The Vice President of the Republic of Liberia, Jewel Howard Taylor, has called for the need to talk about the critical things at the right time in order to avoid conflict in the society.
She made the statement on Wednesday, August 17, 2022 at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex, Congo Town, during the Mano River Union (MRU) Women Conference, in commemoration of the 2022 National Kukatornon Peace Festival.
She said, “Democracy is not about elections but putting in place things that need to be done the right way; as such, everyone has their part to play in maintaining the peace.”
She emphasized that voter education is important and should be thought everyday to prepare for the 2023 elections, alarming that since the 2005 the National Elections Commission (NEC) has not been providing the public with civic and voter education, recommending the dissolution of NEC’s Civic Education Department.
She asserted that civil society organizations need to help carry out civic and voter education, in order for the 2023 legislative and presidential elections to be civil and for the peace to be maintained.
According to her, when the right things are not in place it causes serious crisis, and Liberian does not need crisis at this point in time, emphasizing the need to undertake the national population census on time so that elections can be considered free, fair and transparent.
“We must talk to the people and let them know what their responsibilities are, how they can vote and why they should vote that way.
“As we move toward 2023, we must remain on course, so that our country can continue to develop,” she stated.
“There are critical issues in our country and region that we should be looking at: strengthening our democracy, strengthening our homes, and strengthening our families,” she continued.
