Fellow Citizens and Friends of Liberia:On behalf of the President of Liberia, H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and the Government and People of Liberia, my wife Kabeh, joins me in extending congratulations to all Liberians, on the 167th Independence Anniversary of our beloved nation, the Republic of Liberia.The theme for this year’s celebration is: “One Nation, One People United for Peace and Sustainable Development.” As the Diaspora Community and friends of Liberia join Liberians everywhere in celebration, we remain ever grateful to the Almighty God for sparing our lives through another year of peaceful national existence. In our supplication, we cherish our hard-won peace which has produced, among other things, two consecutively successful democratic presidential and general elections, while we look forward to a successful mid-term senatorial election, scheduled to be held this October.Despite the challenges encountered in our reconstruction process, Liberia has been rated as a post-conflict success story, looking forward to consolidate its new democracy and move towards sustainable economic growth. However, as we commemorate this national milestone, our country is faced with a major health crisis due to the outbreak and spread of the Ebola virus in our sub-region, which has directly affected Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some 603 people have died from the epidemic, which started in February in neighboring Guinea and subsequently spread to Sierra Leone and Liberia. According to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in Liberia, 100 persons have died from the disease as of July 15, 2014. I wish to re-echo the President’s message to the Liberian people in her nationwide address of June 28, 2014, in which she called on “all Liberians to now see the Ebola epidemic as a national health emergency.” I also like to reaffirm the President’s call to all Liberians and our international partners to join hands in fighting this disease.At the Embassy, I have set up a special committee tasked with the responsibility to coordinate activities related to the Ebola epidemic by working with the Liberian community in the Diaspora, friends and partners of Liberia who are contributing or would like to contribute to the national effort to end the spread of the disease. Meanwhile, we would like to enjoin fellow Liberians to focus on our goal of nation building through constructive engagement with the government, and as a people, with one another, remaining as one people, and never forgetting our National Anthem, “In Union Strong, Success is sure.”May the Almighty continue to shower his blessings upon the Liberian people and save our nation.Thank You!
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