Sinkor, Monrovia – MY FELLOW PARTISANS, DISTINGUISHED LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:
Today, as I stand before you to close our campaign, I am overwhelmed with gratitude and pride. We have come to the end of a remarkable journey together, a journey that has taken us to every corner of this great nation. From the bustling streets of Monrovia to the serene villages nestled in the heart of our motherland, we have traversed the 15 counties, embraced the spirit of each electoral district, and listened to the heartbeat of Liberia, hearing your voices and concerns and sharing our vision for a brighter future.
During this campaign, we did not rest on our laurels; instead, we crisscrossed the nation out of respect for every voter. I refused to be complacent or take your vote for granted because I believe in the power of your choice and I believe in the promise of a better Liberia that we can build together.
Let me express my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the First Lady of the Republic, Madam Clar Marie Weah, the Vice President of Liberia, Madam Jewel Howard-Taylor, our Campaign Team, and all of you who have been a part of this extraordinary campaign. To the countless volunteers, the tireless foot soldiers, the dedicated party members, and all those who believed in our cause, I say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your unwavering support has been the driving force behind our campaign, and I am deeply grateful for your commitment to Liberia.
I want to take a moment to acknowledge some special groups who have played pivotal roles in this campaign. To our auxiliaries, your tireless efforts and commitment to our cause have been truly remarkable. You are the backbone of our movement, and I salute your dedication.
To our first-time voters, I want to say that your participation in this democratic process is a testament to the strength of our democracy. Your voices matter, and your votes will shape the future of our nation.
I also want to extend a warm welcome to those who once left our party, the Coalition for Democratic Change, and have now returned. Your presence is a testament to the belief that we can achieve greatness together, and I want you to know that you are now in very good hands.
For those who have left their various parties to join us, we appreciate your trust and faith in our vision for Liberia. Together, we are forging a path towards a brighter future for all Liberians.
To those who remain undecided, I extend an earnest invitation to join the Coalition for Democratic Change for a better Liberia. The previous government had its time, and the results were lacking. We were given the opportunity, and we have done our best. There is room at the CDC for all who seek progress and development, and we welcome you with open arms.
FELLOW PARTISANS, CDCians, and WEAHcians:
You are all aware that in 2018, we inherited a broken economy. Nevertheless, in the five and a half (5½) years since then, we have managed to place our economy back on the track of progress and growth. For example, over the last two years, economic growth has averaged more than 4 percent. Sustaining this growth to higher levels is critical in the years to come. We have also increased our domestic revenue by more than 3 percent of GDP. It should be obvious to all that we have scored some impressive development successes during our tenure, and together, we will continue to solve the challenges of the future.
We have also reformed our government systems in order to give our government workers a fair salary and to make sure salaries are fair and equitable across the government. As we improve the government pay system, our goal in the years ahead will be to continue to increase the salary of government workers in key sectors such as health, education, and local government.
We have provided free college tuition that has impacted more than 27,000 Liberians, and our government has paid the WASSE fees of more than 207,000 high school graduates. We have built schools where schools did not exist since our country’s founding, and we continue to work to improve our education system. We have built hospitals to increase access to health for all our people and are working to improve the quality of healthcare delivery. We have given electricity to about 1 million Liberians since 2018 and have brought the cost of electricity down from 35 cents per kilowatt hour to around 22 cents per kilowatt hour for businesses and to 18 cents per kilowatt hour for some of our very vulnerable households.
We have also built markets for all our market people and housing units for some Liberians. And of course, we have built more community roads than any government in history and have built more than 347 kilometers of primary roads over the past 5 and a half years.
MY FELLOW PARTISANS, CDCians, WEAHcians, and LIBERIANS:
I am proud of this record of achievement in a very difficult period. We were able to do more with less resources and were able to solve many structural problems. But while I am seeking re-election on these achievements, my goal for the second term is to do more and bigger things for the betterment of the Liberian people.
For example, my second term will be dedicated to completing Liberia’s road infrastructure. Every country’s capital must be connected to the next country by a paved road.
I will also continue to grow our economy in order to provide more jobs for Liberians. Most of these jobs will be created in the small and medium enterprise sectors and in key sectors like agriculture and manufacturing. We will also continue to work to increase our capacity to provide more electricity, which is a major reason why the job situation remains challenging. I have now concluded plans with the World Bank and other development partners to move Liberia’s electricity generation capacity up from a mere 88 megawatts to more than 300 megawatts, and this will be the backbone for jobs in the agriculture, manufacturing, and services sectors.
In my second term, we plan to increase the effort in our war on corruption. We have now reconstituted the Liberian Anti-Corruption Commission, which now has seven independent commissioners. We will empower this new LACC to enhance the fight against corruption, waste, fraud, and abuse of public resources. We will empower the GAC, the IAA, and the LACC to work better together to move the fight against corruption to a new level.
The journey over the last six years was a difficult one, but we somehow held together to overcome the difficulties. We have kept our peace in the absence of United Nations peacekeeping troops. In fact, it is worthy to note that this is the first presidential and legislative election that we are holding without the presence of UNMIL. We must all cherish this peace and continue to keep it, because without Peace, our world will be difficult.Without peace, development will not happen.
I now want to call on former Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai to condemn the recent incident in Lofa that led to the loss of lives of some of our citizens. The government is investigating this matter and will bring the perpetrators to justice. Our international partners are seriously concerned that justice be done to the victims and their families. As president, I will ensure that justice is done.
My fellow CDCians and Weahians, as we close this campaign today, I want to leave you with a clear message:
I kindly ask you to go out on Tuesday and renew our second-term mandate. Our detractors have tried to use lies and propaganda to destabilize our government, but we stood strong, and Liberians throughout the country now see the results of the hard work of our government.
On Tuesday, the 10th of October, wake up early, go to the polls, and cast your vote for a better Liberia. Let’s be finished voting before noon, and then go home and wait peacefully for the results to be announced, assured in the knowledge that we are the ones who can deliver the goods for Liberia and who can lead this nation to even greater heights.
Let our actions speak volumes about the unity and strength of our movement. Together, we will continue to build a Liberia that we can all be proud of a Liberia that stands as a beacon of hope and progress in Africa.
Thank you, Liberia, for your unwavering support, your dedication, and your faith in our vision. Let us go forth from this moment with renewed determination, and on October 10th, let us deliver the good news for Liberia by electing me, George Manneh Weah, as your President for a second term.
May God bless you all, and may God bless Liberia!
