Helping Liberians Build Their Country

The cry from Liberians trying to venture into business in that country is that foreign investors are given more incentives than their Liberian counterparts. I am incensed to hear that. It sucks, I think. I have to get it out:

It is sad that those in power will continue to make “honest errors” when it comes to the interest of the Liberian people. This kind of thing has been going on for years and it is time for Liberians in government to take care of their own. These are the simple things people look at when you think about the type of impact a government makes on the lives of its citizens.

How will a Liberian business person employ a father or a mother whose kids are not in school but are out there in the scourging sun crushing rocks to sustain the family? In times like these when the President herself is deeply concerned about the high unemployment rate in the country, why would the Ministry of Commerce or Finance give 70% duty-free privilege to foreign business persons and not give the same privilege to a Liberian businessman or businesswoman? It just does not make sense.

If Liberians are capable of importing equipment to process pure drinking water for public consumption, why in the world would we want to discourage such a venture? How can the President go around asking Liberians to come home and help build their country and yet, her ministers are picking and choosing who to grant duty-free privileges to? How will the government reduce unemployment if everyday, Liberians are being laid off because Liberian employers are constantly being put at a disadvantage in the marketplace? Why are foreign investors selling water anyway if Liberians can handle the water business?

Why do we prefer giving more leeway to foreign investors than we do to our own local investors? Why is it so difficult to encourage our people to do for themselves? It is no secret that years ago, Ghanaians and Sierra Leoneans and Nigerians, even Cubans were brought into the country to take up positions that Liberians should have had. Then, I read, those in power did not trust their own people. Those who complained about such malpractices yesterday are the same ones who are involved in undermining the hopes and dreams of their own people today.

The other day, reading the Daily Observer Online, I saw Mary Broh, the Acting Mayor of Monrovia, holding her nose, vomiting, and almost fainting on the beach of New Kru Town. I said to myself: That real it, yah! The condition of places like New Kru Town, West Point, Clara Town, Red Light, Duala, the BTC Area, has been that way for generations. What she experienced on that beach is what thousands of Liberians experience everyday in these areas. I want to suggest that the entire Cabinet of the government take a walk on these beaches in these areas, kicking into the sand as they go along. Let these Ministers and Directors of Public Corporations tell the Liberian people and the world what their experience was.

The President had to sneak behind SKD before she got to know that children of school age were crushing rocks to feed their families. People who really cared would have brought ELTV to these places and make a big deal about the abuse these young kids are experiencing. I just wish President Tolbert or Tubman had done the same for us kids who were born in Firestone when they were in power. God indeed has a place in His heart for the underprivileged in society! It is amazing how some of us made it this far and this long.

Yet, there is a story of a Liberian who left America, took portable latrines to the country to be contracted out in the entire city of Monrovia. What was the result? Those he encountered or contacted, the story goes, wanted “cold water” before he could begin presenting his business plan. If that story is true, then I really don’t know what to make of those who have been crying and carrying on in the “cause of the people”.

It is good to encourage foreign investors wanting to do business in Liberia. They have the money and they have the expertise to negotiate better deals for themselves. They exploit our natural resources and leave when what they want is depleted, leaving our country worse than they met it.

To create that middle class in Liberia, we need to encourage those Liberians who have decided to venture into business. We must give them the same opportunity or better that we dish out to foreign investors. We cannot afford to suffer in foreign countries and then come home to face the same rigmarole or worst in our own country.

Why do we continue to shoot ourselves in the foot? When will we learn to take care of our own? Now is the time to redirect the future of our country into the hands of Liberians who dare to venture into the unknown. Foreigners may play their role, but it is Liberians who must eventually build their own country.

Opening The Pandora Box

I asked the same questions five years ago; I carried inside of me the same feeling of disgust and helplessness as others do today. People still want to know why war lords and financiers of the civil war in Liberia continue to enjoy rights and privileges that should have been taken away from them when the war ended in 2003?

I understand the anger and frustration. I have to make the case for why things are as they are:

I feel your pain, Eva. What ever agreement was hammered out in Abuja or wherever to bring our war to an end in 2003, also gave war lords and others in Liberia the rights to the freedom they enjoy today. Had the United Nations taken over Liberia instead of an Interim Government and had it banned all participants or financiers of the war from political activities in Liberia, we won't be having this discussion right now. Perhaps, Charles Taylor himself would have been in Liberia had he not ventured into Sierra Leone.

With that setup in play, all of us had the a choice to make when it came to supporting a candidate for president in 2005. With the same United Nations in Liberia and with 22 candidates wanting to be president, ominous clouds hanging over them or not, some of us chose and continue to support Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to guarantee the future of our country. It is that setup that has General Butt Naked roaming about today as a pastor in Liberia. It is that setup that has Prince Johnson and many others in the Senate and House of Representatives.

The whole thing is a sad phenomenon; but that is the reality of our time. Liberia cannot just sit there. Our people need time to heal in a peaceful environment. The past five years have provided that peace. Our people are getting their lives back. It may not be the perfect, all-encompassing way we want it to be; but all in all, good things are happening and we must appreciate and be grateful for what is transpiring in Liberia.

With all of this in play, the TRC should have come in, hear the stories of the atrocities, recommend reconciliation, and allow the Liberian people to move forward with their lives. To undo what was agreed to in 2003 will open up a new Pandora Box that we may not be able to reseal.

After what you have just read, and knowing all that you know, what do you think?

Promoting the Positives

Some are hammering the President for not accomplisning anything since she took over the presidency in Liberia five years ago. I couldn't let that pass me by without kicking and screaming. I wrote this to the editor or Frontpageafrica:

Weedor and Flomo are best friends. Weedor has an inquiring mind. Flomo, on the other hand, is not too accommodating and wishes they were playing soccer instead:

Weedor: My man Flomo, come here let me ask you something.

Flomo: Weedor, my man, I coming; let me finish eating my cold bowl

Weedor: OK, but hurry up.

Flomo: OK, Weedor, what is it you want to ask me?

Weedor: Flomo, I know you are a big Unity Party man and you go around here boasting about it. What have you and the oldma done for the Liberian people?

Flomo: Weedor my man, don't give me hard time. Don't you listen to ELBC; don't you watch TV?

Weedor: Da all you will tell me? I don't listen to ELBC and I don't watch TV. Don't give me cheek; just tell me what your Party has accomplished in five years.

The sentiments from Weedor are the same concerns being voiced out by most Liberians living in the Diaspora. Unity Party members and sympathizers are of the opinion that the accomplishments of the past five years by the government are not being enthusiastically conveyed to the world. If the good news is out there, most people are not aware.

An all-out war on information dissemination needs to be taking place, for if the government does not sell itself, no one will know what is happening. Right now, people are wrapping themselves around the negatives and are completely oblivious of the positive things that the government of Liberia has accomplished.

Corruption has overshadowed news of the new Fendell campus of the University of Liberia. Corruption has covered over the news of the modern-day hospital in Tappita. How many Liberians have been employed since the beginning of 2010? How many schools have been refurbished and how is the transportation business in the country?

How is the hospital in Tappita being staffed? Is the hospital functioning in any capacity? How are the people in Belle Yalla? Are they benefiting from the road that just connected their town to greater Liberia, since 1847? How are the road conditions from Grand Gedeh to Maryland? What's in the pipeline when it comes to modernizing our highways?

Right now, the government of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf needs an Ed Bouey (sp), the roving reporter. Liberians need to know about all the positives in every nook and in every corner of the country, since Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf took the ship of state. No positive stone should be left unturned. Liberians all over the world want to be able to boast about accomplishments. The opposition will take care of the negatives, but the positives must prevail, especially as elections season draws near.

Another thing that needs tackling is the eye sore that is West Point. The government cannot afford to allow the opposition to mesmerize the people of West Point with rhetoric and good-for-nothing talk. West Point has been in the news since I first heard about the place. And that was during the Tolbert administration. My sister lives there; I have been there. The place is an insult to humanity. West Point is a project that the government must take head-on with an infusion of cash and humanitarian efforts.

No matter how tough our people are, replacing those shacks with high-rise apartment buildings will change minds in West Point and other areas in similar condition. Is anything in the pipeline regarding these areas? We want to hear about it.

Finally, and for once in a long time, the Iron Lady has done something that many of her supporters wish she had initiated long ago. If EJS can hire you, EJS has the constitutional right to also fire you, especially if a pile of documents on her desk continues to implicate people she thought were genuine and patriotic, honest and trustworthy.

It was a good thing that the president threw out the babies with the bath water. Those loud-mouth and crying babies will remain out there, wet and dazed and sore. The good babies will be picked up, wrapped up, hugged, and brought back into the house. Unlike God and Abraham and Sodom and Gomorrah, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf made sure the good and wicked suffered the wrath, knowing all along that the good ones will prevail over evil doers.

Information, information, information! We want to hear all the positive news about happenings in Liberia since January, 2006. The Ministry of Information must make this priority number one. Information in this age should not be scarce.

Remembering November 12, 1985

After all that we have gone through, many are still inciting the minds of our people toward the same evil that almost ended our existence as a people. I still remember vividly what some of us experienced:

The talk of the town after the incident of November 12, 1985 was that General Quiwonkpa came with a Bible in his right hand to overthrow a military government. Apparently, the people of Liberia wanted a blood bath; for what happened in 1979 and 1980 was not horrendous enough to rattle their psyche. When the tide changed, the General was accused of being a weakling.

Then the witch hunt began and many people lost their lives. Then came 1989, and more and more people died. What General Quiwonkpa did not do to the Liberia people, others of more vicious minds and character did.

What happened to us will never leave our minds. It's like an indelible ink on the face of a stone.The evil deeds of our past are now in the history books for generations unborn to read and talk about. One thing we should all commit to:We should never, ever allow the devious and destructive past to ever show its ugly head again. We should never again encourage war; we should never again raise the rhetoric to a level that will open up the wounds that almost ended our existence as a people.

