For two weeks, spending the holidays both the Christmas and New Year in Nimba and Grand Gedeh Counties Counselor Tiawan Saye Gongloe has been on an awareness tour of his presidential bid.
Firstly, it began in Nimba from electoral district #1(Ganta), #6 (Tappita), #9 (Zekepa, Kaipa, Karyee, Glehyee-Zorpea), and Saclepea #7 (Ganquoi, Garwonpa). It went to electoral district #8 (Flumpa, Zanboyee) #4(Bahn) as well as other parts of the county.
In Grand Gedeh, the same it was beginning with Toe Town, Zleh, Dougee, Pouh, Ziah Towns as well as villages and towns in electoral district #3, the same in Tchien and its surroundings in electoral district #1 and Putu and its environment in electoral district #2, Grand Gedeh County respectively.
In those counties he held town hall meetings in nearly all of the electoral districts, somehow unprecedented in contemporary Liberian politics for an aspirant instead of sitting in Monrovia using the media to propagate your messages Gongloe is reaching out to the people.
On Saturday, 04 December, 2021, Tiawan accepted a petition from his compatriots in Gumpa, Nimba County, to contest for the presidency during next year elections perhaps as torchbearer of the Liberian People’s Party (LPP) of which he is one of the founding members in August, 1984.
Since then that message has gone far and near globally thus creating awareness among would-be potential voters which is enabling Gongloe to tour various electoral districts in Nimba and Grand Gedeh Counties for acquaintance with the people.
While in those counties he addressed a cross-section of a large crowd of locals including traditional leaders, young people, women groups, physically challenged among others during town hall meetings telling them of seeking for Liberia’s highest office therefore he asked them for their support.
Though people may have heard about him mainly in human rights advocacy, political activism or lawyering for close to 40 years but the act of politics is a different kind of game one name has to be synonymous or associated for either good or bad reason.
As such, next year presidential and legislative elections which will be the 4th polls after Liberia’s civil war which ended 18 years now is expected to be a tension pack because unseating an incumbent who is seeking a second term doesn’t expect the same to be an easy task.
Therefore, wanting the people to vote or approve Gongloe decided reaching two and half years before the vote thereby having that personal interaction will help them build their confidence because elections are popular which can bring numbers before getting the needed results.
Though they might be illiterate or not-know-book (commoners) as intelligentsia (book people) may call them but they are in the majority when it comes to deciding who gets elected to public offices be it the President, Senator and Representatives elections.
With that, Tiawan met with the elders, chiefs and opinion leaders as well as youth and women groupings of both counties explaining to them why he considered contesting for the presidency of the country.
Gongloe told the people of Grand Gedeh and Nimba Counties that history has shown the suffering of the Liberians have not been based on tribal, or religious differences but by people who over the years have come to power only to satisfy themselves and not the people.
He stated among many things that when few people take and enjoy what belongs to all citizens of Liberia the rest of the people are left with nothing and therefore, they suffer.
Saye said that kind of leadership increases poverty, unhappiness and hopelessness, even where those in power were elected on the promise that their government would bring “change for hope.
The newcomer is not only intellectualizing his message by ignoring the bread and butter issues but telling the people that he is the alternative who can change the narrative of the country from its current predicament to respectable level in the comity of nations.
Gongloe states to the people of being the only presidential hopeful who track records in public services speaks for itself of being “corruption free” and whose hand has never and ever been found in the cookie jar of the country’s treasury during tenure of service while in government.
And was during the corrupt rule of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf 12 years when Gongloe served two (2) years as Minister of Labor before then, he was the state’s chief prosecutor (Solicitor General) at the Justice Ministry from 2006 to 2009.
He believes with those and many other achievements together with the people’s desire for change he can make the country a better place for everyone to have an improved living standard.
Gongloe speaking at separate points and times in the two counties but with the same message said whether he has money or not he will get into voting buying therefore if Liberians believe and are ready for change they embrace the same for the future of their children and country.
“See me as the next alternative who is bound to change the narrative provided you will give me the opportunity and the chance to serve you and our country. Liberia does not deserve to be where it is now,” he decried.
He went further that for two weeks now he and others have been traveling from district to district in Grand Gedeh and Nimba Counties with his eyes soaked with tears because of the living standard of the people and the deplorable roads where one cannot speed 10 miles per hour.
Responding to Gongloe’s message in both counties the residents or people there promised of working for him and his party (LPP) or Team Gongloe which is the driving force behind his presidential bid for almost 2 years running.
The youth or young people who are in the majority of the country’s population pledged their support to Gongloe’s ambition during next year’s polls but not by mouth rather practicing what one says or might have said.
Youth leaders, Josephus Doelakeh of Nimba, and Daniel Ziah of Grand Gedeh Counties, pledged their unweaving support to the presidential request of Gongloe who they believed would redeem the country (Liberia) from its predicament.
“Counselor on behalf of the young people who constitute the majority decision making bloc of the country’s population when it comes to voting we will campaign for you whether you have money or not,” said Ziah.
For Doelakeh, he and his fellow young people promised to mobilize through the length and breadth of Nimba to rally support for Gongloe elections during next year’s polls.
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