Monrovia – As part of its non-electoral violence campaign, the National Youth Movement for Transparent Elections (NAYMOTE), in collaboration with the Liberia National Police (LNP) has conducted and interactive forum in Clara Town, Bushrod Island aimed as sensitizing residents of the community to desist from acts of violence as Liberia gears up for the 2017 poll.
Speaking at the opening the forum, NAYMOTE Executive Director, Eddie Jarwolo noted that the exercise, as part of NAYMOTE peace building program, is also geared towards building citizens’ trust in the LNP and to discuss strategies that have put in place to ensure peaceful elections.
“We are aware that whenever there is elections violence, there can be interaction between the citizens and the Police.
So we are having these types of community engagements to allow the community dwellers interact with the Police on strategies that the LNP have put forth.
How do citizens who are not satisfied engage with the LNP, how do we make sure that citizens can build trust in the LNP; and how do we all realize that election violence is not the way forward?” Jarwolo noted.
Referring to the 2017 Kenya elections violence, he pointed out that elections violence has been very chaotic across the world, and such it was important to take proactive steps that would curb any act of elections violence.
Also speaking, the Chief Superintendent of Police and Deputy Chief of Community Services, Samuel Ford asserted that the LNP, under the leadership of Col. Gregory Coleman is doing everything to gain the public trust.
Ford averred that the assignment of three LNP officers at each political party is one of the measures put in place by the LNP to ensure that the electoral process is void of violence, noting that the officers are not assigned as partisans, but liaisons between the political parties and the LNP.
He called on the electorates to desist from acts of violence and support the Police in ensuring the elections are void of any act of unrest.
“The Police have a cardinal role to play in these elections; and that is to sustain the peace by protecting lives and properties. And every citizen has the right to participate in elections, so no partisans should tear other candidates’ posters,” he noted.
Millas Z. Sheriff, the Coalition for Democratic Change National Youth League’s Vice Chairman for Planning, Policy and Programs, described the October elections as a historic event because it will be the first time in 44 years a sitting President would turn over the gavel of leadership to another elected government; and called on young people to not be used by politicians to get in any act of violence.
“Young people are often used by hard core politicians to engage in acts of violence, this time it should not happen,” stressing that what is important is upholding the peace.
He lauded the LNP for instituting measures that is gaining back the public trust; something he said did not happen in the past elections.
Representing the youths of Clara Town, Moses Z. Numeni intoned that slum communities are often seen as places of violence and mischief, something he noted is not true. He admonished his fellow youth to not be fooled by politicians, adding “the people of Clara Town have resolved to uphold the peace”.