-As Liberians welcome the New Year of CDC gov’t
Churches and other places of worship across Liberia were packed Monday morning 1st January with thousands of people praising God for seeing the dawn of the New Year 2018.
So too were night clubs and bars crowded with merry makers feeling excited having crossed over into a new year, with the nation having successfully held a peaceful democratic elections just less than a week ago.
International and local election observers hailed the December 26, 2017 polls as transparent and credible.
The historic election, which is expected to see the ushering in of the first peaceful democratic transition in 73 years, brings to the presidency populist football icon-turned politician George Manneh Weah of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC).
Weah’s massive win last week is credited largely to the grownsell of support from rank and file Liberians referred to as “grassrooters”, the bulk of whom are youths.
And coming with this groundswell of support is a groundswell of expectations, as the 12-year-old Unity Party-led government of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf whose deputy, Joseph Boakai got defeated in the just-ended runoff.
It is against this backdrop that a Liberian Christian cleric is urging his compatriots to manage their expectations, in the wake of the election of a grass root political party (CDC) to head the new government come this January.
The Rev. John Monger, Pastor of the Ministry of Truth Judah Assembly in Monrovia said over the weekend that the election of a new government does not mean that the surge in the exchange rate between the Liberian and United States Dollars will reduce.
In his end of the year sermon, the Church leader said the election was behind the country and that citizens should now use their talents, skills and knowledge to improve their lives.
Rev. Monger called on the Liberian people to be mindful of their expectations, because the government alone will not be able to solve the prevailing economic situation in the country.
The Liberian cleric called for national reconciliation, urging Liberians to rally around the newly elected President Weah, in order to move this country forward.
Achieving reconciliation and fighting corruption were two of the things outgoing President Sirleaf has admitted that her government has failed to achieve in the past 12 years.
Rev. Monger called on managers of the Liberian economy to discuss the possibility of addressing the inflation rate in the country in order to reduce the sufferings of ordinary people.
A report released recently by the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) said inflation has increased to nearly 12%. Report by Augustine Octavius