Editorial: Keeping the peace is the duty of all Liberians

Regardless of which political party you belong to or what county and tribe you come from, keeping the current fragile peace should be the primary duty of all Liberians.

The growing political tension in the country and rhetoric can only take us closer to conflict and violence then we can ever imagine.

The building of private armies amidst the discoveries of arms and ammunition are signs that we are nearing the conflict point and there is no denying that.

But lest we forget, violence and conflict have never solved our problems. It has only worsened our condition as an impoverished country and takes away the beauty of our youths turning children into soldiers and little girls into mothers.

The scars of the recent 14 years of conflict are still visible on our streets and in our schools and even permeating our governing system.

That is why we should as a people endeavour to do all we can to maintain the peace regardless.

Peace, as they say, is not just the absence of war. It requires hard work and constant attention. Building peace from a fragile standpoint entails embracing and respecting divergences of views.

Therefore, as we prepare to hold our fourth post-war democratic elections, we must agree to disagree. People of the same household can never share similar views and we must accept that.

We should insist on resolving our differences and disagreements through healthy debates and not through violent means.

We must learn from our immediate past. And if there is any country in the sub-region that understands the effects and consequences of war, Liberians do, and no one should ever dream of taking this nation back to its ugly past.

Being a refugee in another country is the most inhumane experience and no country on the other hand in this day and age is prepared to go through another experience to host Liberians as refugees.

Thus, we must continue to remind ourselves as Liberians that in all that we do or say during this electioneering period, Liberia is the only country that we can never be deported from.

Therefore, keeping the peace should be our primary objective as we embark upon this process.