Those that died in our war did not die, I think, so that we the living can further tear each other apart. Those that died from 1979 to 1989 and the 250,000 or more who made the ultimate sacrifice from 1990 to 2003 did not passed so that we become more vocal to cause another mayhem. The blood shed was shed so that we pick up the pieces and move on into a brighter future.

Showcasing the skulls and bones of our dead relatives is not a good way to remind us of our past. As we reflect on the incident of November 12, 1985 as well as other dark days in our country's history, we should always be reminded that those who died want us to remember them by lifting ourselves up in unity to build our lives and the country they loved and left behind.

Six More Years For Ellen!

I have not seen so many people in a rush to snatch power from our first woman president as I am seeing now. Men have ruined or don't little for Liberia for the past 155 years. After 14 years of a devastating civil war that benefited men again in all sort of ways, they are clamoring to take power again. I can't stand it:


The Oldma was elected in a democratic process to run the country. She brought in people to help build their own nation after years of devastation.Most of those she brought in began to get wide eyes and slippery fingers. They began misappropriating and doing despicable things, contrary to honest behavior. People who have been there before and did absolutely nothing tangible are the ones who are most critical of the Oldma's government. I remember how even the rugs in the capitol building in Monrovia were ripped away as the interim government made way for a newly elected government.

All in all and for the last five years, I believe that Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has done well. Besides Liberians killing their fellow Liberians for land and for theft, her government has the best human rights record since 1980. Freedom to say what you want has never been so telerated. Economically, things have been tough globally, even for first world countries. We see the concerns right here in America where well qualified people can hardly find employment.

As the global economic situation improves and as companies get settled down in Liberia, Liberians will definitely get employed and see their country advance.

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has begun to build the foundation necessary to rid our country of its deadest plague...corruption. Liberians cannot afford to change dogs in the middle of a good hunt. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf must lead the charge to build for our future a sound and solid foundation. The first woman president of Liberia must be given the chance in the next six years to finish what she started. After the foundation is laid and the structure put up and the roof is in place, we can then allow others to come in to set the furniture right or damage everything and start again from scratch

And to those who are skeptical of everything in Liberia and about what the president has not done, it is important to be mindful of why God had to say what He said in Genesis 12:3. Out of the 163 years of its existence, men have had the chance to run the government of Liberia for about 155 of those years. See where the country and its people were after those years.

So what's the big hurry or this great rush to get rid of this, our first female President?

Putting Personalities On The Back Burner

I am the leader of the local chapter of UNICCO, an organization that represents people of Liberia in the United States hailing from Nimba County. There has been chaos and misunderstanding in the national leadership since I became a local leader. On May 30, 2010 an election for new leadership of the National Body was held. The elders in the community made a pack with all members to be flexible with the rules and allow the elections to go on. With all of that, protests went forth condemning the process. The defeated Board Chairman set up a committee to investigate. The result: Nullify the election and set up an interim administration. I hate chaos. I despise unproductiveness, and I hate those who seem to lack vision. Below is my gut feelings about the whole mess:

My fellow Nimbaians:

I see nothing wrong with this piece or the piece written earlier by Dr Taryor. This broken system was mentioned, I believe, in Mr Kruah's platform during his run for UNICCO's presidency. This old, funny, and expensive way of voting will be given due diligence during the next two years of the Martin Dorliae administration.

If principles, realities, and personalities are at war, there is presently a cease fire in place; and as far as I am concerned, principles and realities seem to strongly have the blessings of the majority of the visionaries in UNICCO.

Because of other pressing local engagements, I missed the last Board meeting. In fact, the conference numbers given me, or that I recorded on a notepad, did not let me through. President Keita mentioned the outcome of the deliberation to me, and I was shocked. If the elections were held today and at the same venue, Neither Mr Wanquoi nor my friend, Tony Fele would win. Not only that, if our elders had asked that election rules be made flexible to begin a new day in UNICCO, and it was agreed that this be the case, how critical then can one be if flexibility and common sense were the main factors? Were the suggestions of our elders idiotic?

Here is another shocker to me. I respect Mr Diah-Kpodo very much. I felt all along that the coup in Philadelphia against him for the leadership of the local chapter of UNICCO was wrong. I sided with him at my own peril. To hear that plans were in place to end this chaos in Philly and to further learn that Mr Diah-Kpodo voted to nullify the elections of May 30, 2010 after he wholeheartedly embraced the results that were announced in Newark, New Jersey, is just amazing. Mr Diah-Kpodo is too smart a fellow to comprise his principles. Flip flopping does not sit well with me.

Many of my good friends that were vehemently complaining of the lack of progress in UNICCO at the North Carolina UNICCO Conference, and who felt that we had to do something to bring our people together, are the same ones calling for an interim administration after a Peace Committee, an Elections Commission and voters had put so much energy into a process to move us forward.

I must commend the Robert C Byrd of UNICCO's Constitution, Mr Tom Grupee. You are a wise and sagacious individual. To denounce what took place last Friday was heroic and principled and farsighted. You, Mr Tom Grupee, are the most influential person in UNICCO right now. And to my classmate and Chapter Leader of UNICCO, California, Mr Sam Koaloe, good move. It is better to abstain or vote no to a deeply insidious and highly divisive issue in UNICCO than to encourage chaos in an already chaotic environment.

I am so happy that Keita is about to enjoy his retirement from UNICCO. As I will continue to say, Mr Mohammed Keita is a good leader. He will sacrifice his all for UNICCO. I am happy that those chains around his ankles and neck will soon be unshackled.

Tony Fele, my good friend, stop writing. You don't need to respond to every Saye,Gray, and Gonkanue.

I am beginning to see with my own eyes the reason why leaders are belittled and disgraced in Africa. Relinquishing power for the good of society is indeed a taboo, even if these African leaders reside in these great United States.

I took my son to the North Carolina Conference last year. I wanted him to see what I was experiencing whenever I left home for UNICCO this and UNICCO that. After the trip, his observation was that UNICCO is a club of old men who seem set in their old ways...and who enjoy making long, senseless speeches. I felt bad because this boy is my son and he was calling my UNICCO colleagues old men with no vision! The pitiful thing about it all is that we are not making this 'lil boy shame at all. Many of us want to forever remain in the limelight of unproductiveness and chaos.

I saw my name on a list from the new administration. I didn't know that I was already on a list; but yet, I continue to give my unflinching support to the new UNICCO administration, headed by Mr Martin Dorliae. I am tired of shunning reality and heading in the wrong direction. The path that was taken on Friday by the Board is riddled with confusion and I don't want to be a casualty of such a sinking ship.

If I must give UNICCO $1.00, I want to do it in order to contribute to sending a container of computers to school children in Nimba County and nothing else. That is my commitment; and that is the vision I want to be a part of.

Never Forgetting The Past

Liberians are so divided that most organiztions formed by them are under water or about to go under. This was not the case when we had only two groups of people in Liberia. Those who took part in running the government that came to power in 1980 did more to divide the country than to unite it. Some want us to forget the past, but Liberians all over the world must never forget our history.


Fellow Liberians:

The ethnic division and tribalistic tendencies that were fostered, nourished, and showcased in the 80s by some of our elder statesmen and eminent citizens are today affecting the Liberian national psyche. Many of these elder state-persons were once members of a government that was supposed to unite our people. Instead, they encouraged or wrote the blue print that would later divide and rule, kill and pillage.

The sour grapes that were sown during those wicked days of the 80s, ripened and matured in the 90s and later, and have resulted into the bitter realities of today. God will not just save Liberia. Those who helped to destroy the peace must return to the scene of the crime and help restore the dignity our people were used to; these so-called liberators of the people must go back and help to restore the camaraderie and peaceful co-existence once enjoyed by all Liberians of all ethnic groups. You can't spoil it and then run away...and expect other people to fix it!

By pursuing this simple odyssey and restorative challenge, all Liberians will begin to see a future of glorious potential and ethnic harmony. There will be no need for any of us to assume that there are "endangered" groups of citizens within our common heritage.

Those who change the course of history for self aggrandizement and ethnic superiority will have to prostrate before God and our people, confess their sins against humanity, and beg for everlasting forgiveness.

Doing this, I believe, will allow the Great Arbiter of all mankind to give a second thought to rendering judgement in our favor and saving us all.

8/15/10

Diciphering Patriotism

Sometimes I wonder whether Liberians will ever get their acts together when it comes reconciliation and the development of that country. It appears to be all fun to me as I spill my gut feelings:

I hate to concur with John Gay who lived from 1685 to 1732, that:

"Life is a jest, and all things show it;
I thought so once, and now I know it."

John must have experienced the same feeling I felt when I told an advocate of the 70s, who later became a Minister in the Samuel Doe government, how the same people he said he was fighting for were complaining of the same rampant corruption and misuse of power for which the previous government was dislodged. This advocate turned Minister looked into my eyes and asked: "Who people you're talking about?"

I was shocked and felt betrayed. In the cause of the people, the struggle continues means different things to different people. I thought it meant all of the people of the land or the neighborhood. So actually when a Bassa man pumps his fist in the air and cries...in the cause of the people, he is really saying that his fight is for the Bassa people. His fight is not for the people of Liberia.

Now I am beginning to understand and believe the rumor that President Doe wanted every ship on the sea to come to Liberia and take away our Krahn brothers and sisters. It didn't have to be that way if the struggle was for the entire nation and people.

Liberia is a nation of 15 counties and people of many ethnic groups. A blend of these groups now make up the 16th county in the Diaspora...400,000 Liberians, according to the Liberian Embassy in Washington, DC.

The war has messed us up and divided us to the point of self destruction. We really need to change course and focus on the future of Liberia. All of us need to fight the common enemy of corruption and misuse of power. Those who now think that one group of Liberians is more patriotic than the other should think twice. What is more unpatriotic than killing people who are not of your ethnic group? What is more unpatriotic than bringing chaos to a people all because of greed and self promotion?

