face Issues
The issue of people holding American passports and vying to govern Liberia is a grave issue that is usually watered down. You see in Liberia, there is a something called the “two-week morale” whereby we make noise over an issue for two weeks and later forget about it.

Few days ago, a group in support of Unity Party (UP) standard bearer Hon. Boaikai announced to the whole world that Senator George Oppong Weah is a US citizen and in possession of an American passport. After a rebuttal from a Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) stalwart, much has not been heard about that allegation and sooner or later it would be watered down and forgotten. If it is true that Oppong indeed holds an American passport and wins anyway, our country would be ruled by a foreigner and that would be serious “Dry Face” victory declared on October 11 or thereabout.

Before the Oppong issue, another group claimed the standard bearer of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) Alex Cummings is a US citizen having lived and worked so long in the USA. No court action was taken but overtime Cummings was certified by the NEC and confirmed by the Supreme Court as eligible to be President of the Republic of Liberia. If Cummings wins, and if he is actually an American passport holder, a foreigner would be inaugurated as “Dry Face” President in January 2018.

Few months ago, it was reported that the Chairman of the National Elections Commission, (NEC) Jerome Kokoyah, is an American citizen. After two weeks, the case died as usual and we do not hear anything about it again. If per se it is true that Hon. Kokoyah holds a US passport, it would mean that our elections are being managed by a foreigner. That kind of “Dry Face” would be an opportunistic audacity that Hon. Kokoyah would be applying. Don’t we have qualified and trustworthy Liberians to manage our own elections affairs and have to bring in a foreigner? This is opportunistic Dry Face.
In the last elections of 2011, a candidate who was contesting with Hon. Edith Gongloe-Weh for a Nimba County seat was said to be in possession of an American passport. Surprisingly, the gentleman won Edith while it was surprisingly disclosed that Edith herself was “half citizen” or was in possession of a “Green Card” and was a Permanent Resident of the United States of America fronting to sit as a law maker in Liberia, West Africa…You legally living in America but you fighting to rule people in Liberia. Ayy, ay yah “Dry Face”

Edwin Snowe Green Car Dry Face Issues
For the sake of the layman, a “Green Card” is like an ID card that the United States government awards applicants who have legal statuses. For example if you won the DV, you were automatically qualified as a permanent resident of the United States; some people who have other forms of legal immigrant statuses are issued green cards. You address in this doggone underdeveloped Liberia is not permanent anymore because you have now become a legal “Permanent Resident” of the United States of America with all benefits appertaining. After holding the Green Card for six years, you can apply for citizenship and receive it on silver platter.

However, if you left your residence in your well developed America, and came to this underdeveloped Liberia to front for positions and took a job to take care of your issues in the America where you are legally domiciled, “you really get dry face” like Edwin Snowe who will soon take over a Bomi County seat while he is still “domiciled” in Montserrado county and representing a Montserrado District, based on the “Domicile” clause. You will agree, green card holders are no different from the dry face that Edwin Snowe is playing on the people of Bomi County, and no different from the people who are US citizens but playing real day light dry face and want to be President. That kind of dry face I would brand “Edwin Snowe domicile Dry Face”

Leaky NEC Elections Terrain
For the sake of being civil, I am hesitant to say the National Elections Commission (NEC) is weak; I would rather say it is leaky, for it has its own strengths. Do you remember how it denied poor Abu Kamara and approved other people for the same reason and nobody did anything? Karnwea went to court and had lawyers but I did not see Cummings and Mills Jones who also had “desires” in court.  So the NEC has its own muscles it can flex.  

But I can say without equivocation that the NEC is a leaky system where cunning politicians have applied their chicaneries and shenanigans to escape the standards set, avoid the regulations and have their names and photos on ballot papers. NEC does not appear to be doing due diligence and depending on whistle blowers to do its work. That is why we would inaugurate an American President on January 6, 2018. May God help our dear Liberia.

Just a day ago, the NEC was fined US$500 by the Supreme Court for being in error. Imagine the extent to which that US$500 error has damaged somebody else’s whole future. Imagine the damage that would be caused by other errors that are going unnoticed and would be awarding imposters, inept and ineligible people at high positions to the disadvantage of those who are truly deserving. NEC is a leaky system because some people with green cards and US passports are said to be in possession of voting cards, or maybe the law does not bar “half citizens” The NEC is leaky because it could not even successfully complete the voters’ verification and left many people’s fate in limbo. NEC is so leaky that it is unable to do due diligence before certificating candidates. Initially its registrars could not even spell “Daniel” and placed “e” before the “I” in Daniel. In spite of its leakage, the NEC also played dry face and has printed ballots and declared everything on course, and Liberians will vote on October 10, 2017. The dry face that the alleged US citizen Kokoyah is playing is really an “opportunistic dry face”. You the readers may define this yourselves.

Audaciously Bamboozled Liberia
If per se all of the instances of people holding US passports and being passed by the NEC are true, I am sorry to say this nation, this small West African nation which used to be the bastion and mainstay of peace and tranquility, has been “bamboozled”

To be audacious is to be brave, with dry face, may I add, and to bamboozle means to deceive, to con, to dupe, or to swindle. If Kokoyah is a US citizen and is sitting over our elections with dry face, then he has swindled our resources and opportunities; if Oppong, and Cummings are holders of American passports, and playing dry face and running neck and neck with Brumskine and Urey who are Liberian citizens (we do not know for sure though, if they too have US passports), then they have conned Liberia; If any of the political aspirants for legislative seats possess green cards but fighting to overtake bona fide Liberians in the race, they are “Edwin Snowe Domicile Bamboozler-crooks. If any of them win, we would have swindlers, deceptive and a con president with legislators who are bamboozlers.
You see, when people with American Passports and Green Cards, who are foreigners and half foreigners deceive the NEC and infiltrate our elections system, and are competing with the genuine bona fide citizens, one can only say they are audacious, brave and have real dry face to try to leave their country and come here to bamboozle our own-Liberia. Well, such could be the time, such could be the situation and such could be our fate. I submit.

Benediction
Compatriots, as we approach October 10, let me haste to urge you to go about your normal businesses and use their conscience to vote. Advocacy on behalf of a leaky NEC, to expose the deficiencies, vices and disregard of the elections rules and regulations have all failed. What politicians should do now, instead of mudsling is to focus on the strategies and commitment of their voters. Sometimes numbers and crowds change when they enter the voting booths. Remember Robert Sirleaf and Varney Sherman.

Now, after all said and done, may the Lord bless all Dry Face American passport holders who because of our leaky elections system may have infiltrated; may God bless the alleged US citizen Jerome Kokoyah; may the Lord make His face to also shine upon all malicious domicile Edwin Snowe green card dry face people, and may they never ever be caught until they arrive at the gate of heaven where Angel Michael will be standing with a red hot iron tooth brush, and some questions; in Jesus; precious’ name. Let all American passport and green card holders in the race say……AAAAA-men!!!!
I am simply thinking thoughts

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