Dual citizenship campaigners plead with lawmakers

The Union of Liberians in the Americas Association (ULAA) says it is here to lobby and seek lawmakers’ support for a dual citizenship only for natural born Liberians.

“It’s no other people but our own Liberian brothers and sisters that left from here for the war, and they come back. Those are the people we are advocating for on the bill,” ULAA Board Chair Mr. George Toto told a press conference Tuesday, 1 May on Capitol Hill.

He has extends thanks to Grand Cape Mount County Sen. Varney Sherman for championing the bill, saying Sen. Sherman has given him the opportunity to greet the Senate and plead with most of the Senators on the need to give their support for the Dual Citizenship Bill.

Mr. Toto says he is on a mission in Liberia to lobby and seek lawmakers’ support for the passage of a Dual Citizenship Bill specifically for natural – born Liberians which they have been proposing since former President Ellen Johnson – Sirleaf’s first term.

He reminds the citizenry that some natural – born Liberians left the country and went in other parts of the world and that due to economic reasons, they took citizenship of those countries.

Mr. Toto clearifies that ULAA is not advocating for non – negro descent who Liberia’s Constitution denies citizenship, but Liberians who want to come back to contribute to development here.

He says the second aspect of the bill advocates against the denial of Liberian citizenship to children born by a union of Liberian women and whiten men. According to Mr. Toto, ULAA is reaching out in the communities and it intends to go in the rural areas to talk to the local population on the campaign.

By Winston W. Parley