Sometimes I wish those who brought hell and nightmare to Liberia would just shut up and pray for peace and reconciliation and stop exacerbating our problems. They have already misled us. How competent can they be to advise us again?

I woke up at 5:05 am this morning in the epicenter of a 3.6 earthquake. The house shook and rattled. I woke up and thought to myself, this must be an earthquake. Had it been 6.6 or 7.6, I would be speaking with my mom who died many moons ago. Now that I am still here with those who experienced the same jolt, I will continue to express my gut feelings about the evil that many brought to Liberia.

I am not supposed to be experiencing earthquakes or the slipping and movement of the earth plates!

What Next For Liberia?

Owing people money is a painful experience. So when the international community like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund decided to waive Liberia's $4.7 Billion debt, I had to join the happy bandwagon:

I am happy that Liberia has met the criteria necessary to cancel billions of dollars from her credit record. I see no reason why some people will be upset with this gesture from the international community.

I will be more than happy if American Express wipes away the $2800 I owe them. I will be extremely elated if Target told me today that the $1500 I owe them was now waived and that I could start purchasing stuff on their credit card again.

My total debt to credit cards here in America is about $5000 and I am nervous about it. Many will say that I am crazy to be worried about such a drop in the bucket, especially when one compares my debt with the debt burden of others. In Liberia we say, you hang your hat where your hand can reach.

Now that Liberia is almost free from external debts, what will the government do? If my $5000 debt were waived today, I will be able to send something to my old aunt in Liberia who has been wondering whether I still understand what our relationship means. I will be able to at least commit myself to paying some of the tuition for my nephew who wants to attend Cuttington University. I will not attempt to charge anything on those credit cards that took that 100-pound gorilla off my back.

In Liberia's case, the first thing I will expect the government to do is to tell me and many other Liberians who contributed to a Savings Bond scheme in the early 80s that our investment generated some interest and that it was now time for us to at least benefit from the ROI. I could use that money to start a business and hire a few of those who were downsized. If I can make my old aunt and nephew happy after my debt was waived, it is only fair for the government of Liberia to bring some credibility to itself by making its citizens happy by giving back interest to huge sacrifices made in the 80s, under strange and unbearable situations.

The next thing I expect the government to do is to concentrate on improving the school system in the country. Teachers in training should not be eating farina and red oil in 2010. Students should not be sitting on dirt floors in leaking huts to get an education in 2010. Teachers' pay should be taken to them; they should not be traveling to Ganta or Zwedru or Greenville or Zorzor to receive their monthly salaries. This old way of doing things in Liberia needs to be eliminated once and for all, especially in 2010.

With Liberia's debt waived, we can fix our water system and begin to generate income; we can get electricity to most of our people for a fee and improve the general welfare of the nation. And most importantly, those roads in Liberia. This debt waiver should allow Liberia to do something serious about the road condition. The roads are terrible. Commerce will improve exponentially if Liberia gives road-building the necessary attention. This should be high on the development priority-list

To leave America or Europe to come home for good is the goal of most Liberians. There is no where like home; but man, we don't want to feel miserable because of the lack of electricity, water, schools, roads, etc. Liberians, like many others, want to move up the ladder, not remain on the first rung forever and ever.

I celebrate with those who feel strongly that canceling Liberia's external debt is a good thing for the country. It is a wake-up call for us to spend our money from our abundant resources wisely and expeditiously, and in the interest of the suffering masses.

No Rush, My Man!

The buzz on Liberian forums are calls from nearsighted individuals for President Sirleaf to relinquish her position as president of Liberia. These individuals of twisted memories want someone else, for they argue that the government is highly corrupt. 159 years of the rule of men show no major difference in that insatiable desire to pillage and rob our people of their right to enjoy their own country. The buzz is turning the inside of my stomach:

Joseph Jenkins Roberts
Stephen Allen Benson
Daniel B Warner
James S Payne
Edward J Roye....

I was about to talk about all these men who have had the chance to make a difference in the lives of all Liberians. And then I thought: Get some help from the web. I typed a few words in the Google space and got this link:

http://www.liberiapastandpresent.org/

A country with a coast line of 350 miles and an area covering 43,000 square miles; a country endowed with an abundance of natural resources; a country that has seen Independence for 162 plus years, and a country whose people remain among the poorest in the world.

I could go on talking about the lack of pipe-borne water, medical facilities, paved roads, schools, electricity, etc., etc. According to the info found on the above link, Liberia has had three assassinated presidents and four presidents who resigned. All men!

For 159 long years men of poor vision used Liberia's natural resources to rob and to kill its citizens. I wonder why is it that most of us know these evils that these people have committed against us and yet, we are crying, imploring God to give us another man, even before the term of the first female president has come to an end. It reminds of the plight of the Israelites. They never appreciated what they had. They prayed and begged God to give them a king. King Saul was not easy. He was a wicked King. He hardly knew the God who sent the Prophet Eli to anoint him.

I personally do not see the reason why some of you want to rush another man into the Executive Mansion in Monrovia. Liberians have never had the type of freedom they enjoy today under Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. And those who are caught in the web of unbelievable corruption are of course, men! That insatiable desire to continue to rob the people of their right to be happy in their own country, is engrained in a system put in place and nurtured by again, men of limited vision.

Exposure is a painful thing. It is shameful and degrading. No president of Liberia has had the books of Liberia audited in the manner they are done today. Men of limited vision hate to be audited, yet, they continue to misappropriate and steal funds entrusted into their care. Liberia cannot afford a new group of corrupt individuals rushing to take power. The policies being put into place to bring an end to this evil in the Liberian society, must be given ample time to take hold.

That is why Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and John Morlue, and Kofi Woods, and Konneh and the few other people of vision must remain after 2011 to place and seal that cornerstone on the grave of corrupt activities that our people have known since 1847.

Comparing 12 years of EJS presidency and 159 years of nothing-doing, I will go for the 12 years and be happy about it.

My Assessment Of The 2010 UNICCO Elections

I am not a political guru. I do try, however, to participate in the gruelling exercise that consumes so many individuals. The 2010 Nimba County Organization (UNICCO)elections in the Diaspora had me putting on paper a political-novice kind of analysis. It was fun. The reading that follows starts from the end to the beginning of my analysis

Good afternoon, Nimbaians:

I have been reading the platforms of the last two candidates of my choice. Both platforms are amazing. Either of these platforms can do wonders for UNICCO and its members if we can muster the means to implement the many goals therein.

Tony Fele and Edwin Kruah have given this campaign their all. Their last battle cries to the members of UNICCO who will be voting two days from today have caught my attention. Tony is reminding us of his hard work to broker the peace in UNICCO that has enabled this process, and Edwin is telling us what we will get if he is elected on Sunday, May 30, 2010.

I like the ethnic make-up of Fele's Team and admire the Kruah Team for taking the bold step to put forward an amazing lady as Vice Presidential candidate. The Rainbow Bridge is a project I can contribute to anytime and REPAIR, I strongly believe, will indeed bring peace and reconciliation to our people. These proposals and the passionate pleads of both presidential candidates have taken sleep away from my eyes. Who will best represent UNICCO and Nimbaians in these United States of America? Who seems more believable, accountable, more transparent and can stand the heat of the office? Which of these candidates seems to have grasped the communication know-how of this age? Who will make UNICCO shine and who is the best to deliver the goods for our people?

These and many other questions have kept my mind busy. I cannot keep tossing and turning, watching and waiting. The interest of the community is paramount to me. The face of UNICCO is important to me and the vast majority of the voters. Our status in society must remain formidable. That is why I must make a decision and move on, hoping for the best for the candidate of my choice.

To those I did not choose, don't worry about; for when the final vote is counted, when the winner is announced, we will all be one people again, giving our full support to the new President of UNICCO.

It is in this vein that I wholeheartedly endorse the Kruah-Tozay Team to take our great organization into a future of unity, hope and prosperity.

Thank you.

Cooper Kweme
5/28/10

From: Kweme6@aol.com
To: unicco06@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Mon, May 24, 2010 9:03 pm
Subject: Joggling and Shuffling for UNICCO

Good Evening:

The euphoria of a child graduating from college suppresses for a while, all other activities in a parent's life. That is why I have been absent from this forum. The elation is dying down and life is slowly returning to normal.

During the period of happiness I used to sneak into the forum for updates about the big election to be held in New Jersey, six days from today. Candidates for Vice President, Board Chairmanship, General Secretary, Treasurer, etc., etc., have all been certified to contest for these positions in a new UNICCO. I wish all of them good luck and God's speed.

In my effort to guesstimate or to give my personal opinion about the candidate in whom I see hope for this great institution, I have eliminated two candidates, leaving three outstanding individuals, any of whom will do a wonderful job for the people of Nimba County. But we cannot have three presidents at the same time. The choice is agonizing and the potential fallout is just overwhelming. A case in point: I was vilified and torn apart a few days ago when a particular candidate of another voter's choice was eliminated. But again, it is impossible to have five persons as president of UNICCO at the same time.

And so, the time has come for me to look at the three remaining candidates of my choice: Diah-Kpodo, Fele, and Kruah. Diah-Kpodo and Fele, I have known for the longest. My first encounter with Kruah was in North Carolina during the last Conference. First impression is always a plus. I was impressed with what I saw and heard: His deportment and seriousness duing our deliberation at the conference. His passion for transparency and accountability caught my attention.

What impresses me about Fele is his passionate and unwavering desire to see four Welcome Centers built in Nimba County. That pet project blows my mind and I know if Fele wins this election, the first modern-day toll booths in Liberia will be constructed in Nimba County. That is a project I can support with everything I have. Funds generated from such a project with all modalities in place, will do wonders for the county and people.

