“Planned Protest Is National Security Threat” —Snowe Warns

The Head of Liberia’s Delegation to ECOWAS Parliament, Rep. Edwin Melvin Snowe, has warned the Council of Patriots (COP) that their planned protest on the eve of the Independence Day is a “threat to national security,” therefore, it must be postponed.
He said among many things that the would-be protest is misguided and it has national security threat or implications. “I disagree with it totally. Liberians must not wash their dirty clothes in front of strangers.”
Rep. Snowe told the media yesterday in Monrovia that since earlier this week the advanced teams of the five heads of states are in the country in preparation for the programme.
Those expected are Alpha Conde, 81 years old of Guniea; Muhammadu Buhari, 78 years old, of Nigeria; Alasane Ouattara, 78 years old, of Ivory Coast; Roch Marc Christian Kabore, 62 years old, of Burkina Faso; and Julius Maada Bio, 54 years old of Sierra Leone; Heads of Governments, Senators and Representatives of other Ecowas Countries as well as Liberia other partners are coming.
Snowe, who expressed his opposition with organizers of the planned Wednesday, July 24 protestk, said it will not augur well for the country and its people to have such negative image during its natal day.
“Ivory Coast, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso and Nigeria are our neighbors; but most besides, the presidents of these countries are seniors to President George Weah. Nobody would like for their elders to be disrespected,” Snowe noted.
He indicated that President Buhari of Nigeria does not travel easily and whenever he did so, then it for a reason; as such, no host would like to compromise the security of their guests.
Snowe, however, agreed that it is the right of the citizens to demonstrate which part of democracy but it should not be to the detriment or embarrassment of the country and its people.
On regional development, he observed that the region is going through political and economic transformation as there are protests or demonstrations about the hardship everywhere and not only in Liberia.
“There were protests in Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Benin, Mali and rest of the countries all in the name of economic and politics reasons. If you think Liberia is worse, go to other countries in the region,” Snowe noted.
He stated that Liberia is not in worse situation as people might be thinking, however, Liberians must bear in mind that there is no quick fix solution to the economy as it was long predicted from the last regime.
“At ECOWAS meetings, we are always told that our problem is the duel currencies. Therefore, if we want to grow as a country, we must decide on one because the two are trading and fighting each other,” Snowe said.
He noted that now that the international community and government are working together especially the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB), the country looks ahead to improving situation; Throble Kaffa Suah reports.