The Constitutional Review Committee, Old Hands, and The Right to Vote

The 1986 Constitution of Liberia is being reviewed and the Committee came to America for suggestions. We did not have a lot of time to discuss the Constitution, but the Article that concerns us most, Citizenship, has been given some due diligence. My take on a few things:

This past Sunday was the first time I saw Dr Dunn up close. I always saw him on TV or read about him in the print media. I don't know how old he is but he seems alert and knows what he's doing.

The question of why the same old names keep coming up on these committees was raised at our meeting with the CRC in Silver Spring, MD. Dr Dunn was calm in explaining that it was the President who does the choosing, and that he was aware of the fact that not too many young people or women were equally represented on the committee. It was made clear, however, that if you went one rung of the ladder lower in the process, you would see youthful faces of all genders and stripes dominating the work of the CRC.

We live in an environment where age discrimination is frown upon. I would not have made that an issue, for age and wisdom do indeed go hand in hand. Since the President is not a young person, she appoints people at the top whom she considers wise and consistent. It's difficult to fight her on this one.

Let us all hope that all the suggestions from both the old and the young will be included in the final document to be seen by the President, seen and debated by the Legislature, written in a National Gazette, kept and pondered over for one calendar year, debated again, sent to a referendum, and if pleasing to the ears of the Liberian people, passed into law.

Constituents of the 16th County did not have enough time to discuss the Constitution in toto. I know, however, that our main section (Article 27) will be given enough thought and seriousness.

Did you hear the suggestion of a flat tax for development in LIB, to make the case for voting? Tax each working Liberian in the Diaspora say, $10.00 every pay period:

1. 50,000 working Diaspora Liberians x $10.00 = $500,000.00 every two weeks x 26 = $13,000,000, for example.

2. 300,000 working Liberians in the Diaspora x $10 x 26 weeks = $78,000,000, for example.

I usually give $5.00 every two weeks to United Way. Why not double the amount for the right to vote and help develop Liberia in healthcare, education, or electricity and pipe-borne water?

Many people have been trying to say something like this for years. We will manage and disburse from this side!

A thousand light bulbs just lit up in my head!

6/24/14