Diah-Kpodo is outspoken and is well versed in the game of UNICCO politics. He never misses a conference call. He is a very dedicated UNICCO personality and will represent the organization pretty well in the political arena. Mr Diah-Kpodo has the Eastern Block of voters on his side. The Philadelphia voters are awesome, but will they want to further split their allegiance between two people who have been in the struggle for recognition and power, or will they give their support to a new face who will salvage UNICCO from the abyss of controversy into a future of accountability and serious, genuine, progressive activities?

Knowing all of the above, I would certainly vote Mr Philip Diah-Kpodo Chairman of the Board of UNICCO. But since this is not the case and since Philadelphia has not been too kind to UNICCO, I will at this time and with heavy heart, scratch Mr Diah-Kpodo off my list of candidates for UNICCO presidency.

The interest of Nimbaians and the county, transparency and accountability, have not been the firebrand in the bellies of many of those who have taken the rein of power in UNICCO. These bad characteristics have caused many to withdraw and become completely complacent.

UNICCO needs a new voice and a paradigm shift. The ways of old have done us no good. Precious time and energy have been wasted. Nimbaians must mean what they say and vote one of my two remaining candidates into office.

Good luck to Tony Fele and Edwin Kruah when I return with my final choice.

PS: The quantity of butterflies I felt in my stomach before I began this journey have not decreased.The the rumbling continues, unabated.

From: kweme6@aol.com
To: unicco06@yahoogroups.com
Sent: 5/19/2010 11:25:15 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: Joggling and Shuffling for UNICCO

Good Morning, Nimbaians:

I will not be paring candidates for the presidency for UNICCO any longer. What will happen henceforth is that I will begin to eliminate those I feel will bring more controversy into the process and into a new dispensation. Four years of financial burden and zero progress can not be easily forgotten or thrown under the rug. Nimbaians must send a strong message that anyone who hinders progress and who tries to bring the organization to its knees as we have seen over the years, should be given a grace period to reflect upon her or his escapades before coming back to run for any position in the organization. I personally would be ashamed to burst on the running-for-position scene if I had the confusion and litigation that have plagued the organization.

These and many other observations bring me to candidate Dorliae. The Dorliae-Collins controversy, to me, started the domino effect that made UNICCO a laughing stock. As I can remember, the last major UNICCO election in Georgia was marred by after-midnight intrigues and uncouth behavior which caused the entire process to end up in discontent and confusion. The Chairman of the Elections Commission was heard saying that the process was overrun by people carrying slings and bow and arrows and who felt that their candidate was more qualified, even if the paperwork for his candidacy came in after the deadline.

Before I end this section, I must admit how formidable Mr Dorliae is in this race, especially when it comes to galvanizing and mobilizing the voters. My cousin who has endorsed Mr Dorliae is a crowd gatherer. I feel strongly that the rights of Nimbaians to see serious change come to UNICCO were crushed when Mr Wongeh was impeached. Had Mr Dorliae and others prevailed by looking at the bigger picture...UNICCO... and advised my cousin, Mr Wongeh otherwise, the rumbling we are hearing today would not be the case. Taking our organization to court was a hideous move. Self-aggrandizement was the motive and it belittled and shamed all Nimbaians. Nimba people, especially in America, should not vote for anyone who brought or instigated or inflicted so much pain upon our organization.

I could write on this topic the whole day, but I will stop for now and reiterate that candidate Martin Dorliae is hereby eliminated from my list of candidates who want to be president of UNICCO, eleven days from today. I therefore congratulate the remaining contenders:

1. Edwin Kruah

2. Tony Fele

3. Philip Diah-Kpodo

From: kweme6@aol.com
To: unicco06@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Mon, May 17, 2010 4:52 pm
Subject: Joggling and Shuffling

Good Afternoon:

The number of appearances of a candidate for UNICCO presidency on my list of paired candidates looks thus:

Name Appearances

1. Wanquoi..................................0

2. Dorliae....................................1

3. Kruah......................................4

4. Fele........................................3

5. Diah-Kpodo..........................2

The bee hive of politics in UNICCO is buzzing. The past weekend was no exception. Punches and counter punches with regard to the blame-game, characterized this period. I am sure there are more vitriols in the making. We ain't seen nothing yet!

People who care strongly that a change in attitude, a change in perspective, bringing genuine peace to a broken organization, and a strong emphasis on development, will do well to desist participating in the noise of the marketplace of UNICCO politics. The same thing we heard that brought this darling of an organization to its knees is the same thing we are reading about today.

And so, as I look at the candidates, one of whom will be the person to lead UNICCO into the sunshine of a new and dynamic period, Mr Wanquoi who appeared zero time on my choice-list is hereby eliminated.

Mr Wanquoi is a nice man who may mean well for UNICCO, but I think it's time for a new generation of Nimbaians who has that fire for serious progress ablaze in their bellies. Having had previous leadership experience in UNICCO, Mr Wanquoi will do well on a list of eminent personalities on the advisory board of a new administration.

The remaining four candidates must be congratulated for coming this far on my choice-list.

From: kweme6@aol.com
To: unicco06@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Fri, May 14, 2010 3:14 pm
Subject: Fwd: [unicco06] Dorliae is Certified/Joggling and Shuffling


If I were instantly and without much ado choosing a President from the groups below, This would be the outcome:

My Choice

1. Wanquoi vs Dorliae.............................................Dorliae

2. Kruah vs Diah-Kpodo..........................................Kruah

3. Dorliae vs Fele.....................................................Fele

4. Fele and Wanquoi...............................................Fele

5. Diah-Kpodo and Dorliae....................................Diah-Kpodo

6. Fele vs Kruah.......................................................Kruah

7. Kruah vs Dorliae..................................................Kruah

8. Wanquoi vs Diah-Kpodo....................................Diah-Kpodo

9. Kruah vs Wanquoi...............................................Kruah

10. Diah-Kpodo vs Fele..........................................Fele

I am a listserv guy. The choices above are based on what I have read from the candidates and what has transpired over the years since I entered UNICCO. These choices are very fluid and can change at an instant. Vision, organization, and deliverables will guide my every thought as I agonize over whom will bring pride and progress to UNICCO.

I do not dwell on the tribal thing, but if the presidency of UNICCO must be shared by all tribal elements in Nimba County, then I will take that into consideration. What does the Constitution say about this? Can we insert something like this in there, or should the presidency of UNICCO be based on qualification and vision and deliverables?

From: kweme6@aol.com
To: unicco06@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thu, May 13, 2010 2:47 pm
Subject: Fwd: [unicco06] Dorliae is Certified/Joggling and Shuffling


May 12, 2010 will be remembered as the day when the name of five candidates for UNICCO presidency was officially and finally released. The day will also be remembered as the day when a perceived splinter-group (UNIDA), headed by Mr Clarence Gono, was suddenly disbanded, buried. Philadelphia, oh Philadelphia! Mr Dorliae is certified and this ominous group is immediately non-existent. How long will vlee-ma (threats) continue to influence our daily lives in UNICCO? Anyway, let me continue the shuffling and joggling of the presidential candidates. Today, I will be pairing the candidates:

1. Wanquoi and Dorliae

2. Kruah and Diah-Kpodo

3. Dorliae and Fele

4. Fele and Wanquoi

5. Diah-Kpodo and Dorliae

6. Fele and Kruah

7. Kruah and Dorliae

8. Wanquoi and Diah-Kpodo

9. Kruah and Wanquoi

10. Diah-Kpodo and Fele

As I go over various platforms, I will also be eliminating candidates based on my own assessment of the attitude, behavior, and vision of each person in a group of this deck of cards. Remember, this will be a personal, deep-from-the-soul assessment. Like most people, I want UNICCO to stand out as the organization that represents about 12% of the population of Liberia. Our strength must be reflected in our attitude, behavior, and our vision for the future of Nimba County.

PS: You are welcome to pick your choice and see where I fit in later.

From: kweme6@aol.com
To: unicco06@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wed, May 12, 2010 4:09 pm
Subject: Re: [unicco06] Dorliae is Certified


Now that the candidates for UNICCO presidency have been certified, let the game begin! Congratulations to Diah-Kpodo, Dorliae, Fele, Kruah, and Wanquoi.

The certification of Mr Dorliae diminishes or puts to rest the dream of Mr Gono to form a splinter group, I hope. It's now up to the people to decide who takes UNICCO to the promise land.

Congratulations also to Mr Grupee and Mr Grugbay Zoe.

Those who were really frustrated at UNICCO meetings were mostly the women. I remembered a lady cussing the entire body as she walked out of the building in 2006. She was fuming. I am therefore shocked and dismayed that not one woman candidate is among the roster of candidates just released.

Besides Mr Dorliae, I have interacted one time or the other with the rest of the presidential candidates. Let me joggle the presidential candidates as my interaction with them (from top down) goes:

Diah-Kpodo

Fele

Wanquoi

Kruah

Dorliae

Mr Dorliae seems to be a shrewd politician, as I observed at the New Jersey gathering.

I will be joggling again later. Right now, I am browsing through the Kruah platform.

Kweme
5/12/10

The analyses above began when the below communications were released:

-----Original Message-----
From: Tony Kona Fele
To: unicco06@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wed, May 12, 2010 2:54 pm
Subject: Re: [unicco06] Dorliae is Certified

Mr. Secretary,

Please extend my thanks and appreciation to the election team for looking beyond the peace line to come out with the decision concerning Mr. Dorliae. We all are children of Nimba and this is the only pratice ground belonging to us for our political practice. Let's allow all the kids of Nimba to come on this practice ground.

we want to take this time to congratulate Mr. Dorliae and Mr. Zoe on their acceptance to the practice ground.


Fele
NC
siayen dao
To: unicco06 ; "unicco_usa@yahoogroups.com"
Sent: Wed, May 12, 2010 12:23:28 PM
Subject: [unicco06] Dorliae is Certified

The Special Election Commission under the gallant leadership of Dr. Adam Kar has unanimously certified Mr. Martin Dorliae as a presidential candidate for the ensuing UNICCO 2010 elections. The decision was reached after reviewing the clearance submitted to the commission by the board.

