Clergy urges tolerance during campaign

The founder of charity group Big Church Foundation, Dr. Olunkle Churchill is cautioning Liberians at the start of the campaign process to avoid any form of violence that could destroy the peace that citizens are enjoying here.

He pleaded with citizens at a peace concert held at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS) over the weekend to avoid any act that could lead to crisis during the campaigning weeks in order to have an election free of violence and chaos.

The peace concert organized by Culture Ambassador Juli Endee was attended by approximately 3,000 people in including some political parties leaders. Dr. Churchill, a Nigerian philanthropist who served as one of the three keynote speakers at the concert has cautioned that as camping begins here, all Liberians need to be calm during this period and after the elections.

He furthers that the widespread use of social media especially Facebook to spew out hatred on the basis of ethnicity needs to stop on grounds that it has the propensity to cause chaos.

He calls the October elections the biggest test to Liberia’s democracy, and warns citizens not to repeat what happened in 2011 that led to destruction of properties and also damaged lives.

The Nigerian philanthropist adds that Liberia’s path towards a developed country will be determined right after the October 10 elections result in terms of whether it will be greeted with violence or not.

He says not matter what the situation may be, Liberians should not get on the street by allowing politicians to use them to damage this beautiful country. Dr. Churchill reminds Liberians of the lot of investments that have been made in the country, and therefore warns that any attempt as citizens to listen to politicians and engage in violence right after October 10 will be the beginning of more setbacks to come.

In a brief remark, Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai cautioned citizens against engaging in any violent behavior during and after the conduct of the polls.He adds that the current peace Liberia enjoys came with a heavy price and therefore stresses the importance of maintaining it. ” I know Liberians are peace – loving and respectful people. And I trust their abilities to maintain this peace,” the Vice President says.
By Lewis S. Teh–Edited by Winston W. Parley