The National Traditional Council and the National Peacebuilding Office at the Internal Affairs Ministry are calling for a national peace and reconciliation conference geared towards healing a divided country, following a highly contested poll.
The traditional rulers and the national peacebuilding office believe that the country is “deeply divided” on political, ethnic or tribal, regional or sectional line, following the highly contested elections which saw the governing party, the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) bowing down to the opposition Unity Party (UP) as winner.
Council’s spokesman, Matthew Smith, told the media yesterday in Monrovia that Chief Zanzan Karwor and team are planning a nationwide tour at any moment for a national peace and reconciliation program, intended to bring together various stakeholders of the political divide, following a bitter electoral process.
Smith said with the “deeply divided” country, the chiefs and elder’s council, known as traditional rulers, is concerned about the future of tomorrow’s people, which, if not handled now, could have an effect on the population.
In the same token, Edward Mulbah, Head of the National Peacebuilding Office at the Internal Affairs Ministry, also called for a national conference intended to heal the wounds which have divided the country either on political, social, or economic lines.
He stressed the need for both the outgoing and incoming regimes and leaders to cultivate such initiative for national peace and unity, for the general good of the country and its people, stating that elections are events that come and go, but the country remains.
During the course of the elections, there was bitterness among rival political parties, mainly the present and former governing parties, the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and that of the Unity Party (UP), which led to so many acrimonious divisions among family members and friends.
This also affected the various professional bodies, like the National Health Workers, National Teachers Association, Universities’ Teachers Union, as well as the governmental sector called the Civil Servants Association, among other professional groupings.
Until now, the bitterness still continues, despite the polls ending and transition process of handling authority over to the incoming administration by the outgoing being put into action.