In retrospect, Mr. Dorliae protest obtaining clearance from Mr. Diah-kpodo. The resolution of the protest induced unwanted delay in reaching a decision to certify Mr. Dorliae.
On behalf of the commission, I want to commend Mr. Dorliae for the demonstration of procedural steadfastness and tenacity during the push and pull over his certification. I wish Mr. Dorliae a successful campaign.

In another development, the commission has also certified Mr. D. Grugbay Zoe (Zobaniay) as a candidate for the position of a vice president. Mr. Grugbay Zoe (Zobaniay) is the ONLY vice presidential candidate that has been certified by the commission. I am exceedingly glad that Mr. Grugbay (Zobaniay) observed the guidelines of the commission and I wish him success in his campaign.
Congratulations to Mr. Dorliae and Mr. Grugbay (Zobaniay) for their certification.

Signed:
Siayen S. Dao
General Secretary

Supporting Trusteeship For Liberia

The rumor that the UN is contemplating putting Liberia under a Trusteeship has riled my enthusiasm for such a venture. We have not shown that zeal that is usually aligned with the sovereignty of a nation. We have squandered every opportunity to develop our country since 1847. That's why I strongly feel that Trusteeship at this time is a good and moral thing for Liberia and its people.

I have been trying to decipher Uncle Sam’s coded messages and also trying to understand what a Trusteeship will do for Liberia and its people. I understand that a Trusteeship is the “administration of a territory by a country or countries so commissioned by the United Nations.”

Our leaders know exactly what Uncle Sam’s coded messages have been and what they mean. I doubt whether they will want to divulge the meanings to us. Here is a simple example. If I give you money to install an electric generator in a small town and to my amazement the money is used to send your son or daughter to college in a foreign country or you used the money to buy a house in Europe or America, of course, I will send you coded messages that only you can understand. I will tell you to give me back my money or you will find it difficult enjoying another dime from me.

I can’t remember how much money America gave Liberia through President Doe. All I do know is that there was a lot of smiling on the White House lawn when President Reagan referred to our C-I-C Doe as Mr Moe. No one was complaining at the time. But when it became obvious to America that there were no returns on their investments, they began to send President Doe secret messages.

When I got frustrated with what I saw in Monrovia and how the roads were in such deplorable condition in the country as a whole, during my visit there in December of 2009, I was asked: My man, which part of Monrovia did you visit? I fired back: Which part of Monrovia was out of bound to visit? I did not like the fact that I had to use a bucket of water to flush the commode every time I used a bathroom. I was frustrated that drivers of cars and motorcycles were using the little available sidewalks to ply their vehicles. I was shocked that electric generators were operating insides of houses. I kept wondering: Whatever happens to carbon monoxide and its effect on people in an enclosed area. Yet, there was constant news of people in government misappropriating money intended to improve lives and build infrastructures in the country.

This brings me to Trusteeship. I love the idea. If the sovereignty of a nation means leaving the country to a few of its citizens to pillage the resources and misappropriate development funds, then I prefer Trusteeship to sovereignty. If after 162 plus year of sovereignty, the living conditions of majority of the people have seen no major improvements whatsoever, then I strongly prefer Trusteeship for Liberia. If since 1847 I cannot drive my car to Cape Palmas without blowing the tires two or three times, then Trusteeship is my only option. I could go on and on and on, and still, Trusteeship will end up being the preferable choice to the type of sovereignty a few are begging to preserve and uphold.

A two-year Trusteeship of Liberia under the leadership of General Colin Powell or any other assigned UN personnel will put in place a system that the common man can only dream about. Infringing upon the sovereignty of an Independent country? Give me a break. In 162 years, what have you done to prove to the world that your country is endowed with an abundance of natural resources?

Why is there only one x-ray machine in a country of 3 million people? How many of your citizens were trained to be medical doctors or engineers, etc? How many fire trucks are there in Monrovia or Kakata or Sanniquellie or in Zwedru? In the midst of such poverty and human suffering,and no development, why do we keep hearing of government officials stealing and stealing and stealing?

Majority of the suffering masses of Liberia want Trusteeship, and they want it now! The few who are spewing out that old talk of Sovereignty and Independence are the same ones who continue to let the nation down by enriching themselves from the benefits of its natural resources.

Until love for country and people can be seen streaming from the bellies of a new generation of Liberians, until that time when a new system of accountability and transparency is put into place and tested and functioning well for the benefit of all in society, until some kind of hope for Liberia is seen on the horizon, I prefer to see the United Nations set up the Trusteeship and save our country from the corrupt few.

Stop The Stealing; Begin To Build Liberia

When I think of the corruption in Liberia and how ordinary Liberians are making it in America, I feel sick to know that the leaders of the country will continue to dupe our people and allow a few to remain rich off the country's resources to the detriment of the masses. It is this frustration that keeps my guts boiling with words of disgust:

It is so good for Liberians to come to America to tell their fellow Liberians how well development activities are proceeding in our native land. What is not good at all is for those coming with such a lovely message to have clouds of financial discrepancies hanging over their heads as they land at JFK Airport in New York. All good news or projected efforts that should be wonderful to the ears become overshadowed by news of massive theft in the home land.

Many of us Liberians who work in America have no way of stealing money at our work places as many Liberians do at their work places in Liberia. The consequences of even thinking about stealing or giving dubious accounts to assigned responsibilities are too grave for the honest person. I am in no way saying that theft does not occur in work places in America.There are so many processes one goes through to even cash a check here in America that sometimes one wonders whether the whole thing is worth the effort. Even if stealing was a way of life in America, just look at the roads and infrastructual setup; look at the hospitals and pipe-borne water system; look at electricity and the malls and the parks and waterways; just look at the place Liberians in America wish Liberia could take development cue from.

No one carries blank, signed checks in her or his pocket even if the checks were their own. That is why it hurts the heart to hear that Liberians, most of whom were in the United States or Europe struggling to make end meet, and who vowed to go home to bring a positive difference in the lives of a dirt poor people, are the same ones in the news everyday accused of stealing or misappropriating millions of dollars.
I was in Liberia in December of 2009. I am still depressed from what I saw: the terrible road condition, the filth at Red Light, Waterside, New Krutown Junction, West Point. Why should the rich think that they will continue to prosper and enjoy life more abundantly when the number of poor people in the same area continues to climb? How does a country prosper with such horrible road condition? How can a people be healthy with no safe-drinking water?

If this stealing of our resources does not stop, if our people are not given the God-given right to expand their horizon and to equally enjoy their birth rights, the rich or rogues can not expect to do well in such a society. If my sister-in law, who has a six-grade education from Liberia can own a home, have a car and can transact her own activities here in America, why can’t the same opportunity be available to Liberians in Liberia? How do people feel stealing from Liberia to build or to buy houses in America? Why are Liberians going to Ghana or Ivory Coast for medical treatments. Why is there one old x-ray machine in the entire country? What kanda thing is that?

The way things are set up in Liberia and the way majority of the citizens continue to be treated, I see why it was so difficult for me to afford a pair of sneakers when I was going to school. I used to use flip flops or slippers to school. When the part that goes between the toes severed, I used safety pins to keep it attached. If the pins got loosed, as they always did, they ended up in the flesh of my big toes. It was a shameful time in my life. In America however, where I am but an ordinary person, my 15-year old son refuses to believe my story as I tell him to pack the mountain of sneakers he owns piled up in our jacket and coat closet.

Those in government need to stop the fleecing of our resources and misappropriating development funds and open avenues of progres for all Liberians. Let’s change from stealing and misappropriating to building a country we can be proud of. The country will soon be 163 years old, you know.

Making Ourselves Comfortable

My travel experience with SN Brussels did not come to mind until I read a story about a Counselor who had sued the airline for overchaging for extra baggage, etc. Liberians love to complain. I had other things to say too regarding the over-all story:

I just read about a law suit against SN Brussels by Counselor F Musah Dean, Jr. Since I had done no International travels since leaving Liberia in 1990, I had no idea what to expect when I boarded United Airlines for Brussels last year, en route to Liberia.

Besides the separate African Terminal at Brussels Airport, the five- to six-hour of waiting time for a flight to Africa is grueling. Schipol Airport in Amsterdam or Heathrow Airport in London does not do that to us Africans, if I can remember. I thought about the glaring separation of terminals while waiting at Brussels; but I brushed it off when that tiny voice in me kept reminding me that this was a kind of injustice and discrimination.

With regard to the unknown chemical spraying, I too experienced the ritual. I did not know what to make of the whole exercise. I can’t remember whether the spraying was done while we were getting on or off the plane. I don’t want to speculate or become too critical, but some explanation needs to me given by the airline authorities.

How long are Africans going to blame other people? When are we going to follow international standards and operate our own airlines effectively? When will Liberia in particular, replace that plane that was lost over East Africa many, many years ago? What happened to pride? It is hard time that we hear of corruption and theft everyday, and yet, complain bitterly when other people put their pride on the front burner and develop their countries and operate their airlines effectively and profitably. We prefer to steal and squander and take care of individual business then to advocate for a National Airline…our own Liberian National Airways. Liberia can have its own airline if we, for a moment, put our hearts into the idea.

Just imagine this scenario: Take all the money that John Morlu’s audit reports consider as money misappropriated, misused or squandered. In more recent times, the Ministries of Finance and Health have been highlighted and put on record for ineffective management of funds in their care. Even though there are vehement outcries from those in charge of these ministries, tendencies that have become a norm when audits are instituted in Liberia, there is no smoke where fire has not been started. The fact that the signature of a former boss is used for months to transact business under a new boss makes such a deliberate oversight ridiculously alarming and causes eyes to roll in people’s heads. The red flag of suspicion is right there for the whole world to see.

The Secretary-treasurer at my work place signs all payroll and vendor checks. Two weeks after she was promoted, her signature was replaced with that of the person who was designated to act in her place. The Minister of Finance should be aware of and accustom to this type of procedure. As I write this, no bank in America will honor a check carrying the signature of our former Secretary-treasurer.

