The current atmosphere in Liberia is seemingly tense and uncertain, with charges and counter-charges from both the government and the former administration. It is characterized by threats of protest and violence. This needs to stop immediately, or else we could reverse the current gains and return this country to its dark past.
Liberians, particularly the government, should be well aware by now of a wave of mass protests brewing across Africa, from Kenya and Uganda to Nigeria. Youth and ordinary citizens have taken to the streets, decrying the high cost of living due to economic hardship.
While it is their right to assemble and protest under the law, we caution, based on experiences from the past, that such mass activities often lead to violence of unimaginable proportions that we don't want repeated in Liberia.
Africa's most populated country, Nigeria, is currently uneasy because of ongoing mass citizens' protests against high living costs under the Tinubu Administration. As the powerhouse of Africa in terms of numerical and economic strength, if Nigeria catches a cold, the rest of Africa, particularly South Saharan Africa, sneezes, including tiny Liberia.
To bring it closer, West Africa is shaky in the wake of jihadist war in Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali - three countries that have decided to exit the regional bloc, ECOWAS. To put it simply, ECOWAS itself is engulfed in cohesion crisis.
It goes without saying that if violence were to erupt in Liberia, a rather divided ECOWAS may not respond as swiftly as expected because of exogenous factors.
Given these realities across Africa, including the subregion, we in Liberia, whether in government, political parties, or as ordinary citizens, should exercise caution in how we conduct our daily lives in public to avoid public disruptions, which are not good for the economy.
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We believe that this is important for the peace of Liberia, and the government under President Joseph Boakai should take the lead in maintaining the peace because it is under immense pressure to deliver, just seven months in office, which cannot be achieved in the midst of political disruption and crisis.
Besides, we are cautioning the government that Monday's assembling by dismissed EPS officers before the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) Headquarters in Congo Town is just a 'trial balloon' of the resistance threat recently announced by former President George Weah against the current attempt to prosecute former officials linked to corruption.
Mr. Weah's threat to use both legal and political means to resist the arrest and trial of former officers should keep the government alert. President Boakai took an oath to protect peace and uphold the Liberia constitution. This would sometimes require extending an olive branch without compromising the law.
