Liberia President Dr. George Manneh Weah has by proclamation declared Tuesday, May 14, as “National Unification Day” and is to be observed throughout the country as a national holiday.
According to a Foreign Ministry statement issued on Friday, the observance of the day is in consonance with an Act of the legislature, which was passed into law in 1960, declaring the 14th of May each year as “National Unification Day” to be celebrated as a national holiday in Liberia.
Accordingly, the proclamation orders and directs that appropriate programs be organized to mark the celebration.
The release stressed that the wisdom of the unification policy has found expression in the national fabric through the representation of all sections of the country including the legislature and other branches of government thereby promoting conditions of peace and unity nationwide.
The proclamation also indicated that since the Unification and Integration Policy became a cogent part of the National Development Plan, the people of Liberia have seen marked progress and improvement in all spheres of national endeavors, particularly in the economic, educational, communication and social spheres.
The statement recounted that being mindful of the years of civil strife in the country and its harmful impacts on the people of Liberia, it becomes imperative that all Liberians embrace the noble ideals enshrined in the Unification Act to promote unity and peace among them.
The proclamation also reiterates Liberia’s adherence to the principles of justice, equality, fair play and equal opportunities for all, regardless of tribe or clan, section, creed, religion or economic status, so that Liberians might be united in a consolidated whole.
TSS/as/APA