Africa-Press – Liberia. Former Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai says peace can never be enjoyed by Liberians when public officials continue to live extravagant lifestyles and news of mysterious deaths and disappearance of people remain the order of the day.
“As long as there are these criminal acts on the job, people will continue to suffer, so we pray for the churches to stand and I know they are standing,” Amb. Boakai said.
Speaking Thursday, September 16, at a peace conference held by the Liberia Council of Churches in Monrovia, Boakai said citizens had never been peaceful as being perceived, because the economic hardship remains high, while violence against women and girls continue to persist.
He said though citizens across the country are trying to live in peace, it is impossible because citizens cannot bear the pinch of harassment and insecurity in the various community.
He told officials of the Christian community that these vices, couple with a reported mysterious death and sexual and gender-based violence among women and girls have everyone in the country, including himself vulnerable.
“We are aware of the problems, but we cannot do anything now, because we are not in power. Those who are in power must do the right things to ensure we all live in peace because you and myself are vulnerable,” former VP Boakai said.
He wants the current administration to stand up against these vices by putting in place the requisite mechanisms that will prevent crimes against citizens in the country. Boakai also wants the Christian community to stand up against situations ongoing that are thwarting peace from being enjoyed by citizens.
“The way our country is going right now, we just thank God for a Christian community which has decided to remain peaceful, because you can’t live peaceful in a country where there is social distancing and it’s difficult to get daily bread, where parents are not able to pay their children school fees,” he noted.
Boakai who is the Standard Bearer of the former ruling Unity Party, which is one of the four members forming the Collaborating Political Parties said the current internal wrangling within the CPP is a result of interference from those outside the collaboration and others who are in the diaspora.
“The fact that CPP seems to be for the people of Liberia, you will also have to understand that it is made of four political parties with different individuals. You will have to understand that there are people who don’t want to see the CPP succeed.
They will do everything to obstruct the objective of the CPP,” Boakai noted. According to him, despite the current political wrangling leaders of the party, must now muster the courage to address them, if they must all win together.
Boakai reminded his colleagues that they must be aware that any problem that affects the CPP will also affect those who are in Liberia and not those outside the country, as such the need to amicable find a way to address them is important.
The former Vice President further maintained that most of the problems confronting the CPP are behind just political leaders, but include supporters and others in the diaspora who cares less about what happens in the country. Meanwhile, Boakai has assured members of the CPP that as a peaceful man, he will ensure that peace reigns within the CPP to focused on their goal.
