MONROVIA — Ahead of October’s presidential and legislative elections in Liberia, Unity Party’s standard bearer, Joseph Boakai, has released his 10-page campaign manifesto.
By Selma Lomax, [email protected]
The manifesto titled, “Refocus and Rebrand to Rescue Liberia”, unveiled Boakai’s proposed plans to lead Liberia if elected as president.
The document, a copy of which is in the possession of FrontPageAfrica, itemized his plan for agriculture, which he described as the foundation of Liberia’s economy and plays a critical role not just in the national food economy but also serves as the main driver of economic development and source of employment for a large proportion of the Country’s labor force.
The former vice president said agriculture is a key source of foreign exchange earnings to drive growth, and serves as the main source of food security and poverty reduction. “The country has a comparative advantage in agricultural production with arable land comprising about 41 percent of the total land area,” Boakai said.
In addition to its rich freshwater resources, the UP standard bearer said each of the country’s 15 counties enjoys an abundant rainfall that naturally supports two production seasons. “Its primary agroecological zones are characterized by coastal plains and upper highlands, and lower tropical forests that make it suitable for both food and cash crops production,” as stated in Boakai’s manifesto.
“We will utilize our great agriculture potential to lift our people out of poverty and develop our country. Our :agriculture development agenda will be to promote agricultural mechanization to improve farmers’ access to using technologies in production that will make them grow more food and support farmers to increase production of the country’s main staple food crop.”
Also in Boakai’s manifesto is his “Build Liberia” mantra, promising to develop the country in the same manner as the contemporary developments evolving around Africa and in the world.
“We cannot just patch up, renovate and make do. It cannot just be business as usual—the old Liberian way. There should be standards, designs, and road-maps that are forward-looking; we must be purposeful and strategic in our thinking and actions,” he said.
Continuing, he added: “Development is about people and, as such, we must truly transform the quality of life of our people. We must develop rational human advancement programs and utilize the latest technologies and state-of the-arts in areas such as education, health, youth empowerment, communications and transportation, energy and the environment, agriculture and food security, and housing and human settlements.”
“We must attend to the critical issues of power (electricity), clean pipe-borne water and roads without which private investments will not be attracted. We must transform our rural communities, rebuild trusting communities, contain the rapid rural-to-urban migration of our youthful population, and reinvent our towns and cities.”
Promising to accentuate science and technology in a manner that enhances and speeds up the country’s national progress, Boakai said under his watch as president, the UP-led government will strive to have a critical mass of the country’s best, talented and dedicated sons and daughters, old and young, who are willing to be creative in their thinking about Liberia; passionate and patriotic in their love for country; deliberate and purposeful in their actions to build Liberia; and committed enough to lead Liberia at this critical point.
“We must also build a strong middle class as we strive to .empower the under-served. Anything less is unacceptable,” he says.
BOAKAI: “I will pave all highways connecting counties
Boakai, in his manifesto, also identified road connectivity as a critical infrastructure for the development of the country, adding that the availability of quality paved roads and railroads will unlock the potential of both our agriculture and tourism industries and spur commerce and industry.
“Our administration will focus on the followings to improve access to our country and make the lives of our people better: Reinforce appropriate investment in roads and bridges to expand access across the country continue the pavement of highways connecting county capitals to create easy access to all regions of our country.”
Boakai said a UP-led government will pave all highways connecting the country to neighboring countries in the region to enhance cross-border trade and interactions with our neighbors; and construct feeder roads throughout the country to enhance farmers’ access to local markets and enhance local agriculture development, and ensure proper management of the National Road Fund (NRF) to achieve its legislated mandate and establish a National Road Authority and give it oversight for implementation of the national road fund to realize its legal mandates.”
“The Unity Party began the process of rebuilding Liberia. The commendable gains made on the governance and justice fronts were only possible because of the UP-led government’s commitment to ensuring that Liberia becomes a better place for all. Unfortunately, six years of poor governance has reversed those gains and the country continues to deteriorate in the dungeons of bad governance.”
As enshrined in the manifesto, the UP said as it gears up to retake state power, there is a need for a renewed and vigorous commitment to revive the governance and justice systems for a better Liberia Despite inheriting a failed system in 2006 which undermined Liberia’s progress on the governance and rule of law fronts.
“The Unity Party was committed to 12 years of building a nation premised on governance and the rule of law. However, having heavily invested in governance and the rule of law in 12 years, the last 6 years witnessed a complete breakdown in governance and the rule of law.”
“In spite of the current breakdown in systems, the UP-led government commits to restoring good governance and the rule of law. We will resume compliance with international conventions and protocols that will drive the nation forward. All aspects of good governance and the rule of law will be promoted with no deference to favoritism for any social status, but for the good of every Liberian.”
Boakai added that a UP-led government will avoid and discourage elitism to governance, by using the resources to foster and promote values such as, individual and collective freedom, tolerance and equality to avoid marginalization and alienation that trigger disgruntlement and insecurity.
“The Unity Party-led government shall implement policies to enhance good governance, justice and the rule of law and engender a foreign policy regime based on Liberia’s strategic national interests.”
“We will seek to improve our governance process and ensure the rule of law is adhered to in the following areas: improve foreign relations and strengthen global engagement and strengthen national security to guarantee safe environment.”
The UP-led government, according to its manifesto, has committed itself to creating a secured environment for Liberians by ensuring national security agencies are well funded, trained and equipped to provide a safe environment for citizens and foreign residents.
“We are committed to adequately fund the rule of law and security sectors to enhance their capacities to effectively discharge their duties and responsibilities”
The UP-led government, meanwhile, also committed itself to empowering the Drug Enforcement Agency and other relevant security agencies to increase their capacity and ability in its drive to fight against the importation, abuse and addiction of illicit/illegal drugs/substances that are destroying a large portion of the youthful population of our country.