By: Varney Dukuly
KAKATA/MONROVIA: Former Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Nathaniel Falo McGill, says he has begun exercising maximum care not to make any statement that may be equated to pre-campaigning ahead of the official campaign time announced by the National Elections Commission (NEC), for the 10, October, 2023 Presidential and Legislative elections.
“This is not campaign but an endorsement of my candidature. It is not campaign yet; I have to be more careful of the words I speak because I heard the National Elections Commission talking about US$5,000 as fine for campaign speeches. For me, I don’t have such an amount to be fined, so I have to be careful of the words I speak here,” said McGill, who is also ex-chief of Office Staff of incumbent President George Manneh Weah.
The former Minister also called on citizens of Margibi County to reject, at the October polls, politicians who are seeking elected offices and at the same time preaching tribal/ethnic politics.
“It is unfortunate for people who claim to be loved by the people are being sentimental about other people’s tribe and county as a fulcrum of debate in the upcoming elections,” he pointed out.
“We have to stop sectionalizing our country, Liberia belongs to everyone whether from Margibi, Lofa, Gbarpolu, Sinoe, Bassa,” the Margibi County Senatorial aspirant told hundreds of first-time voters over the weekend in Margibi.
McGill: “We are all Liberians and we should not be elected based on our county. Those who want to sectionalize our country must be rejected.”
According to him, when people begin to preach tribal politics, the country leads to major conflicts like what happened in the 1990s in Liberia.
Similar thing, he said, occurred in the African state of Rwanda when the Tusi and Hutus ethic groups went at each other’s throats, and at the end of the day, so many innocent people died.
McGill wants the October 10 elections to be about merit as enshrined in the 1986 Liberian Constitution, and not on the basis of ethnicity, a step, he added, is dangerous to the future of the country.
The Margibi County Senatorial aspirant said the County has many tribes which indicate that the county belongs to everyone irrespective of our tribal origins.
“Liberia should be built on the foundation of Unity,” said McGill.
McGill who was recently sanctioned by the U.S Treasury Department for alleged acts of public corruption is more cognizant of the adverse effects of violating the laws of the country, he denied any wrongdoing and said his accusers must provide evidence to substantiate their claims.
According to him, his endorsement signals that the country is marching towards victory and demonstrates positive transformation under the presidency of George Manneh Weah.
McGill: “Our leaders in Margibi have abandoned the people, they have refused to give our people loans to even do fire-coal business.”
“Those days are gone, we are about to make history and make Margibi great.”
McGill an ally to the Weah’s government said the government has done well in the area of education. He named increment in the number of University of Liberia enrollment which, according to him, is a big achievement.
“2023 is an important year and the future of our country is in your hand. We are marching to development, the journey is going to be tough, nobody should say it is going to be bread and butter,” he emphasized.
“When I was young, I used to pay 10 cent from Airfield to Logan Town but now it can never happen again,” said McGill, wearing a white cap and shirt as he accepted his endorsement by the ‘First time votes.’
