Ending The Blame Game

With general elections around the corner, manipulators of the Liberian people are coming out en masse with the same old divisive ideas of blaming one group of people for the country's demise. Mentally and psychologically, majority of the Liberian people were kept down by a small group of freed slaves, for 133 years. Morally and physically, our people and the country were destroyed when the majority finally took the rein of power.
To rebuild Liberia and unite its people, something new has to happen. The blame game, however, must end. That is my gut feeling:

The population of Liberia is now 3.4 million people. Does this amount include Liberians living outside of the country? I am just curious.

On April 12, 1980, Liberians woke up to the voice of Master Sergeant Samuel K Doe of the People’s Redemption Council. MSGT Doe told us, the Liberian people that 133 years of Americo-Liberian rule had ended; that years of rampant corruption and misuse of power were over. There was dancing in the streets of Monrovia and in towns and villages all across the country. 95 percent of the people were rejoicing because 5 percent had controlled the helm of power for too long a time.

The beneficiaries and gravy seekers of 133 years of Americo-Liberian rule were obviously and understandably saddened by the incident of that memorable morning. Although a few had been killed, many Americo-Liberians and their surrogates left the country; many of the same people remained in the country. Some became Ministers and big shots in the new government.

It was not long after the celebration that it became clear that after 133 years of inequality imposed upon 95 percent of the population, after 133 years of separation of Liberians into two groups---Congo and Country, the people of Liberia were about to witness a nightmare never before experienced in the country’s 133 years of independence.

What did I expect when the coup occurred and the True Whig Party was dislodged? What did I expect when Samuel Doe and the PRC announced that they were now in power in Liberia and that rampant corruption and misuse of power had come to a screeching halt? I expected the doors that had been closed for so long to majority of the people of Liberia to now be opened to all Liberians. I expected to see the government of Liberia to look like Liberia. I expected more schools and especially more universities. I felt it was just wrong for students in Harper or in Voinjama to come all the way to Monrovia to attend the only University in the country. Of course, I expected a lot more from the new majority government in Liberia.

It was good to see citizens from all the counties in the country, including Congo people, in the new government. I could not understand why it was so difficult to appoint a citizen from Nimba County Vice President of the country when the Congo people were in charge? After all, James E Green from Sinoe County had been Vice president. Why was it always a Congo person or a surrogate who had to be President or Vice President of a country that belongs to all Liberians? What was it that made Americo-Liberians so afraid of their own people whom they had lived with for more than a hundred years? People living in Lofa, Grand Gedeh, Nimba, Bong, Bomi counties were Liberians too, right?

As I was saying, I expected a lot from the PRC and Samuel Doe. I wanted to see unity amongst the soldiers who had taken over. I wanted them to be united in their efforts to demonstrate to the Americo-Liberians that we were all in this boat together. Oh how wrong a path on which my thoughts were leading me! As I was looking at the bright side of the coin, the surrogates and gravy seekers of our new government were hatching something else---something more sinister and devastating than any of us could foretell.

The demonic thoughts and dark-alley manipulations by the surrogates and gravy seekers of the new government started a domino effect that began with General Quiwonkpa’s transfer from the Army Barracks to being Secretary General of the PRC. The killing of General Weh-Syehn and other soldiers who announced the change on the morning of April 12, 1980, was a big set back for unity. I did not like the verbal presentations of those who were now in power, but I felt assured that our country would never be the same again. I felt that with an equal playing field, Congo and Country people would compete fairly for a slice of the nation’s pie. We would all be unanimous in our efforts to finally build the Liberia of our collective liking.

133 years of Americo-Liberian rule may have educationally paralyzed 95 percent of our people, but when 95 percent of the people were given the chance to redeem all of us of this past evil, a small group of manipulators and gravy seekers derailed the golden opportunity handed to us through the sacrifice of a few brave men.

We can continue to blame those who kept us down for 133 years. We can say that Americo-Liberians were or are a mean set of people who thought and continue to think that they were or are better structured by God to rule the rest of us. We can lay the underdevelopment of our country squarely in their laps. But when it comes to our turn to demonstrate to the world and our people what we did then and what we are doing now with the given opportunity, there is actually nothing meaningful that the representatives of 95 percent of the people can show. Whereas Americo-Liberians mentally and psychologically killed the majority, representatives of the majority have made sure they physically destroyed those who were their strength. Physically destroying or killing members of the majority was the one recipe needed to bring the country to what it is today.

There is no question, Liberians will have to reconcile if we want to live together in peace. The burden is on all of us to tell the truth…to tell each other why we were so mean to each other and to give each other the assurance that such evil will not be allowed to come our way again.

Because one evil led to another evil, those who were vicious and who became law and gospel will have to face some retribution for such vicious crime against humanity. For we know that burning the bridges behind you after killing your own people did not suffice; for here you are, coming back to the same villages you destroyed…coming back to the survivors of those you killed in your hours of excitement.

We need to come up with bold, new and transformational ideas to build the country and unite our people. The blame-game will have to end if we must move forward.