By Olando Testimony Zeongar
MONROVIA – The National Chairperson of the political action group, the JNB Tact Team, which supports the presidential quest of former Vice President and Standard Bearer of Unity Party (UP), Ambassador Joseph Nyuma Boakai (JNB), Ms. Telia Urey, has asserted that if elected president, the ex-Veep will restore dignity to the office of president of the Republic of Liberia.
Liberians are poised to go to the polls later this year on 10 October, in the country’s general and presidential elections, to elect a president, vice president and a horde of lawmakers into Liberia’s bicameral Legislature; the House of Senate and House of Representatives respectively.
Howbeit, Telia averred that in order to change the trajectory Liberia is currently going in under the reign of retired footballer George Weah, JNB, with a wealth of experience, is the obvious choice for president, as far as taking the country from where it is to where it needs to be.
“JNB is someone that has vision to transform Liberia. His experience is one thing, and using that experience that he has, to change the trajectory that the country is going in right now, JNB is the obvious choice,” Telia stated Wednesday, when she appeared as guest on the live radio and TV show, “The Closing Argument”, when she was asked why her group, the JNB Tact Team with a predominately youthful membership of over 24,000, supports Joe Boakai rather than a much younger candidate for president.
She asserted that she and members of the JNB Tact Team gravitate toward the UP Standard Bearer because looking at JNB and his over 30 years of being a public servant, he’s proven to be someone that has integrity and dignity, with which he will be able to restore dignity to the presidency of the country.
The JNB Tact Team’s national chairperson intoned that going into election, one has to look around to see which candidate actually has the ability to win, by going a little beyond looking only for a president and looking for who the best candidate is, adding that with this, taking into consideration JNB’s widespread support across the country, the UP Standard Bearer is an obvious and a realistic choice of a person that can actually win the 10 October 2023 presidential election.
On another hand, Telia observed that Joe Boakai’s ability to bring people together and to unite people from across the political spectrum is very important, indicating that this is another cardinal reason why her group supports his presidential bid.
“His disposition as a humble and servant-leader, after all of these years in office, it is something that we all look at and we all believe that Liberia needs,” the JNB Tact Team chairperson added.
She pointed out that if Liberia’s confidence that according to her has been eroded in the comity of nations on the watch of the Weah administration would be restored, JNB as Liberia’s next president, is best suited to do so with the country’s international partners.
“We have to restore the confidence as well, of our international partners, who as we know that confidence has kind of been eroded with this current administration. JNB is a person that has the credibility to be able to do that,” Telia maintained.
She’s of the belief that former Vice President Boakai has the ability to attract into Liberia, much-needed foreign direct investments, especially in the country’s labor-intensive sectors, stating, “and that is key. We’re not talking politics anymore. We are looking for somebody who has a plan to get us from where we are to where we need to go.”
She lamented how, unlike Liberia, other countries have developed overnight, while Liberia still lingers in a position where it’s being unable to accomplish minimum things such as strengthening its institutions, increasing transparency, and ensuring the country’s judicial system is one that people can have confidence in.
“These are things that someone with integrity and someone with character will have to take strong decisions to do – and we believe that looking at JNB, he’s the only person that can create that environment for Liberia to get on the path that it needs to go on,” Telia stated.
