“I Gave You Bed, You Want Me Give You Woman?”–Aspirant Emmanuel Dahn Declares In West Point
Emmanuel Dahn, Chief Executive Officer of popular Radio Station, Joy FM, is popular for his free 24-hour ambulance service for financially disadvantaged critically ill persons and pregnant women living in electoral district #7, Montserrado County.
He has announced his desire to represent the district in the National Legislature, hoping to sail through the country’s presidential and legislative elections in 2023.
Currently, Solomon George is representing the district in the House of Representatives (HOR)
On Friday, July 29, 2022, Legislative Aspirant, Emmanuel Dahn, was in West Point, a predominantly slum community, a part of the district, as part of his unofficial pre-election period interactions with various communities in his legislative constituency. He was accompanied by a body of men and women in khaki vest, each with “Team Dahn” written on it.
Many members of the community joined the political entourage from the main road (by the fence of the head office of the Liberia Electricity Corporation), and as they marched to the meeting venue.
The interaction’s place was a small sandy field in a part of West Point, Kru Beach. His getting there (venue of meeting) was not without some mental stress, caused by narrow routes (foot paths) in this densely populated community, with majority of homes constructed with aluminum roofing sheets and close-knit. At some places, adults sat along a public route (crossing in front of their homes) with parts of their seats taking part of the road, and children playing in the centers of most of the routes due to the absence of playing space.
Banners with his photo had been nailed to some of the walls of the buildings (at the meeting spot) before he arrived.
Political battle cries from some of the young hosts shot out from various sections of the crowd for the guest. The battle cry was, “Hoooosay!”
The microphone being used was wireless, connected to a voice amplification set.
After all the introductory formalities—prayer, welcome remarks, etc., the VIP guest suggested special remarks from his hosts about problems pinching each person.
Some of the pricking problems enumerated were constant robberies by residents on drugs, homelessness of many due to sea erosion, many families’ inability to send a sick mental to hospital due to financial handicap, and divisive tactics by some members of the community’s leadership politically connected to the current district’s representative in the National Legislature.
Some of those who made remarks requested financial help to get medical treatment at hospitals outside of the community.
During his responses to all the enumerated problems, Dahn first thanked those who spoke out.
“Each of the problems you stated here are what I intend to solve when I’m representing district #7 in the House of Representatives,” Dahn said.
He said residents of West Point should see the solution of their problems through what he has already started doing for the entire district—including provision of an ambulance and running of a foundation to solve educational needs of young people in the district.
Responding to his host, who appealed for support for medical treatment, Dahn said, “There’s a Liberian adage that says, ‘I gave you bed to sleep on. You want me to give you woman to be with you on the bed?’ On this adage, I will say this to people who asking me for money for transport fare to hospital: ‘I gave you bed. You want me give you woman?’”
Still on the vehicle issue, he said anybody who is in critical condition or is pregnant and wants to go to a hospital should call the number written on the ambulance.
On his political opponents for the legislative election for 2023, he said West Pointers should vote the “person already working for you”, instead of the person who will say, “I will do…” He meant anyone who promises to work for them only when he or she is in the National Legislature.
At the end of his speech, he invited the Youth Chairman of Kru Beach to speak on problems confronting the body of young people in the community.
“Honorable Man, there are several issues. But the youth leadership first has to meet to brainstorm on how to present these issues to you,” the youth leader, a male, said.
His colleagues, as well as other people, endorsed his speech with hailing and clapping. When Emmanuel Dahn ended his speech, an elderly woman appealed for an audience with him.
“When we were told our son was coming to visit us, the old people, many of us left everything we were doing and assembled here from 1:00 o’clock,” the elderly woman, named Haja Mayatu Sonnie, born in 1952, began. “We, the old people of this community love you, but we are hungry. Life is extremely hard now, unlike before. So, do something for us—old people.”
In an interview with this writer, Sonnie said her parents came to West Point during the Presidency of William R. Tolbert, and built a family’s house a few years later.
“I’m seventy years old. I came in West Point to live in my parents’ house in 1992,” she responded to the writer’s other questions.
The Legislative Aspirant made 70-year-old Haja Mayatu Sonnie part of his entourage back to his office.
“Mayatu Sonnie, please bring our share of the money Emmanuel Dahn will give you at his office,” an elderly man said to his colleague, who had spoken for West Point’s body of old people.
Emmanuel Dahn is competing with four other new comers in the legislative contest for district #7. Two of them are women. One of the women is Saybah Jomah, who had run in previous elections, but was not successful.