Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism Minister urges Liberian to refrain from electoral violence and maintain the peace.
Friday, February 10, 2023
By: Mohammed B Gray
The Minister of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism, Ledgerhood Julius Rennie, has called for peace amongst Liberians during this period of elections in Liberia, says it’s incumbent upon every Liberian to protect the peace and security of the country.
According Minister Rennie, every Liberian has a responsibility to protect the peace of the nation regardless of political affiliation. Adding to that, October 10, 2023 elections is just one part of the many challenges that are to be solved, he said.
The Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism Minister, Rennie asserted that; young people look up to the older generation for direction, and the older generation has to lead and show the willingness to coexist regardless of the political differences and ideology in the way and form that does not assume the violence. Saying that young people in Liberia are struggling with the challenges they are facing, trying to mode their minds in order to be abled to take over leaderships in the country.
Making the statement on Thursday at the MICAT regular press briefing, Minister Rennie urged every Liberian to not allow this year’s elections to ruin the hard-earned peace everyone is enjoying today. “Election is just like a game, we must not tied down the country because we going to elections. It behooves all of us, political, religious and civil society leaders; all of us from different worth of life to lead by examples so that the young people too themselves will know what’s coming up is not a zero sum game that Liberia will end that day if John Brown doesn’t win or Peter Paul doesn’t win”, he said. “ Liberia will remain supreme regardless of the outcome of the elections. So what we do in and after the election will tell the rest of the world that Liberia has come an age and we have consolidate in our institution of democracy”, he added.
The statement from the mouthpiece of the government came barely days after opposition controversial lawmaker, Representative Yekeh Y. Kolubah, took to the Capital Building two giant size banners of former Vice President of the Republic of Liberia and Unity Party’s standard bearer, Amb. Joseph Nyumah Boakai and Mr. Alexander B. Cummings of the Alternative National Congress/CPP. In an interview with the media, Hon. Kolubah said he took those banners to Capital Building because of the Speaker of the house of representative refusal to take down President George M. Weah’s banners at the capital building since the president delivered his last State of the Nation Address in his first six years term on Monday, January 30, 2022.
The tough talking Representative of District 10, Montserrado County asserted that, the government is in violation of the organic laws of Liberia. According to him, President Weah has started campaigning ahead of the National Elections Commission stipulated time for campaigns which violates the elections law of Liberia.
It can be recalled, on February 4, 2023 during the famous Coalition for Democratic Change- CDC “one million people rally” for the nomination of President Weah for a second term bid, Executive Protection Security officers were seen wearing CDC T-shirts that was seriously criticized by oppositions, civil society organizations and national and international partners. Days after the said rally, the Ministry of information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism issued a statement terming the behavior of those officers as “over-exuberance and lack of knowledge of the standard operating procedures of the service”.
