Key Points Outlined By Presidential Debaters, As The 2nd Presidential Debate Set For Gbarnga This Friday
By Frank Sainworla, Jr., fsainworla@yahoo.com
At the first 2023 presidential debate in Monrovia on Tuesday, seven presidential candidates have been outlining their platforms and telling the Liberian people what they will do to improve the lives of citizens and address the enormous challenges facing the nation if elected in the October 10 elections.
The seven candidates- Allen Brown, Baindu Kromah, IND (one of the two female contenders in the race), Jashua Turner (NLP), Simeon Freeman (Movement for Progressive Change (MPC), Sheikh Kouyateh (LFM), Richard Miller (LFP) and Edward Appleton (GDM)—showed up for the October 3, 2023 debate held at the EJS Ministerial Complex in Monrovia’s Congo Town suburb, while three other invitees incumbent President George Manneh Weah of the CDC, Joseph Boakai of the main opposition UP and Alexander Cummings of the CPP stayed away.
Weah, Boakai and Cummings’ absence drew serious public concern, but the debate organizers say all the other 20 candidates will have a second opportunity to face their political rivals in the second and final slated for this Friday, October 6 in Gbarnga, central Liberia.
Organized by a consortium of Liberian media and leading civil society organizations with support from Internews/USAID, Tuesday’s debate is the first of two major presidential debates for all candidates.
The initiative is part of support for electoral democracy in Liberia and the entire debate that ran for about three hours was broadcast live on many radio stations including the state radio, ELBC and streamed on KMTV and other Social Media platforms.
Attended by a cross-section of Liberians, foreign diplomats, international and local election observers, the debate saw the seven presidential candidates stating how they are best suited to address the challenges facing Liberia in the areas of education, agriculture, health, infrastructure, the rule of law, peace and reconciliation, youth empowerment, corruption as well as gender and inclusion.
Takeaways from the seven candidates in Tuesday’s debate
Allen Brown (Liberia Restoration Party-LRP):
- Prices of rice and other basic imports are too high and he promised to make deal with importers of petroleum and rice importers to reduce prices and improve the reduce cost of transportation
- Agriculture needs to be improved and he looks at agriculture in terms of globalization
- Allen Brown says he up for “politics of neutrality and civility”
- “Our people are facing serious challenges, I stand with the downtrodden”
- There is a serious possibility that the election will be marked by electoral violence
Bendu Kromah (INDEPENDENT):
- “Women will take control of our country”
- Citizens need to come together and rebuild Liberia
- “We need to put more women into power, elect people who love Liberia”
- The educational system is broken-
- “Peace is so important. People who break the law must be dealt with”
- She criticizes Pres. Weah for allegedly allowing narcotic drugs including “kush” to take over Liberia under his watch
Richard Miller (Liberia for Prosperity-LFP):
- Liberian people are frustrated and he promised to transform frustration into hope for the future
- His education (Master’s degree) and experience makes him best suited to lead the country
- Track record as an entrepreneur—construction business and farming across the country
- Liberians need to the root causes of the Liberian civil war
- He promises not to appoint former warlords in his government, if elected
- Plans to focus on manufacturing so that Liberia can be a big exporter
Joshua Tom Turner (New Liberia Party-NLP):
- Plans to industrialize Liberia-putting 80% of the people to work, only 20% have gainful employment
- Will bring back “made in Liberia”- instead of spending huge foreign exchange on importing commodities made in Ghana and other countries
- Will introduce mechanize farming to turn the agriculture sector around
- Vows not to call for a national referendum to amend Article 97 of the Liberian constitution which exempt former 1980 coup leaders and their associates from prosecution
- Promises to build jail/prison in every community, corruption will be nonbailable
- Liberian constitution is crucial in helping to stabilize the country
- Will set up special tribunals to prosecute perpetrators of crimes against the people
- Supports system to hack personal data
- “We have the best ideas”
Sheikh Kouyateh (Liberia First Movement-LFM):
- Commits to peace in Liberia, though “we have no assurances of free and fair elections”
- “No matter the differences, Liberia should come first”
- Key pillars are reconciliation, empowerment and accountability
- There can be no reconciliation without justice
- Wants retributive justice
Simeon Freeman (Movement for Progressive Change-MPC):
- “Health sector will be privately run but publicly funded”
- Will shut down the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, but provide concrete support to improve the conditions of women and children
- A CDC partisan has been made head of NEC
- Will use local existing criminal courts to prosecute warlord and those who committed crimes during Liberia’s civil war
- “It’s a lazy argument to think that we need a war & economic crimes court”
- He doesn’t support hacking of people’s personal data
- He has resilience and has stayed in the country over the years, “NEC not very impressive and the peace of the country largely rests in the hands of the elections commission”
Edward Appleton (Grassroots Development Movement (GDM):
- Will declare “war on corruption and drugs”
- Education will help reduce poverty
- Will review current teachers training programs
- He’s in for free education in Liberia
Meanwhile, the Chief of Party of Internews Liberia, Ms. Lien Bach has emphasized that the debates would help “increase the engagement of citizens in the elections, and bring about improved election processes that ensure trust in the future and promote a peaceful election.”
The 2023 presidential debate organizing consortium includes the Liberia Media for Democratic Initiatives (LMDI), the Center for Media Studies and Peacebuilding (CEMESP), the Amos C. Sawyer Foundation, the Association of Community Radios (ALICOR), Local Voices Liberia, and the Female Journalists Association of Liberia (FeJAL), among others.