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Headlines
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Written by Roland Davis
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Tuesday, 10 July 2012 03:33 |
The Chairman on Governance Commission (GC), Dr. Amos C. Sawyer, has called for the re-visitation of portions of the Liberian Constitution regarding the tenure of elected officials including of president, senators and representatives, among others.
Dr. Sawyer said the six-year tenure for President and representatives, nine-year tenure for senators are too much or long, stressing the need to reduce them.
He expressed the belief that if this is done, it would give other qualified Liberians the opportunity in the political arena to exhibit their leadership abilities and will also demonstrate the existence of total democracy in the country.
Dr. Sawyer who chaired the 1986 Constitution Draft Committee explained that four-year tenure for president and representatives and six-year tenure for senators were stipulated in the draft “but this provision was later changed to the current tenures by the Constitutional Assembly that reversed the Constitution in Gbanrga.”
Dr. Sawyer made the statement Saturday when he served as one of the speakers at a day-long consultative forum organized by the Congress for Democratic change (CDC), on mainstream political parties into governance electoral and constitutional reforms. The forum was held at the National Headquarters of the CDC in Congo Town.
The one-day political dialogue forum also brought together over 12 political parties in the country including the ruling Unity Party (UP).
In his open remarks, the political leader of the CDC, Ambassador George M. Weah, said it was time that all Liberian politicians to put their differences aside and put the interest of the country first so that Liberia can move forward in its development process.
Mr. Weah stated that the forum was necessary because it will help guide the National Elections Commission (NEC) in handling electoral activities in a fair and transparent manner for the benefit of the country and its people.
He claimed that many election activities conducted by the NEC over the years, especially during the 2005 and 2011, were never done transparently.
Ambassador Weah said he is supportive of calls for the current tenure of elected officials to be reduced.
Also at the forum was Unity Party’s deputy secretary general, B. Miller Catakaw, who lauded the idea of organizing such a forum especially an opposition political party describing it as necessary.
Catakaw then pledged the UP’s support to the initiative, adding that the UP will ensure the implementation of outcome of the forum.
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