PRESS RELEASE ZEE-MAANEH------------------------------------------------------------------ZEE-MAANEH (PEACE AND ENJOYMENT) Monrovia Liberia…Friday November Nov. 28, 2014 …Dozens of Rural people of TODEE District in Montserrado, one of the 15 counties of Liberia have interacted in a DIALOGUE styled DEBATE with three of the 11 candidates in the senatorial race for the county in the special senatorial electoral polls now set for December 16, 2014. They did so on Tuesday. The NYEHN Town gathering was part of a constitution review sensitive year long public forum series on Liberia’s ongoing constitutional review exercise with support from the National Endowment for Democracy, NED. At the town of NYEHN in Todee statutory district, Nathaniel BLAMA of the Liberia National Union LINU Party, and Miatta FAHNBULLEH and Christopher NEYOR, both independent candidates dialogued and debated their platforms for their ambition to enter the Liberian Senate. It all began with Christopher NEYOR, an acclaimed international energy expert, restating what he said was his earlier opposition to the conduct of the special senatorial elections in the midst of the continuing EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE in Liberia, but he was quick to add that he decided to participate in the elections to change the situation. Moving on to his platform NEYOR named education as his top priority. He said Liberia’s education system is in shambles and needs laws and policies to change the situation. “I am going to the senate to advocate for a blend of vocation and academics for young Liberians” said NEYOR. He boasted of being the single largest benefactor of scholarships in Liberia, something another candidate, World football Legend George WEAH has also boasted of doing. NEYOR’s other priority he said is health. He alarming that lack of attention and political will by successive elected officials of the Liberian Government has rendered the health sector ineffective for any good service. NEYOR said it was a shame for Liberian leaders to be seeking medical treatment abroad rather than putting money in the health sector. Such situation, NEYOR said has led to what he called the shamefully pronounced break down of the system by president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the face of the EBOLA outbreak. Mr. NEYOR’s third line of priority is what he calls the economic empowerment of Liberians. He said Liberian leaders have only paid lip service to the creation of wealth for Liberians. “We must do something for our people’s lives to change for the better. There are just to many poor people in this country because our leaders have failed to put our economy in our hands” he said. NEYOR argued that there need to be laws and policies that give Liberians the upper hand in the production and importation of all essential goods including the country’s staple, rice. At the moment he said all are in the hands of foreigners at the disadvantage of suffering Liberians. On the ongoing constitution review, NEYOR suggests the radical reduction in the tenures of elected officials. At the moment, the president and representatives are elected for six year terms, while senators go for nine years. NEYOR wants reduction to four years for President and representatives and six years for senators. NEYOR also addressed citizenship clauses in the Liberian constitution. The 1986 revised constitution of Liberia forbids people of non negro descent from being citizens in Liberia and denies dual citizenship to Liberians. On these, NEYOR thinks the economic conditions of Liberians must be addressed and improved before allowing citizenship to non-negroes because he says Liberia’s wealth is the hands of foreigners at the moment. On dual citizenship, NEYOR argues that Liberians wanting dual citizenship should only be given such for economic reasons and not be allowed to hold electable and political offices. Our second discussant, candidate Nathaniel BLAMA on his platform was not significantly different from NEYOR. He stressed Education as his top priority too. BLAMA accused current and past leaders of keeping Liberia underdeveloped on purpose adding that those who have kept Liberia this way would like to perpetuate the same conditions. He said Liberians have been kept in the dark as a result of the denial of standard education for too long. “We need change and I can and will champion this change in the Liberian senate” BLAMA promised. BLAMA said he will proffer bills to uplift grass root rural communities like Todee through massive scholarships schemes and free education for the rural poor. On the constitution review and controversial provisions especially about citizenship, BLAMA disagreed with NEYOR. He said it was time that Liberia opened its citizenship to people of non –negro descent describing the country’s constitution as the only racist one in today’s World. He said the World has transcended citizenship based on race creed and religion and as such Liberia must match up. BLAMA said racist hinge on denial of citizenship to non-negroes was a result of what he described as lack of guts on the part of weak Liberian leaders and elites to empower poorer Liberians in readiness for opening up citizenship. On dual citizenship, BLAMA partially agreed with NEYOR that Liberians who have taken on other citizenships should only be given economic citizenship rights, meaning having no right to vote or hold public offices. For our third discussant, veteran musician, Miatta FAHNBULLEH, she intriguingly thrilled the audience with her talks of having sung all her life for change in Liberia and yet not meeting her objective. At this point FAHNBULLEH said it is time that she enters the Liberian senate to champion the cause of creating a better life for Liberia. FAHBULLEH also named education as her top priority saying that scholarships from politicians to poor children of Liberia were not the way out. She contended that Liberian children’s education was a responsibility of the government and should not betreated as a good will on the part of political leaders. All three of the candidates exchanged frank views with their audience of more than 200 rural people at NYEHN TODEE. The audience was also mainly concerned about education followed by health and general welfare improvement. As ever the deliberations from the forums are now being broadcast on the LMDI’s partner network of 45 National and Rural Community electronic media outlets across Liberia. Please follow us on our website at lmdilr.org and also visit our face book page at Liberia Media for Democratic initiatives (LMDI)2. You can send comment to [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected] and [email protected] THE DIALOGUE is generally in association with LONE STAR CELL MTN across Liberia. Signed: John O. Kollie DIRECTOR
Posted on: Fri, 28 Nov 2014 18:53:25 +0000
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