MONROVIA: As “Elections War Drums” beat across the country on the portals of the 2023 general and presidential elections, incumbent Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor sees clear light at the end of the tunnel. For her, it is just a matter of time before Liberians confer upon her and President George Manneh Weah a second leadership mandate—something she believes is etched into the enormous governance achievements of the last five years. And she reiterated unmatched affinity between her and her boss, describing it ironclad and irrevocable. Speaking to the Editor-In-Chief of the Congress for Africa Journalists (CAJ) Magazine, Vice President Taylor leafed through a horde of political and social issues of the last few decades, zeroing on chances afoot for the reelection of her Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC). The Analyst lifts the insightful interview.
Liberia’s Vice President, Chief Dr. Jewel Howard Taylor, has been speaking favorably about high possibilities for victory by the Coalition for Democratic Change in the 2023 elections. She and President George Weah will be on the ticket.
She expressed full commitment to supporting President George Manneh Weah and the CDC in a bid for second term.
“I am doing all I can in whatever capacity I am asked to serve,” she said in response to question from Michael Adeboboye, Editor-In-Chief of the Congress for Africa Journalists (CAJ) Magazine recently. “We have achieved so much in our first term, and Liberians know this for a fact.”
Madam Taylor reflected on the horde of challenges her CDC administration inherited; an economy that was grappling with the shocks of a decline in Foreign Direct Investment through the scaling down of UNMIL, the departure of major Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and the alarming rate of donor fatigue.
She noted that these occurrences were occasioned by the fact that Liberia had enjoyed relative peace and stability for more than 10 years and should be prepared to take ownership of its economy.
Speaking about her administration’s gains, she said: “We embraced these challenges from day one and began working with the IMF to help in creating macro-economic stability and reducing inflation,” Dr. Taylor asserted, adding: “We created a balance in wages through harmonization, reduced recurrent expenditure, and created fiscal space for expenditure on various developmental projects.”
“Through fiscal discipline and expansion of our tax base, we increased our internal revenue capacity which has augmented our current budget to about 794.5 Million United States Dollars, the largest in post-war Liberia.”
See full text of VP Howard Taylor’s interview on page 6 & 7 of The Analyst’s today (May 17, 2023) edition.
Comments are closed.