Violence around the time of elections is common in Liberia, this often results in destruction and death, largely affecting young people who are labeled as perpetrators. Against this backdrop, the Angie Brooks International Center (ABIC) on May 5, 2022, organized a day-long mediation dialogue with youth leaders from political parties, civil society organizations, and communities under the auspices of the flagship program of the ‘’Women Situation Room’’ aimed at mobilizing youth for peaceful election in Liberia, participating in the program, Vice President of the Republic of Liberia, Madam Jewel Howard-Taylor extolled ABIC for the initiative.
Making remarks, Vice President Chief Dr. Jewel Howard-Taylor admonished politicians to stop making false promises during election campaigns that will raise unnecessary expectations of the things that are not in their capacity to implement. She was speaking to youth leaders from several political parties, CSOs, and communities in their hundreds from Bong and Montserrado Counties.
According to VP Taylor, Liberians will have to decide on leaders they need because truth representation is important but politicians will come up with fake promises. Some will promise to build roads, construct clinics, and schools, amongst others when they know it is not in their capacity to do so.
Chief, Dr. Howard-Taylor mentioned that “it takes one million ($1 million) United States dollars to construct a mile of road, something that nobody should fool you that they will do because it is only government has such capacity”, adding, ‘’We have to say the truth to the people when we are campaigning so we do not raise unnecessary expectations, it is the government that can do that, not individual lawmaker, she said.
Talking to the electorates, the first female Liberian Vice President spoke of individuals who collect rice and cash from politicians in exchange for their votes, in some cases according to the VP, the voters allow themselves to be trucked to other areas to register in the interest of a politician something she strongly condemned and called on Liberians especially the youths not to give in to politicians to be used in such a way that undermines the democracy of the country.
Setting example she said, “One bag of rice cannot keep you for six years. In other parts of the world like Ghana, people are making decisions, citizens threatened to burn a car that has rice in it that was brought by politicians to be distributed among them. Do not take rice for your votes’’ Dr. Taylor cautioned the inspiring youths.
The Liberian Vice President touched by the huge presence of inspiring youths at the forum informed the gathering that, young people should stop being used because they determine the future of the country going forward and blamed the youths for the action of elected lawmakers, saying hold your leaders accountable for what you want.
The initiative is under the ‘’ sustainable and inclusive peace in Liberia through promoting women leadership and participation in civic and political life and their strengthened role in conflict resolution’’ in partnership with ZOA-Liberia and with funding from the United Nation Peacebuilding funds, hosted at the Cecil Dennis Auditorium at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Monrovia.
The forum discussion highlighted five key areas including, understanding the role of the youth in elections, understanding the mandate of the youth wing in politics in peaceful elections, and understanding the role of youth leaders in the communities in peaceful elections.
The conversation also seeks to address the underlining factors that make the youth easy perpetrators of violence before, during, and after elections and touched on the strategy to support youth to positively use their energies for peaceful election toward 2023, and how to increase youth peaceful participation in the upcoming election.
Addressing the youth, Vice President Howard-Taylor noted that young people have to decide what they want during electoral processes, mentioning the stands of women when they took seriously the issue of rape thereby calling the attention of the national government that made it an issue of national emergency.
“I believe the same thing can happen if young people demand that you need better schools, training, drinking water not hand pump because we have passed that”, stressing that “we have to determine what we want and those people you elect will do it”, she remarked.
The Establishment Coordinator of the influential Liberian-Based Angie Brooks International Centre (ABIC) for Women’s Empowerment, Leadership Development, International Peace and Security, Counsellor Dr. Yvette Chesson-Wureh advised the participating youths not to get involved with electoral violence.
This is your country, I don’t care who you are, our one goal is Liberia, Make sure this country is stabilized. Get to the table and make sure your voice is heard, she informed the inspiring youths and urged them to make good decisions in the interest of Liberia.
Reported by: Stephen G. Fellajuah
WhatsApp: +231777015294
Email: fellajuahstepheng@gmail.com
