Monrovia, May 29 (LINA) – In his second major national address in 2019 delivered on Wednesday, President George Manneh Weah stimulated national hope for a nation that seems to be faced with a mammoth challenge in every facet of its governance architecture.
These challenges, said the Liberian leader, like other moments and periods of difficulties as experienced by the nation and people of Liberia, “will soon come to past.”
“In Liberia, while we will continue to face many challenges such as managing inflation, creating jobs, and fighting corruption; our commitment to democratic principles is strong and central to our country’s development and stability.”
With much emphasis on unity and the urge to run a nation enveloped in unity and evoking a subsequent governance module that cultivates a vibrant economy, President Weah at the start of his address propelled the national discourse towards Liberians across the country, in the Diaspora and to those of every tribe, age, religion and political affiliation.
Reminding them of how he has dedicated his energy, compassion and solidarity for decades to their cause, Weah said the people of Liberia have overcome the division and destruction of war, the Ebola crisis and peacefully transferred the honor and duties of political leadership in accordance with the country’s constitution and the rule of law.
Believing that Liberia has a prospect of maintaining democratic governance as evidenced by the level of peace the nation has enjoyed since the withdrawal of the UN troops in 2018, Weah said that the nation’s peace and security currently is in the hands of Liberian themselves.
He intoned that the nation currently has a multi-party, active democracy in which political dissent or criticism is tolerated, unprecedented press and media freedom to the extent where the government has decriminalized speech offenses
“Today, Liberia is a democracy where civil society groups and organizations can advocate openly for issues they care about. Today, Liberia is a democracy in which our integrity institutions monitor our implementation of law and policy,” he noted.
It is these freedoms, according to the Liberian leader, that will define Liberians as a people.
He said it is the toleration of political opposition and opposing ideas that will enrich the national dialogue and discourse of Liberia.
“A nation is not defined only by easy and happy times when everything is going well. Rather, a nation is defined by the ability of its people to overcome difficult moments in their history,” he noted.
Dr. Weah added: “This is only possible when we come together as One People. Our strength will always lie in our unity because if we are divided, we will never overcome the ills of our society.”