Mohamed Sherif, Unspeakable True Philadelphia

I love good fights. I know good political fights when I see one. I always like good fights, the David and Goliath type. I like the scrappy, gutsy political fighters who leave it all on the floor. People like D. Twe and the immortal Albert Porte were great fighters. Who else? I admired Mrs. Johnson-Sirleaf for standing up to the military junta. I hailed her decision to consistently protest the outcome of the flawed elections of 1985. Fast forward, fast forward . . . the Montserrado senatorial bye-election, maybe not in the same echelon as those great political fights of old. But the fact that it pits, a young and rising political star in Geraldine Doe-Sherif against a remnant of the oligarchy, the opulent Clemency Urey, give me every reason to be excited even sitting at thousands of miles away from the venue of the real action. The fact that this is shaping up to be one of the most expensive elections in Liberia gives me reason to pause and wonder why?

Why spend all the money just to represent me and fight for me? That one gives me chills. But I still like good fights. But who the hell am I? I am nobody. I am only kidding. I am a "Joe Sick Pack", to paraphrase the intellectually-challenged Sarah Palin. Having followed the process like everyone else in the Diaspora, I have every reason to endorse even if it does not mean anything. But why not endorse? Everyone else is endorsing. Who am I? I am the ordinary Liberian with my ears to the ground. I am the common man who is in touch with the average man and woman. Once in a while, I run these makeshift, clearly unscientific polls that the real posters will decry as a joke. But you know what, it has worked at least 75 percent of the time. So that's pretty good. But that's not why I am picking a better candidate. It is usually safe to stick with the ruling party and the money guys and gals. But I will not do that. I will pick Geraldine Doe-Sherif in the second round scheduled for Tuesday Nov 24, 2009.

A CDC win is better for the preservation of multi-partyism and balanced government. A UP win should that happen will further the drive for a strong, all-powerful ruling party. That usually results into dictatorship of the party of the president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. This young democracy does not need another one-party dictatorship. We all know what happened before 1980 and after 1980. I hope the president will understand this time if Geraldine protests the results if they do not go her way. Baring widespread fraud, the CDC should maintain this senatorial seat. I hope and trust Mr. Urey will become the first person to call and congratulate his opponent when he looses. Mrs. Doe-Sherif must do likewise but at this point, she may not have the need to do so.


Mohamed Sherif
Philadelphia