Going back to the inconvenience of not having our own, it is now time for Liberians to take pride in ownership. We need to stop squandering our own resources and think about the general welfare of all. We need to purchase our own commercial plane or anything that will make us proud and keep us comfortable.

April 12, 1980

After someone wrote about the missteps of the 1980 coup in Liberia, I couldn't resist adding my observation to the conversation:

I learned something new today. I had no idea that the person Samuel Kanyon Doe, President of Liberia, was once known as Samuel Kupti Doe. This is like opening the file to a classified document, to me.

So G Baccus, Tipoteh, and the other progressives were asked to take over the ship of state during the early hours of the coup of April 12, 1980? And the progressives refused or chickened out? That was a big disgrace, though. And these same progressives or remnants thereof are today begging to rush into the same Executive Mansion? Give Liberians a break!

If the Progressives could not take over the government through the ballot box and the opportunity came up through a military coup, why did they squander that golden opportunity? Why did the progressives put the Liberian people through the hell of 1979 and then failed them a year later? Why?

I know one thing: If Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf had been part of that native-elite group, she would have agreed to grab that bull by the horns with the military "backing" her. Was there a woman in that group that we know of, anyway?

Kollie's frustration is shared by many. It is difficult to admit, but whatever mistakes were made on the morning of April 12, 1980, those mistakes and many others following the days and years after, set the stage for the trouble the country faces today. The so-called progressives failed the Liberian people, big time. They were afraid to step up to the plate or to implement what they had been preaching across the country, inciting the youth as they canvassed the country side with false political and economic rhetoric. Or, let's just say that Boley and Gbala wanted something else, especially since SKD was from Grand Gedeh. Is there more to this story? Like Tolbert and the True Whiggers, was SKD pushed to remain in power by the gravy seekers surrounding him?

Should the same Liberian people therefore listen to the same nonsense today? Of course not. Once a failure, in my mind's eye, always a failure. Imagine turning the country over to the likes of Choppie Charlie and these big-mouth, plenty-talking gravy seekers of today. These are remnants of a failed group looking for a new groove. Those of us who witnessed chaos at its max should not allow the new generation of Liberians to be bamboozled by empty rhetoric from "progressives."

What's the way forward? Get on the ship that is headed for progress and a better day for the nation and its people. Learn what is involved in running a nation; learn how to overcome the huddles of nepotism and tribalism and Native-Liberianism. Twenty one parties or twenty one candidates clamoring for power will not bring progress and development to Liberia and its people.

Join and help the real Progressive presently occupying the Mansion. Be humble like the one who just visited the President in Monrovia. Go and look the Madam straight in the eyes and tell her what you will do differently if given the chance, especially in these difficult economic times. In other words, look at reality and the humongous failure of the past. Dig into the crevices of your soul and ask yourself: Is there really a better alternative out there, even with all the bad news of corruption in Liberia? Can any other group do better in so short a time?

The irrational exuberance of April 12, 1980 and that of December 24, 1989, left our mouths bitter and feeling like we had drunk jo-lo-gbo. We do not want to experience that feeling anymore, especially from inexperienced individuals who are ready to jump ship at a moment's notice.

Getting rid of 133 years of one-party rule by a tiny population of the country may have been embraced by 95% of of the population. It was the right thing to do, but did 95% of the people benefit from such a daring move? No. The new wine got polluted and contaminated by the old barrel. It will take sometime to replace the old barrels. And that is what is going on in the Liberia that we all want to see prosper.

The mistakes of the past will be talked about and archived in libraries and on television sets for years to come. The urgency of now requires that we roll up our sleeves and our pants and work toward a brighter future for our children. Liberia has not done well for itself.

The Property-theft Case in Liberia

The fifteen-year civil war in Liberia left behind remnants of an evil that may lead to another war...the remnant of land or property-snatching by people who thought the world had come to an end and that people who ran away to survive would never come back to their country. Many people stole belongings that were not theirs. Many Liberians fell victim to this immoral act. The stories of these victims must be told and heard and the injustice resolved. The piece below is a sample of my frustration:

I just read your interview with the Land Commission Chairman, Dr T.O. Brandy. I also read the other day that our Mandingo brothers in Nimba County are threatening to boycott the 163rd Independence Day Celebration scheduled to be held this year in Sanniquellie. Their contention is that their Mano brothers in Ganta and in other parts of the county have taken back or taken over land purchased from the Manos many, many years ago.

One of the main reasons I visited Liberia in December of 2009 was to try to locate two lots of land I purchased in 1987 on the Robertsfield Highway. Even though I had the Deed in my possession, it was just difficult for me to remember the definite spot, even as I tried to decipher the bearings on the Deed. When I finally located the area, I realized that the corner stones I planted on my property had been uprooted and replaced with corner stones carrying some strange initials. Someone had purchased a piece of property adjacent to mine but thought it wise to take ownership of half of my two lots. This is not right.

With $40 I was able to ask someone to make me new corner stones to mark the piece of the property I thought was still mine. Calling back to Liberia after I returned to the United States, I was told that someone from Ghana had come and again uprooted the corner stones I had replanted. If this is not inciting a land war between the Kweme Family and whoever the person from Ghana is, then I don’t know what to call it!

I might be able to purchase another lot or two, but why should I give in to illegal activities; why must I condone robbery? If the Land Commission can put in place a system to review all deeds and ownership rights to purchased property in the country, I think I will get back the other half of the land the person from Ghana is claiming to be his or hers.

Here is a little research I made: Liberia occupies 43,000 square miles of land. This is about 27,520,000 acres or 11 million plus hectares of land mass. The population of the country is 3, 400,000. Each Liberian, if the math is done correctly, has ownership to about 8 acres of land.

Like everything else that has happened to Liberia, the land issue is a serious matter. A lot of serious talk will have to be done. The whole land-ownership thing needs to be reevaluated and reexamined from scratch. I know that not everyone in Liberia will get his or her eight acres, but no one person should have more land than is required by law.

Chairman Brandy should expect no hi-fives yet. Nothing has been settled. The Chairman needs to come back from those reviews and resolutions and town hall meetings with long-lasting settlements and with flying colors; he needs to end the land disputes and bring land-peace to the country; and then, we will crown him with all the congratulations and praises known to man.

Keeping our Woman-President for another Term

It is amazing how men have literally over the years done so much damage and evil to the human kind. For 159 years men of all kinds ruled Liberia and there is not much to show for it. The conditions my grandfather witnessed and experienced during his days continue to exist today. Life for most Liberians remains illusive to say the least.

Ellen-Johnson-Sirleaf, the first Liberian female president needs to set a foundation that will change the way things have been done over the years. Six years is not a sufficient time to get this new dawn going. That is why, according to the constitution, she must make use of the twelve years given to set the country up for a more prosperous and equitable future for the 3.4 million inhabitants of Liberia. Hear me below:

I have people at my work place who have worked, retired and have been rehired. Apparently, America hates to see experience go to waste. I like that. I did not always have that feeling, though. Mixing and blending the young with the old is a good thing for Liberia. We don't even have the manpower, yet, those who are supposed to be in Liberia and helping to close the gap, are on these listservs giving instructions and making some unreasonable demands. They incite our people to think of us as "importees."

It is amazing how men are the ones complaining and wanting desperately to kick Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf out of office. For 159 years Liberia and its people have had nothing to boast about from the rule of all these men who have been in power. Now, and all of a sudden, six years of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is a despicable thing to fathom. Men have ruined our country and driven many of us into foreign parts. Liberian men are now the smartest angels in town and they can't wait to once more claim ownership of the country.

If I had my way, Liberia will, for the next 20 or 30 years, have only women presidents. That will give men time to reflect on the damage they have done to the country and allow them to strategize on how to recoup from the stupidity of the past.

The next term of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf will see more young and patriotic men and women in major decision-making areas in government. Her being at the helm of the ship of state of Liberia will be a good thing for the country. The wonderful foundation presently being put into place will be the guiding post for the future of our country.

So for you men who have forgotten so quickly...forgotten how myopic and destructive you've been over the period of 159 long years, I want to say: Shame on you for wanting to snatch away the hope we see in the horizon. You may love the country dearly, but you have demonstrated nothing over the years to win over any positive opinion from many like me.

Like we say in Liberia: If you know what I know, your better move your hand from there! For you have, over the years, squandered ever opportunity handed you on silver platters. You've blown everything out of proportion by using us, killing us, and forcing us out of our country and sending us to places far away from our culture and tradition.

A Tribute to Margaret Emily Lake-Young

Margaret and my family had this special relationship. Her untimely death on February 26, 2010 devastated our spirits. This is my tribute to her. She was buried in Careysbyrg, Liberia on March 20, 2010.

Recently, I have had a serious problem with the Latin saying: Homo proponit, sed Deus disponit, the meaning of which is Man proposes and God disposes. I just wish when Psalms 90:10 says that “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away;” I wish that the Man upstairs would keep His promise to us mortals. Any of God’s children who fly away before the age of three scores and ten leaves with us a strange feeling of disbelief and unbelievable sorrow.

I got a call at 4:12 a.m. on the 26th of February, 2010. I saw the name on the caller ID and refused to immediately answer the telephone. My friend had been sick for a while; her health was deteriorating rapidly, but I always felt in my heart that she would make it through. The call that came in that early morning had an ominous ring to it. I preferred to listen to the voice mail rather than talk live to the person who was about to give me some sad news.

It did not take long before I finally decided to listen to the inevitable. I dialed *86 and put in my pass code. The voice was that of Korto Lake, Margaret's sister. This is what I heard: “Cooper, your sister passed away to be with the Lord at about 3:01 a.m., New Orleans Time.” Korto Lake was sobbing as she left the message. She had been crying from the time my friend, her sister stopped talking two days earlier.

