Ending The Crook-O-gee Business

I read the other day that Senators in Liberia are finding it difficult to confirm some individuals for government positions. The reason, I understand, is that paper work regarding the qualifications of these individuals are somehow difficult to decipher. Typographical errors abound especially when it comes to the disciplines associated with the degrees acquired. Sometimes the names of the Colleges or Universities where these individuals received their degrees are difficult to trace.

I wonder why is this. Why is it difficult to confirm my attendance at and my graduation in Forestry from the University of Liberia? Why is it difficult to ascertain my 12 years of work experience with the Firestone Plantations Company in Liberia? From the onset, many may say that my situation is not hard to deal with. Exactly.

How difficult is it to call the University of the District of Columbia to confirm Mr John Davies' graduation in the field of Nursing? And why would John's resume says he graduated from UDC with a BA in Criminal Justice when indeed he didn't? Why in the world would I put in my resume that I graduated from LU with a degree in Chemistry knowing fully well that was not the case? When someone tries to change the information in his or her resume, as the Liberian song has it, then "there something inside."

The government of Liberia needs a "war room" here in Washington, DC. Individuals leaving from here with these long and eye-catching resumes should first send these documents to the Liberian "war room" for confirmation and thorough scrutiny. Only after these documents have gone through the "war room", should the President even think about sending a name to the Senate for consideration.

It is indeed a disgrace that a tampered resume should be accepted by any institution of employment. It is even more disgraceful to know that the truth was not told, that an individual is already working, unconfirmed, and this individual is now waiting for the President to put her neck on the chopping board for such a person.

Networking or who knows you is a good thing. But it is equally important to back yourself up with truth and credibility. If you have to swallow your spit two or three times to explain your educational background, then you can't blame anyone if you don't succeed.

I personally would be ashamed if people kept "washing their mouths" on me because of some crook-O-gee I was trying to put into place. Liberians seeking employment in Liberia need to stop showing up with these questionable college and university papers. After all, 2008 is not 1980 or 1960.