November 4, 2021
I must confess to rather liking Zainab Morseray, the new Electoral Commissioner for the Western Area. Anyone who has been at the top of active politics over the past decade would have encountered her in one way or another. I know her to be the quintessence of courtesy when you deal with her. She is normally soft spoken and has a listening ear. Some would say colloquially “E day make lek butter nor day melt na in mot”.
However, those that have been steeped, especially in SLPP politics and not in the “Paopa” camp have always been suspicious of her. They say definitely that “butter melts in her mouth”. They say she has had a hand in all the machinations that have worked against them in the PPRC. They have accused various PPRC Commissioners of acquiescing too easily to her whims. She has had the opportunity on several occasions to make decisions on issues in the absence of a quorum of commissioners at the PPRC. The “All Aspirants’ Alliance” members in SLPP who were at daggers drawn with the Bio camp often accused her of deliberately misplacing letters, misinformation, leaking information and all kinds of ills. In the midst of it all this, Zainab always appeared unflappable and no butter melted in her mouth.
Other political parties have also continued accusing her of being a staunch Bio loyalist. After her appointment by the President, they have come out collectively with guns blazing to oppose her. They have also added to Zainab’s ”military charge sheet”. accusing her of corruption and all kinds of vices. They have cited her spending nine years as Acting Registrar of the PPRC without confirmation as proof that she is not up to the task. They have accused her of unlawful use of solicited funds to undermine political party structure and authority of political party leaders, illegal soliciting of funds on behalf of the Commission and illegal funding of a convention of a rival faction of a political party. Accusations in a report by them against her of corruption that had been made to the ACC some two years ago were squashed overnight.
The opposition parties claim they were not consulted on her appointment and walked out of Parliament during her confirmation hearing. She was nevertheless confirmed.
Nothing seems to stick on Zainab (Houdini) Morseray, the teflon woman who continues to evade the hangman’s noose. She can be said by abductive reasoning to have passed the “Duck test”- “If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.” Opposition parties have watched her habitual characteristics and concluded she must be a duck because she quacks like one and swims like one even though those in power say she is not a duck. But then she is the new Electoral Commissioner for the Western Area. We are indeed living in interesting times! Ponder my thoughts.