PHOTO: Rev. Augustine S. Akoi
The President of the Better Future Foundation (BFF), Augustine S. Arkoi, says successful conduct of the crucial 2023 presidential and legislative elections will be the real litmus test for sustainable peace, democracy and development in Liberia.
He was speaking recently at the installation program of the new leadership of the Liberia Council of Churches (LCC), in the edifice of the Providence Baptist Church on Ashmun Street in Monrovia.
Rev. Arkoi pointed out that the Liberia Council of Churches (LCC), and its umbrella group, the Interreligious Council of Liberia, must remain constructively engaged with Liberian Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), to ensure that Liberia’s constitutional requirements, and other necessary processes leading to the 2023 presidential and legislative elections, including civic and voters education, provision of adequate funding for the National Elections Commission (NEC) among others are timely executed.
The BFF President emphasized that the conduct of national census, constituencies demarcation, and the cleaning up of NEC’s controversial Final Registered Roll (FRR), as previously recommended by the Supreme Court of Liberia, and subsequently backed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and other stakeholders are fully implemented.
The BFF Chief Executive Officer (CEO) further asserted that LCC, CSOs and other stakeholders, with the support of global development partners, must also employ effective monitoring mechanisms aimed at ensuring that the 2023 polls meet acceptable international benchmarks as it relates to the conduct of free, fair, transparent and credible elections.
Rev. Arkoi who is also a founding member and current Deputy Secretary General of the Civil Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform of Liberia, challenged the LCC, particularly its newly inducted leadership, headed by Rev/Dr. Samuel B. Reeves, President, Bishop Samuel J. Quire, 1st Vice President, Rev. Sanjee Abioseh Septer, 2nd Vice President and Mr. Emmanuel D. Howe, Treasurer to, at all times, be cognizant and conscious of the Church’s parental duty to the Liberian State, as evidenced by the historic signing of the country’s Declaration of Independence in the Providence Baptist about nearly two centuries ago.
According to Rev. Arkoi, proponent of Liberia Democracy Sustainability Platform (DSP), which seeks to inspire national consensus building; the Church, by virtue of its parental disposition must, at all times, cater to the State and all of its people.
Rev. Arkoi further reminded the national gathering of clergymen/women, local and foreign dignitaries, among others that Liberia is endowed with an unparalleled socio-political heritage as evidenced by the fact that it is the Church that gave birth to this nation nearly 200 years ago.
According to Mr. Arkoi, the CSOs, as a principal validator of good governance, peace, and social justice remains fully engaged and resolute to always compliment the development initiatives of the Church, International Community and the Government to ensure that Liberia remains on a progressive path towards sustainable peace, security and prosperity.
Most importantly, Rev. Arkoi stressed that, as part of meeting the transparency benchmark for credible elections, the Church and CSOs must collaborate to ensure a level-playing field for all candidates; monitoring of campaign financing, as well as accountability and equitable distribution of state resources for the benefit of all Liberians.
It can be recalled that LCC, under its previous leadership, then, headed by Bishop Kortu K. Brown, successfully collaborated with BFF over the years, as a focus point for Liberian Civil Society.
Such collaboration involving the LCC and BFF, over the years led to successful mediations and amicable resolution of crosscutting issues of national significance that impacted various institutions and groups including, among other, the then standoff between the Government and an estimated 77,000 public sector workers, which then bordered on demand for payment of salary arrears and other benefits due them, at the time by the central government.
Among the dignitaries who graced the occasion were the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America accredited near Monrovia, Michael A. McCarthy; Vice President of the Republic of Liberia, Chief/Dr. Jewel Howard Taylor; members of the diplomatic corps, among others.