Less than a week before Liberians decide who becomes their next president, a Liberian Imam based in the United States has called on members of the public to vote according to their conscience.
He said Liberia needs a president that will improve its broken health system through building affordable and decent hospitals and clinics across the country.
The Imam wondered how many more Liberians will have to die because they were not among the (1%) privileged to afford treatment abroad in countries such as Morocco, Ghana, India and United States.
Imam Sheriff said Liberia needs a president who will build its roads and bridges to connect the towns and villages for the flow of goods and services.
The Imam hopes that the next Liberian president would be able to provide electricity, clean water and build the sanitation system, particularly in Monrovia.
He called on voters to elect a person who will expand and improve the educational system of Liberia in which no child is left behind.
Sheikh Abubakar Sheriff said the decision of the Liberian people on October 10, 2017 will either move the country forward or backward; therefore, he urged Liberians to avoid violence.
He said regardless of political affiliation, Liberians should acknowledge the fact that the country has had enough of bloody and turbulent experiences in the past and it not necessary to return to the past.
He recalled that from the era of the rice riot of April 14, 1979, the 1980 bloody coup led by President Samuel K. Doe, and his subsequent capture and killing, coupled with rampant corruption and economic enslavement of Liberians, arguably, It was due to blind loyalty and or deliberate act of refusing to vet properly, those public officials seeking elective posts that brought unimaginable consequences.
However, he indicated that while it is true that some of these events were precipitated by long standing grievances, but methods used to solve them were equally unacceptable.
According to Imam Sheriff, "our political association and voting patterns center around some divisive elements such as tribalism, materialism and other personal interests; thereby placing Liberia under the bottom of our priorities.
İn a statement issued in Monrovia, the Imam believes that these elections provide monumental chance to alter the game trends in favor of the masses, stressing that support for any candidate must be based on issues rather than sentiments or emotions.
