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Monrovia – Liberian president George Manneh Weah has proposed an all Liberian peace talk, according to a statement from the Executive Mansion, which did not say exactly when the Liberian leader wants such confab held.
In keeping with the Liberian leader’s desire to maintain and enhance reconciliation and peace in the country, the Executive Mansion said Saturday, President Weah has proposed a national peace dialogue with all Liberians.
The Liberian leader recalls that during his days as a footballer on the world stage, many Liberians prayed for him to be successful, urging that they do same now for the country to be peaceful.
“When I was playing in Europe, each and every Liberian made it their business to pray for me to be successful; the same prayers they offered for me when I was playing must be offered for Liberia to be peaceful,” the former World Best, Europe Best, and Africa Best footballer pleaded.
President Weah said to ensure an equitable functioning society, Liberians must be reminded that the years of calamitous blood-letting, destruction and displacement must be enough reasons they should create the corridor and environment to root and inculcate the tenets of peace, democracy, and good governance
The Liberian leader, who spoke Saturday in Buchanan City, Grand Bassa County, at a peace festival organized by the Liberia Crusaders for Peace along with partners to commemorate the signing of the Accra Peace Accord – 15 years ago that ended the country’s 14-year war, cautioned that making and seeking peace and reconciliation is a national imperative and obligation that all Liberians should shoulder.
“Liberia is bigger than all of us regardless of political identities and belonging,” President Weah said.
“Let’s not just talk about peace, but we must act peace because we cannot talk about peace when we cannot reconcile,” said Weah, who noted that peace must not be an issue of labiality and showiness, but must be pursued in truth and practicality.
Said President Weah: “Peace must not be taken lightly, because maintaining peace symbolizes patriotism.”
While reminding Liberians that now was the time for them to seek the interest of their country and preserve the peace being enjoyed, Weah intoned that maintaining peace in the country means remembering those who paid ultimate sacrifices to get the country to this point.
“Let our envy not be one of destruction and retribution; the infrastructural destruction and loss of dignity we suffered should remind us to keep the peace,” adding that if Liberians take a deep reflection of what happened to them during the course of the civil war, they would choose peace over violence.
“People died in [the] war, this is why we must promote peace, democracy, and good governance,” he said, urging Liberians to take inspiration from the selfless, harmless and peaceful lifestyle of former South African President Nelson Mandela to keep Liberia peaceful.
Weah, whose administration rose to power on the mantra “change for hope,” reminded Liberians that hope would be impossible in the absence of peace.
The Liberian leader’s proposal for a national peace confab comes days after he met with opposition political leaders, in a forum which outcome has been greeted with mixed reactions.
Since the one-day government, opposition bloc dialogue, a war of words have ensued between officials of government and the ruling parties officials on one hand and some opposition political party leaders on the other, over what’s the actual outcome of the meeting, leaving many wondering whether the forum went well.
PUNCH reported Thursday that following the meeting which was attended by President Weah, his vice president, Jewel Howard-Taylor, party chair, Mulbah Morlu, scores of officials of government and an impressive turnout from the opposition bloc, many opposition political party leaders who attended the forum have been asserting that from the look of things at the hurriedly arranged one-day summit, Liberians should not expect that the outcome will change anything in the current affairs of the governance process of the country.
Prior to the Thursday meeting, hopes were high that discussions between government and opposition party figures would have at least paved the way to among others unravel the current economic puzzle causing untold hardship in the country.