How I got to know Margaret Lake

I was driving from the Harbel Supermarket one evening in late 1984 when I saw a car parked in the middle of the road. The driver was still in the vehicle trying to get it started. The engine of the car had apparently stalled. I parked on the side of road and walked to the car to see if I could help to at least push it off the main road.

As I approached the car, I realize that it was a female driver. I volunteered to help by asking her to put the car in neutral and get down. She did as I told her. She helped me push as I steered her vehicle off to the side of the road. Happy for the gesture, the lady introduced herself: “I am Margaret Lake and I am a teacher at Staff School.” “Oh, I am Cooper Kweme,” extending my hand for a handshake. “Oh, are you Theo Kweme’s father?” she inquired. “Yes,” I replied.
After the short introduction I told Margaret to wait by her car. I ran into the Firestone garage that was nearby and told the garage Manager that a teacher from Staff School was in distress and needed help getting her car started. A mechanic was sent to help and Margaret Lake was able to do her errands that evening.

Two months after the encounter, I got a letter from Margaret Lake inviting my wife and me over to her place for dinner. She immediately found likeness for Yonger, and that’s how the friendship blossomed. Margaret's family and my family became very close after that. We had many dinners together at Sugar Hill and Center Site in Firestone.

Margaret and I always talked about the mystique of America. She was obsessed with Chicago. “Chicago, here we come!” We would hi-five each other. I had traveled to the United States, but the Windy City had not been my destination. I had gone to Los Angeles, and that place blew my mind. The cars I saw for the first time on Highway 101 as we drove from LAX; the road network and buildings I saw, made me to feel sorry for myself and for everything I had known or seen before then. I did not let Margaret know how I felt. We celebrated Chicago with glee and much anticipation.

The War Years

Margaret Lake left Liberia way before December 24, 1989. I lost contact with her but knew all along that she was in America, probably in the windy city of Chicago. War was coming to Liberia and many people took it for granted. We had not experienced war before. The coups of 1980 and 1985 did some damage to our psyche, but those were all we had to reflect upon. We had no idea that the war would be far, far different from the coups.

On May 8, 1990 I arrived in the United States. The same day or week, in Silver Spring, Maryland, I was told that Margaret Lake was getting married, with the reception being held on Rhode Island Avenue in Washington, DC. What a coincidence, I said to myself. Margaret did not know that I was in America and in Silver Spring. She was amazingly surprised when I greeted her at her wedding. She introduced me to her husband and the friendship rekindled.

Being in America involuntarily takes a toll on the faint hearted. I was no exception. I felt the walls of unfamiliarity closing in on me as I went around in search of jobs. One day I got a call from Margaret, who was now Mrs. Margaret Lake-Young. “Come tomorrow to my office in DC,” she told me. I had no idea what she was calling me for, but I found my way to DC the next day. She was on the phone all the while, directing me to where the train would put me and how to get to her office.

I had told Margaret during conversations that I always wanted to be a Medical Doctor, but did Forestry instead when Plan A appeared doomed. “Cooper,” she told me in her DC office. “I have put together some documents that would allow you to enroll at UDC, in the Nursing Program.” I was desperate to work, not to go to school. How would I pay the rent if I went to school? I thought to myself. I had refused going to Nursing School at TNIMA in Liberia. Margaret knew that. Yet, she was adamant in her desire to see me do Nursing. She was a patient and understanding Counselor.

Because I did not have a Green Card, any hope of going to Nursing School in Washington, D C took a southward dive. Without a Green Card, the Dean could do nothing for me. Margaret Lake-Young was visibly devastated and I went back to join the rat race in search of a job.

I did find odd jobs here and there, but I was getting depressed that the war in Liberia was not coming to an end. I desperately wanted to go back home. Then one day, I got another call from Margaret Lake-Young. This time the call came from where she worked in Maryland. She knew I was depressed; she knew the war in Liberia had traumatized many of her people; Margaret Lake-Young knew that many Liberians were going crazy from what was happening in their country.

In her office, this time, Mrs. Young wanted to know if I still wanted to go to Nursing School. I told her how I was at the brink of going mad and how it was difficult for me to concentrate or decide what to do. I finally told her that I wanted to go to computer school. She smiled and told me how smart I was and how she wished she had a tiny bit of the brains I have. Anyone who graduated from LTI, Cuttington College, George Washington University, and later Nursing School did not need any of my brains. Who was she kidding? I used to tease her. Going to Computer School under her guidance and patience and encouragement allowed me to take care of the responsibilities of life in America.

Mishawaka, Indiana, USA

Sometime in October of last year I got a call from Mrs. Young. Her sister, Korto had called me earlier to say that Margaret wanted to talk to me about something, but was somehow embarrassed to tell me. She finally called and left a long message on my phone, not saying exactly what the favor was that she wanted me to carry out. So, I called her. Margaret finally told me that she was in Indiana and that she wanted me to drive her car from Maryland to where she was. “So where exactly are you, in Indiana?” I asked her. She told me that she was in Mishawaka.

Our friendship was such that no matter where she was or no matter what help she wanted, I would drop everything I was doing to give her that helping hand. There was no reason to say no to that soft voice of hers. I was even willing to drive to California if that was what she wanted.

Korto Lake and I took the car to Mishawaka, Indiana. For the nine hours we drove, we got a call every one hour. Margaret Lake-Young wanted to know the condition of the road, whether I was taking a short cut to Mishawaka from Maryland or whether I had eaten something or whether I was tired and needed to stop and sleep. Her concerns were just too overwhelming. No matter how many times I told her to go to sleep and leave the driving to me, she stayed up until we rang the door bell to her apartment at 4:30 in the morning.

Leaving Ohio, I was stopped by the police. The charge was that I was speeding 15 miles over the speed limit. I did not want Margaret to know about the speeding ticket. She was in Indiana to seek medical treatment. Telling her about the speeding ticket would raise her concern-level to the sky: She would demand that she pays for the ticket, and I did not want that. I was happy that she never mentioned anything about the ticket incident in Ohio.

Our Plans for Liberia

Margaret and I found out last year that we had purchased land opposite each other on Robertsfield Highway. One of our many plans was to contribute to the construction of a Pedestrian Bridge over the highway! We would use that walking path to come to each other’s place to ask for salt or pepper or cooking oil or even smoked fish. I would make the vegetable garden and she would bake the rice bread. Margaret Lake-Young was the best rice bread maker in the whole of Maryland. A party without Aunty Meg’s rice bread was no party at all.

Margaret encouraged me to go to Liberia. “Go and see for yourself whether you will like the place,” she would caution me many times. When I told her that I was finding it difficult locating the place I had purchased opposite her land, she promised to give me a place to build my house. When she saw that her sisters Dee and Judy Lake were trying to corner me as I narrated my story about Liberia, she gently kicked my leg under the table and said: “Cooper, please let’s change the topic.”

As I reflect and think about that last statement, I feel that Margaret wanted to make sure the two families remain friendly. She called me a day after the incident and asked whether I had talked to Dee Lake. She did not understand why her sister, especially Dee-Zoe was so upset with me. After all, Margaret told me, I was only expressing my feelings about what I saw and experienced during my trip. "Call Dee and give her your Resume," Margaret told me. That was the last conversation we had together. The day of the incident at Mr Young's house was the last time I saw the face of my friend and mentor and counselor, Margaret Lake-Young.

Goodbye, Aunty Meg

I try to compare our friendship with other friendships. I searched and searched. The feeling I have for Margaret Lake-Young is the same feeling David had for Jonathan. David lamented the death of King Saul and his best friend, Jonathan (II Samuels 1:19-27). Today and forever, I lament the passing away of Aunty Meg, Miss Lake, my friend and counselor. Just as the beauty of Israel was slain upon the high places long time ago, so it is that the beauty of Liberia, one of the country's best humanitarians was taken away by the Bayous of New Orleans in Louisiana, on February 26, 2010.

Let the soul of Margaret Emily Lake-Young forever rest in peace.

Over Land and Over Sea: Part V

I have spent a week in Monrovia. I have experienced a bit of disappointment in the police assigned around the Gurley-Street area. I have tried to drive from the corner of Broad and Randall Streets toward Waterside. The sea of people will not allow me to go at the pace I want, so I turned right on Sao Bosoe Street and head out of town.

I have visited the Urey Chicken Farm in Careysburg and have gone to Firestone to see the damage done to the place I used to live. I have left a note in Smell-No-Taste for the friend who encouraged me in 1987 to purchase a piece of land on the Robertsfield Highway. The first week of my trip to Liberia, after almost twenty years, is about to end. I need to get out of the city and see what’s happening in Kakata or say, Ganta, in Nimba County. Let’s see what the second week brings.

I gave the truck a final check. I wanted to make sure the tires had the required air, even a bit more. I filled the tank up to the brim with gas. Gas is L$225 or $3.25 a gallon at Total Gas Station at this time. TOTAL seems to be the new rooster in town. New gas stations are springing up all over the city and suburbs. Soda, snack, anything you want is sold at TOTAL. The setup is just like Exxon or Shell or a 7-11 gas station in America. I called one of my business partners who is presently in Monrovia to let him know that I would be picking him up at 5:30 am on Tuesday, December 15, 2009. We are going to Nimba.

It is pitch dark at 5:30 am, especially in an area like Brewerville. For some reason, I forgot that I was in Monrovia, where street lights are not common. What is common is the people’s good sense of direction. To find a place in Liberia, a deep curve, a cotton tree or a yellow gas station are some of the landmarks you must remember when trying to find a home or a spot of interest. This has been the way Liberians locate each other from the day I was born.

So when my business partner directed me to pick him up from Brewerville at 5:30 in the morning, I said fine. On my way, I missed the deep curve, I missed Lott Carey Mission, and I missed the VOA Junction. After I had crossed two single-lane bridges built by the UN, I felt somehow that I had gone too far. If there were signs to VOA, or Lott Carey, I didn’t see them at 5:30 in the morning.

