LMI PRESS RELEASE
At LMI’s Public Forum DUCOR DEBATES on Youth sensitive role in keeping
Liberia’s Peace during and after the 2011 Elections, U.S. Ambassador
denounces claims of fraud
in first round of elections on October 11.
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Monrovia Liberia….Wed. Oct. 26, 2011… Panelists at the Liberia Media
Initiative for Peace Democracy and Development (LMI) media and
community outreach blended public forum, DUCOR DEBATES with focus on
the role of Liberian youths in maintaining Liberia’s Peace and
progress during and after the country’s current elections have called
on youths to resist all attempts on violence by players in the
upcoming run-off elections.
This latest version of DUCOR DEBATE which sat at the Parker Paint
Community Junction in Paynesville City outside Monrovia recently
gathered as guest panelists, U.S. Ambassador to Liberia, H.E. Linda
Thomas Greenfield, the Establishment Coordinator of the Angie Brookes
International Center Cllr. Yvette Chesson Wureh, Former Planning and
Economic Affairs Minister, Amelia Ward, Liberian Women Activist, Ruth
Caeser, Federation of Liberian Youths President Prince Korvah and
Paramount Young Women Executive Director, Kulah Fofannah.
Opening the panel discussions, the establishment coordinator of the
Angie Brookes International Center , Cllr. Chesson Wureh told
hundreds of youths in the audience that maintaining Liberia’s peace
and current progress was in their best interest as in her words, “
the generation of the 1990’s had been grossly abused and disadvantaged
by violence”. Cllr. Wureh said Liberia was destroyed by years of
civil which major conduit of violence was the youth sector.
She appealed to youths to youths on all sides of the political divides
in the country’s current electoral process to avoid being used for
violence of any kind as a means settling disputes arising out of the
elections.
For U.S. Ambassador, Linda Thomas Greenfield, she denounced claims of
fraud by the opposition saying the first round of the elections were
free fair and transparent. Greenfield said the fact that the elections
even had to go for a run-off between the incumbent and the opposition
points to fair play in the process. The U.S. Ambassador using other
countries as hypothetical cases of elections rigging mentioned that
incumbents would have 70—90 % win over the opposition. She said
International and local observers had declared the elections as free
and fair and she wouldn’t doubt them, describing such observers as
credible.
The other panelists, Former Ministers, Olubankie King Akerele and
Amelia Ward, Women Activist, Ruth Caeser, Youth Activists, Kulah
Fofannah and Prince Korvah said youths should use the proper channels
to deal with grievances especially during and after these elections.
The courts they said was the constitutional and best way to go. As
usual, the broadcast of the deliberations from the latest DUCOR
DEBATES has begun and is continuing on our partner network of 42
National and Community Electronic Media outlets across Liberia.
THE LMI FIGHTING TO SUSTAIN LIBERIA’S DEMOCRACY.
JOHN O. KOLLIE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR