2017 elections will be critical

Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Augustine Zayzay has predicted here that the 2017 elections will be critical for Liberians, because it will determine where the country will head in terms of peace and stability.
Speaking in an interview on Tuesday, 6 December at the end of a consultative meeting between The Government of Liberia and the United Nations, Minister Zayzay indicated that over the period of 40 years, there is going to be power transition from the incumbent to an in-coming leadership, cautioning Liberians to critically study the good and evil of such change of guard.

He added that the ministry has begun holding discussions on the issue of decentralization in all 15 political sub-divisions, bringing on board stakeholders, government officials, chiefs and elders with support from central government to enable citizens get clear understanding of the policy and its functions.
Zayzay urged Liberians to go away from personal interest and put Liberia first as their common patrimony on the road to elections, pleading “Let us be very peaceful during the 2017 elections period, let avoid politicians using us to create more violence.”
He said government has indeed, has some challenges, but in spite of those challenges, it continues to carry out its goal in terms of growth. He challenged critics of the administration to go beyond pointing out the negatives to identify progress achieved, arguing “The Liberia you have today is not as compared to the Liberia you had in the past.”
Deputy Minister Zayzay also urged Liberians to take ownership of national development and not leaving it to government along.

By Zee Roberts-Editing by Jonathan Browne