A local group, National Wings of Success Pastoral Network INC, cautions would-be protesters here to put Liberia first in their planned demonstrations on June 07.
“We are not against the Constitution, neither the group planning to protest, because the Constitution gives everyone the right to peacefully assemble, but let them be reminded that Liberia belongs to every citizen, and as such, the interest of the state should be first during the time of protest”, it stresses.
Reading a three-page press statement in the edifice of the Children of Light Chapel in Old Plank Field, Frog Island community, Paynesville Red-light, the President of the group, Bishop G. Sylvester G.T. Wallace says the impending protest is something that is cardinal to the peace of the country, so the Network does not support such protest.
Bishop Wallace notes though organizers of the protest say their plan is predicated on prevailing economic situation in the country, the Pastoral Network wants all Liberians to get involve, including the government, protesters and well-meaning citizens in finding a solution to the economic situation that has created hardship in the country for which some citizens want to take the streets.
“We respect the protesters; they are citizens and we strongly believe that they will listen for us to sit around the table to dialogue in order to let go of the planned June 7 protest”, he asserts.
According to the Bishop, the Network comprises of 3,500 pastors from all 15 political sub-divisions of Liberia, saying the love for country remains key in the heart of the Network, and it should not in any way be over looked.
He continues that as a Christian organization that works with pastors across the country, they cannot remain silent when there are troubling statements on the air waves.
He emphasizes the current peace Liberians are enjoying cannot be sustained in the midst of conflict, adding that the Network wants to call for a peaceful dialogue among amongst protesters under the banner Council of Patriots, the government through the leadership of the governing Coalition for Democratic Change, national youth leaders, the Liberia Council of Churches, and Traditional Leaders, among others to formulate strategies through which they can all converge to save the country from another bloodshed.
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“As you may be aware, peace is one of the values that is costly and cannot be bought; therefore the one we all are enjoying today was obtained through the grace of God, and as such it must remain in order to improve the citizens’ lives”, Bishop Wallace pleads.
Recently, President George Manneh Weah met with protest leaders in Monrovia and asked to present their concerns, but the leadership under the banner Council of Patriots insists they will do so during their June 7th assembly. By Lewis S. Teh–Editing by Jonathan Browne