I finally located my partner near a long fence by a school, about a quarter mile from the main road. He walked to the truck using a flashlight. It was about 6:15 am when we left Brewerville for the trip up country.

It was easy at this time of the morning to drive through Duala, New Kru Town Junction, and Red Light. At a market after Soul Clinic, we bought a pack of many little plastic bags of water. We changed about $40.00 to L$2640, a huge bunch of money to me.

Driving to Kakata, my mind took me way back as we passed Number 7 or Kingsville on the long stretch of road to Number 8. A lot of well-known people used to live in this area long ago. Further on that route to Kakata, we entered the part of Firestone where I was born and where I was assigned when I first got employed by the company! There is an area called Freeman Reserve, opposite Division 20. I remembered how as kids, my friends and I would walk to Freeman Reserve on Firestone paydays to have fun. We would dance until our parents came and whipped us away.

As we passed Zoevahn or Todee Junction, I thought of Todee Mission, Nyehn Public School, and CLG Mission where I began my early education. As we drove toward Kakata, I tried to locate the spot in a deep curve where Tommie Bernard was killed in a traffic accident. I couldn’t remember the place anymore.

We passed Cooper Farm and then entered the area of Morris’s Farm where Keith Jubah met his untimely and horrible death. As we crossed Du Bridge and began to enter the vicinity of BWI, I remembered how I used to spend a lot of time at this place; not as a student, but as someone who had an interest on campus. The woman I would later marry spent four years at BWI.

I always wanted to attend the Booker Washington Institute. I wanted to become a mechanic. That was my wish when I graduated from the eighth grade. But my father had a different idea. He refused to even allow me to dream of becoming a Tiger. The news that students died during initiation on BWI put fear and a special stereotypical hunch in the mind of my father.

We stopped in Kakata near the Bong Mines-Kakata Highway Junction. My business partner wanted to make sure he had breakfast before going any further. As I stood outside, my friend went through a tiny door and came out smiling. The next thing I saw was a lady coming out with a bowl of steaming cassava leaf and rice. I am not used to eating rice anymore at 7:30 in the morning. So, as my man enjoyed his meal, I bought myself few bananas and ate them for breakfast.

The road through Kakata is also crowded with sellers of all kinds of stuff. Relocating these people, I felt, would be much, much easier than relocating the thousands and thousands of marketers at Red Light or Duala or the congregation near the SN Brussels office near Front, Ashmun, and Randall Streets.

As we passed Konola Academy, I thought of the agony I went through while in America in 1990. The surge of the “freedom fighters” toward Monrovia meant nothing to most people, including me in early 1990. I left two of my kids on Konola as I travelled to the United States for vacation. For years I did not hear from them. I was devastated.

Twenty years is a long time to be away from a place. As we drove on, places that I thought I knew went by either too quickly or it took forever to reach them. For example, I thought for such we had passed or reached Tubman Farm. When I later saw a sign that read: Coo-Coo Nest, even though I had a black-out for a minute, I knew then for sure that we were now in Totota.

I had run out of bottled water, so we stopped at the shop on Tubman Farm to see what was in there. I used the bathroom which was well maintained. An old man who sat in a chair wanted his Christmas after I asked him about the zoo and all the animals that were there. Most of the animals were killed and eaten during the war, he told me. I looked around and was saddened by the fact that without vision, a people and institutions do really perish. Across the street from the stop stood a hotel-like structure. That must be the Nest, I figured.

Even though we had to dodge a few pot holes every now and then, the Kakata-Gbarnga highway is fairly good. I remember when I used to drive on this road to Ganta in about two and a half to three hours. Sergeant Kollieta, Suakoko, Phoebe Hospital… all of these places, I recognized as we drove through. Two places I passed without noticing were Gbatala and Gbonkonima. I remembered how often I used to stop at the latter town to purchase buckets of bitter balls, corn, and fresh deer or groundhog meat hanging from cross bars made of sticks.

Entering Gbarnga, we had to slow down to go through the UN and Immigration Check Points. Gbarnga was not as crowded as Kakata. We drove through with ease, forgetting that a place named Red Light even existed.

Gbarnga was a well-known enclave during the war. It was known as the Capital City of Greater Liberia. With all the mining and logging activities that occurred in Greater Liberia, I expected to see some high-rise buildings or a complete transformation of the Capital City of Bong County. Since I did not drive all over Gbarnga, it will be preposterous for me to say that nothing of substance was done for that city during the years of war.

If I am not mistaken, the sign in Gbarnga tells motorists that the distance from there to Ganta is 50 miles or 80.6 kilometers. Going 50 miles per hour should take the slowest driver about 70 minutes to reach Ganta from Gbarnga. For us, it took forever… at least two hours.

After four dry seasons, the condition of the road to Ganta from Gbarnga is unacceptable. We were driving a truck that had not seen a gravel road in its life time. Besides potholes, we were dodging or driving into craters in order to reach our destination, 50 miles away. It was amazing and refreshing to encounter or come across very few cars on the road. Apart from that luxury, the entire trip was back-breaking. Every bone in your body felt the beating from the road condition on the Gbarnga-Ganta Highway.

I did not forget to pick up students as we drove toward Ganta. I did one pick up between Weala and Totota and another between Kpein and Nengbein. The great promise I saw for Liberia was the students. They were well dressed in their school uniforms, walking to school as I did many years ago. Who knew I would be writing something for others to read? Who knew that a poor student walking to school in Todee District would one day be brave enough to tell the government that the pace of development in Liberia was too slow? I saw hope in these students who take dust into their lungs everyday as I did. It was my responsibility to shorten their trip to school or home as Oldman Taylor did for me, many years ago.

We reached Ganta at about 3 p.m. on December 15, 2009. Ganta looked different to me. The immigration Check Point where I used to work when the death of President Tubman was announced was far away from its original spot. The Mobil Gas station I used to visit when I courted the girl that would become my wife is now hidden from the main road by make-shift homes and market stalls. The war created a new headache for mayors of cities like Ganta and Kakata and Paynesville.

The trip up country was to confirm that the project my business partners and I were trying to setup between Saclepea and Tappita was doing fine as we were told. We wanted to reach our final destination, but the experience from the road condition made the trip a bit sour and discouraging. We had invested a lot in the project, but we had not physically seen what had been done. It was therefore imperative that we keep going, even if we had to sleep on the road.

The road from Ganta to Saclepea is much better. The news is that the Bangladeshi Unit of the United Nations assigned in Ganta is the entity that’s maintaining this portion of the road. The road is nicely paved from the Ganta-Saclepea Junction up to the UN Compound, about a mile away. As soon as one leaves the compound, it’s déjà vu all over again, but with less stress.

Driving up country, rubber farms dominate the topography of the land. Nearly everybody seems to be mesmerized by the notion of owning a rubber plantation. As we drove toward Saclepea I could not remember the location of Cocopa, the largest rubber plantation in Nimba County. I saw Flumpa and Kpetuo and Graie. There was not much to be happy about, as I saw the same huts and the same conditions that were there 20 years earlier.

From Saclepea to our destination should, all things being equal, take about 30 to 45 minutes. The road condition is similar to that of the Gbarnga-Ganta Highway, bone crushing. After 4 dry seasons, the main roads in the country should be better than what it is.

We called our contractors. They did not sound receptive at first, but when we told them that we were coming to the site and that we had their one month’s pay, the tone changed. They called us every ten minutes after that, wanting to make sure that we were safe! My business partner and I did not know the specific spot where the project had begun. The contractors told us that they would be waiting to take us to the place we hope would one day have an impact on the people of the area.

We saw two men waving cutlasses as we approached the town where our project is located. We knew immediately the gesture and waving were genuine. In earlier times, that would mean something else. We made a right turn into what we knew by now was our property. We got down, hugged and introduced ourselves. We were shown the work that had been done which was the foundation of a processing plant we hope to establish in a little town far, far away from Monrovia.

After inspecting the place and taking some pictures, we were taken to the town where we were introduced to the town chief. Before leaving the site, I had observed a cola tree that had cola nuts hanging from every branch. I told one of the contractors to pick me some cola nuts. My craving for anything natural and Liberian was a feeling that only I could experience and boast about. Those fresh cola nuts and the fresh, succulent pineapple that came later were the only food I had eaten the whole day, besides the bananas in Kakata. My business partner thought I was insane and going nuts by starving myself. To tell the truth, I was never hungry.

That cola tree will remain where it is. It will be there as we strive to make a difference in the lives of people who have seen nothing but a hard life. That cola tree and the people in the town survived the war. We must all look forward, rejuvenating the potential in all of us. That cola tree is far ahead of us.

We arrived back in Ganta at about 9 p.m. As we drove back, a sign near a bridge in one of the towns caught my attention. It read: Caution, this bridge was locally constructed! There are one-lane bridges all over the country, constructed by the UN. I saw them in Brewerville and on the road as we drove through the interior of the country. Why was this particular sign so interesting? Did the people of the town single-handedly build this bridge to standard? Was it risky for motorists? What was this sign telling me and others about this bridge that we were about to cross?

We were accommodated in Ganta by the wife of our main contact. He had traveled to Monrovia to attend graduation ceremonies at the University of Liberia. Because of our host busy schedule and because we did not inform her of our trip in advance, she put something nicely together for dinner. No GB, no rice; but it was just a nice dinner.

The heat was not nice to me in Liberia. It was just embarrassing to see myself sweating so profusely among the people. Most thought I was sick, I believe. Trying to sleep in Ganta was tough. The generator refused to come on. By 2 a.m. I was wide awake, fanning myself with whatever I could lay my hands on. At this early time of the morning and surprisingly, I heard a rooster crowing. There was something wrong with the timing, I thought. Roosters are supposed to crow around 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning. It is the rooster that tells the dawn of a new day.

As we left Ganta for Monrovia on December 16, 2009, I wondered whether the war had anything to do with the timing system of the offsprings of the roosters that survived.