THE CHANGE OF government, scheduled to take place on January 22, 2024, is now the priority of Liberians, including political stakeholders and the ordinary masses. Responding to this change of government, Liberians are increasingly calling for a government of inclusion. Perhaps the first political leader to do this was Albert Chie, Pro-Tempore of the Liberian Senate. Now the former President of the Liberia Council of Churches, Bishop Dr. Kortu K. Brown, has reechoed the call, calling on President-elect Ambassador Joseph Boakai to run an effective and inclusive government in order to foster development, in the interest of the country.
ACCORDING TO THE former LCC President, a government of inclusion will help the people of the fifteen sub-divisions of the country and will make the ordinary citizen to feel the impact of the national cake, instead of a regional or Monrovia-based government. Dr. Brown asserted that the National Policy on Decentralization and Local Governance was launched in 2012, and was subsequently included into the Local Government Act in 2018 by President George M. Weah. The aim of taking governance closer to the people in rural parts of the country is to ensure greater participation of the people in their own development process as well as an equitable distribution of the country’s resources, which aligns with the first pillar of the poverty reduction strategy of the then Unity Party government.
DR. BROWN REMINDED that the in-coming Unity Party government, led by former Vice President Ambassador Joseph N. Boakai, who also served under former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as Vice President for twelve (12) years, is no stranger to running an effective and functional government as President-elect Boakai takes power on January 22, 2024.
BISHOP KORTU K. BROWN asserted that there is no county in Liberia owned by a political party; as such, President-elect Ambassador Boakai and the cabinet ministers appointed by him should cut across the fifteen counties of the Liberia.
THE FORMER PRESIDENT of Liberia Council of Churches pointed out that President-elect Ambassador Boakai should not appoint people on the basis of “political reward”, but rather his appointments should be on the basis of competence, effectiveness, experience and love for country.
BISHOP DR. BROWN cautioned the President-elect to run a wholesome and functional government that will not only be based in Montserrado County but a government for every Liberian, regardless of their religious, political and tribal background, and not government that will be selective to enrich family members, friends and partisans.