Ellen pleads for unity

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has pleaded with Liberians for unity and togetherness, urging the citizenry to think about the unity that the late President William V.S. Tubman brought to Liberia, as they memorialize him.

President Sirleaf told journalists on Sunday, 29 November at the Centennial Memorial Pavilion on Ashmum Street where the longest- serving Liberian president’s grave lies, that it was because of the unity among the citizenry that Liberia enjoys peace.

After laying wreaths on the tomb of the late President, President Sirleaf noted that Liberia remembers Tubman for the Unification Policy and the togetherness that he promoted during his 27- year rule.

Family members, including main opposition Congress for Democratic Change’s 2011 presidential candidate, Cllr. Winston A. Tubman and Robert Tubman, were on the grounds of the Centennial Memorial Pavilion.

“And we hope that as we memorialize him today we will think about his life; we’ll think about what he represented; we’ll think about the unity that he brought to our land,” President Sirleaf urged.

After recognizing the Tubman’s family “for what they have done over the years,” Mrs. Sirleaf said the recognition was not only on the basis of the family’s own contributions, but also to the great memory of the late president.

On behalf of the Government and people of Liberia, she deposited a reeve on Tubman’s “living remains to his everlasting memory.” Speaking on behalf of the family, Mr. Robert Tubman recalled how the late president “worked assiduously for 27 years,” citing the construction of the three branches of government on Capitol Hill, the Freeport of Monrovia, roads, the Mount Coffey dam and water system as some of his works during his 27-year rule.

He suggested that Liberians prioritize togetherness as a people, warning that division and disagreement can help destroy whatever the people have. “If you are not together, no matter what you have – you know if we have disagreement it can be destroyed. So our first priority is to make sure we come together as a people and this is what we’re working on,” he said.

By Winston W. Parley-Edited by George Barpeen