Monrovia — Montserrado County District # 8 Representative Acarous Moses Gray has called on Liberians, particularly residents of his district, to unite and hold together to ensure sustainable and genuine developments in their respective districts and Liberia at large.
Lawmaker Gray is representing the people of electoral district # 8 on the ticket of the governing Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC).
He is the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Executive.
Representative Gray said regardless of political affiliation, it is now time that all citizens reconcile their differences and forge ahead for the betterment of their districts and country in particular.
He made these comments when he officially launched the District # 8 Peace and Reconciliation Tournament at the Joint Chamber of the National Legislature on Thursday, April 14.
The cost of the tournament stands at over US$26,000.
He pointed out that the tournament which is void of political, religious, or economic affiliation will help unify residents of his district.
Representative Gray disclosed that the holding of the tournament forms part of his legislative engagement with his constituents.
He vowed to continuously engage his constituents during this Easter Break to help alleviate and address some of the mountainous challenges confronting his people.
“I want to say thank you very much for being here in your numbers today. Your presence suggests that we are prepared to go into a free and fair tournament to unite together. This tournament is void of political affiliation and will unite you not as a community, but individuals also. There is no social stratification in this tournament because; you do not have to be a CDCian or an opposition to participate”.
He further pledged to continue to provide scholarship, empowerment and loan opportunities to students, and marketers on a regular basis.
He added that the sanitation, health, and other economic needs of some of his constituents will be addressed during this period.
Representative Gray used the medium to call on youths, women, elders, religious leaders, representative aspirants, and others to form part of the festivity in a bid to unite and reconcile.
Speaking further, the Montserrado County lawmaker disclosed that the awards of the tournament stand at over L$1M with the cash amount of L$500,000 given to the winner of the soccer category, while the second-place winner will walk away with L$150,000, including trophies and medals.
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He added that the winner of the kickball category will receive the amount of L$250,000, while the runner-up will get L$100,000.
He pointed out that the Most Valuable and Discipline Players of both the kickball and football competitions will be awarded a two full-year academic scholarship at any university or high school in his district.
Representative Gray added that the 50 persons who will be serving as captains of their community kickball and football teams will be awarded a year scholarship at any school or university in the district.
“This tournament is not just about playing soccer or kickball. It is about empowering and helping to educate our people and it provides an opportunity for you to go to any school or university of your choice. Our scholarships do not take into account any political party”.
He presented about 50 sets of jerseys, several footballs, and L$75,000 to the participating communities for preparation and promised live radio commentaries for the opening, semi, and final matches of the tournament.
He, however, stressed the need for discipline, unity, and good sportsmanship among the participants of the tournament.
“We want nothing less than a peaceful tournament. If there is any misunderstanding; we want you to be very reasonable and peaceful. We don’t want any chaos or disturbance. We want to do our best and we want the message to go across that Montserrado County district # 8 is a very peaceful and organized district void of our political differences”.
Representative Gray urged community leaders to continue to preach the doctrine of peace in their respective communities during and after the holding of the event.
