Monrovia – President George Weah has gone roughly six months into his tenure with much attention being drawn to his commitment of his first 100-day deliverables as well as campaign promises, which a renowned Liberian lawyer, Cllr. T. Negbalee Werner, has named as a moral and legal obligation of Mr. Weah.
Cllr. Werner, Dean of the Lewis Arthur Grimes School of Law, told a gathering at the launch of the Presidential Meter Project in Monrovia, Wednesday, July 18, that campaign promises must be a concern.
He urged Liberians to take the lead of reminding the President of his promises and put him on track.
“Campaign promises are rampant features of Liberia electioneering. The most striking issue is that they are made by politicians without meaningful flagship to deliver on these promises. I suggest to you on the contrary that campaign promises are not empty thoughts. They are morally and legally enforceable,” Werner said.
These campaign promises, according to him, can be achieved if Liberians demand the President to make good those commitments that are possible.
But Werner believes the approach of the Presidential Meter Project is an important accountability mechanism that draws the attention of the public to key features of Liberia’s political activities which pose a challenge of focus on campaign promises made with little or no intent to honor them.
He noted that silence of inaction has been a major factor responsible for failed campaign promises over the time, due to the inability of people to speak out, a situation the project intents to address.
“Agreements are made to be enforced, whether it’s in commercial transaction, or diplomatic relations. Some of these relationships are broken but what is required is that one must come out and hold the promisor to account. Liberians have the right to call on anyone who made campaign promises to them,” Cllr. Werner stated.
