LIBERIA – Liberia’s Foreign Minister Dee Maxwell Saah Kemayah has reaffirmed President George Mannah Weah’s unwavering commitment to ensure the conduct of a free, fair, transparent as well as credible, and inclusive General and Presidential Elections in Liberia in October 2023, in keeping with international best practice.
The Liberian Foreign Minister further assured the people of Liberia and international partners of the government’s fullest preparedness to conduct peaceful elections in Liberia at all times.
According to a Foreign Ministry release, the Liberian Foreign Minister was speaking on Friday, October 21, 2022, at the Centennial Memorial Pavilion at the ceremony marking the launch of the Dialogues on Peace, Security and
Development in Liberia.
Minister Kemayah indicated that the democratic culture of which Liberians have suffered for so dearly must in all certain terms absolutely not be allowed to be disrupted, adding “our democratic course as a country and people is irreversible.”
While commenting on peace and stability in Liberia, the Minister stated: “As a government, we will ensure that the democratic process will not be thwarted. But, this will also require the shared vision and fullest cooperation and support of all Liberians, political parties, and political actors in Liberia.”
The dialogue, which was organized under the aegis of the international partners of Liberia, including ECOWAS and others is aimed at contributing to conflict prevention and risk mitigation in the run-up to the general and legislative elections in October 2023.
The Liberian Foreign Minister hailed the efforts of the organizers of the dialogues, which is also aimed at mitigating conflict in Liberia and the sub-region as a positive initiative that must be fully supported by well-meaning Liberians and partners.
He assured the organizers of the dialogues that the Government of Liberia stands with them to the fullest, as they embark on these laudable tasks, adding that peace is the foundation upon which the superstructures of security and development are built.
Kemayah noted that security and development cannot flourish without peace while there can be no peace without security as peace and security are the fulcrum of societal progress, including development, growth, and modernization.
The Dean of the Cabinet told participants at the dialogues that as former Peace Ambassador, President George Manneh Weah is fully supportive of any efforts geared towards making the country peaceful, secure, and stable, noting that Liberians have experienced impediments in growth and development as a result of the country’s protracted civil crisis.
The Liberian Foreign Minister then called on his compatriots never to pursue the path of violence no matter how tempting or provocative a situation may be, stressing that peace is, and must remain, an irreversible path for Liberia and the Liberian people.
According to him, the planning and implementation of these dialogues are within the framework of the practical preventive democracy which, he noted, will accrue greater dividends over mediation, negotiation, conciliation, and settlement.
He, therefore, expressed confidence that the Liberian people will see the dialogues on peace, security, and development as a positive and significant initiative that must be fully supported by well-meaning Liberians. Courtesy: LINA
