Being Away Too Long

It is amazing that I have not written on this blog from since July of this year. Nothing should reduce the passion to express my gut feelings!

I will be back.

A Rotational Presidency based on ethnicity in Liberia would take a long time and would be a bit frustrating and cumbersome. A Rotational Presidency, however, based on the zones in which groups are clustered would be more doable. The 'Failed State' status has allowed citizens to become creative. They are forming associations they hope will generate enough money and enthusiasm to develop their areas, since government seems to be unable to complete projects and give citizens the basic things of life: Electricity, water, roads, food, education, healthcare.

But first, and for Liberia, slicing the country into political and economic zones will begin the process of full participation of all citizens in the management of the natural resources for which the country is boastfully endowed. My configuration:


The failed state has engendered and invoked many and varied thoughts and behaviors from and within its people. The failed state has allowed the people to come to the economic and political realization that in order to make sense of it all, after so many years of progress without development, trials and errors, they must come together as ethnic groups, school associations, district associations, county associations, etc., to find ways and means to develop their areas of this one country they all love so dearly. Yes, indeed, the failed state has brought about a new dynamism in the people that will eventually result to zoning the land and finally instituting the idea of a rotational presidency in Liberia, based on one five-year term.

For  the people of Liberia to meaningfully develop and enjoy the resources of their land, in this new format, I will try to slice the country into four unique political and economic zones:

Zone I:

Sinoe County

Maryland County

River Gee County

Grand Gedeh County

Grand Kru County

Zone II:

Lofa County

Gbarpolu County

Cape Mount County

Bomi County

Zone III:

Margibi County

Bong County

Nimba County

Zone IV:

Montserrado County

Grand Bassa County

River Cess County

 

Liberians can look at this configuration and tell immediately which zones has produced most of Liberia's presidents and vice presidents. They can also look at the various zones and see immediately which areas have somehow benefited from the massive natural resources the country is endowed with, and which areas have benefited the least.

With all the other modalities in place, all T's crossed and all I's dotted, it is obvious from this setup, that Liberians from all walks of life and areas of habitat will become full participants in the future of their common patrimony.

A nation wanting peace and prosperity and equality, will remain peaceful and prosperous when the concentration of power is shared by all.

Liberia is a failed state. There is no light in the tunnel as far as the eyes can see. 167 years of failure is unbearable!

If we must figure out how to tackle infectious diseases, flooding, bad roads, poor education, lack of electricity, drinking from creeks and old wells, Liberia cannot continue to carry the failed state status.

America's Success Story in Africa will not happen if we continue to travel on the same path we've been traveling for 167 long years. It is too clear that whatever we've been doing to improve our lot has not work. This obvious insanity needs to come to an end and it cannot come fast enough!

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

Changing the Symbols

In the 1800s, tribal people lived on the land now called Liberia; but when the settlers from America arrived and declared the country independent, they showed their disdain for the tribal people by establishing symbols and other artifacts that totally ignored and disregarded the presence of those they met on the land. Today, these symbols and handiwork of those from America are being challenged and calls for change are becoming a pastime. Here is my take:

I like the design of the Seal. It is beautiful. I want the Love of Liberty Brought Us Here to remain as is and to represent all of us...hosts and guests....indigenous settlers as well as settlers from America and those who were captured on slave ships in the Congo basin and the Gulf of Guinea.



I also want the dove on the Seal to be replaced with the Pepper Bird. Liberia's National Bird needs to be given it's rightful place on the Coat of Arms of the Republic. And as I said earlier the Pepper Bird is that special bird in Liberia that wakes us up in the morning to do something worthwhile for society. If over the years we have ignored the call of the Pepper Bird, now is the time for Liberians to wake up and give true meaning to the plough and shovel that are emblazoned on the Seal.

The plough and the shovel, as we all know, represent what Liberians need in order to be self sufficient. Our soil is rich. Feeding ourselves should not cause a riot. The palm tree that represents every productive tree in Liberia can give the cash we need to develop the people and the shovel to build infrastructure.

The Love of Liberty Brought Us Here, the plough, the shovel, the palm tree, are as Liberian as Liberian can be. We can keep those.

The Pepper Bird must replace the dove.

My prolific flow of thoughts

I will be posting many thoughts on a variety of issues that I have had and continue to have and that I have written of on other news outlets about how the land of my father is being run and has been run.

Because it is a reality that from the inception of the Republic of Liberia, that the leaders have not considered all the people of the land as a single entity, the coastal elites, merchant elites, and now the urban elites who have ruled and continue to rule, remain ambivalent to the needs and aspirations of the general population. These elites continue to marginalize and take advantage of the illiteracy of the people, something that is known to have been institutionalized in order to promote the welfare of the very few and powerful in society.

Many of us were brainwashed and made to believe that it was the settler class who meant no good for the country and its people. And so for a hundred or so years the tug of war between settlers and aborigines ensured, unabated. 

When a settler president was finally removed from office in 1980 by a group of Liberia's military men, it was believed that those who came in, mostly members of the aborigine group, would steer the ship of state in a new direction and into a future for which that most had been hoping.

The frustration from knowing that the more things change the more they remain the same and even worse, is what propels my conscience to write what's inside of me. These thoughts do not come to me in spurts; they flow consistantly like a raging stream within me, on a consistent and persistent basis, twenty-four hour daily. Whatever epipheny came my way, it has completely engulfed my being and it is allowing me to regorgitate what was slowly and poisonally injected into me by those who should have done a better job by allowing me to enjoy the citizenship of the country in which my parents conceived me.

Most of what you will read will sometimes appear contradictory and with a pinch of wonderment. Do not dispair. What you and how you feel are in complete alignment with the contradictory nature of the surroundings in which we find ourselves. So sit back and continue to enjoy what comes out from the bottom pit of my mind.

Fear of war coming to Liberia after fourteen years of the first devastating and destructive war, should be of no major concern to the power that is. Do the right thing for the nation and people and war will be no more. Deviate from the main course of corruption and ineptitude and indeed, something nostolgic will begin to brew:

Because of the situation in Nigeria (the issue with Boko Haram), sending 700 freshly trained Nigerian soldiers to keep peace in Liberia is ironic and seriously controversial. Goodluck Jonathan, the President of Nigeria, should have been able to discern this. Nigeria needs to settle the serious security issue in Nigeria first and foremost before sending one of its soldier anywhere else. Make this crystal clear to the UN.

 

If Liberia will continue to need UN troops to keep the peace, then let the UN take over Liberia for the next ten years after 2017. Or, is the UN in cahoots with the over all bad news that keeps coming from that part of the world? It is unfair to keep peace while standing over a timed bomb set to explode as soon as you leave the place. The UN should see something and say something; in fact, the UN must do something! Or else, it isn't worth being a peace-keeping organization in any country that takes sovereignty seriously only by just mere talking, not by actions and deeds.

It was a good idea to suggest that Liberia did not need a huge army. This idea was perhaps hinged upon the belief that those becoming leaders after the war would be clean and corrupt-free; and that things that led to the war, in the first place, would never be heard of again; and that concession agreements, for example, would be in the interest of the people and the nations, unlike the days of old; that the new leaders would be seen as fighters for the people and not just for themselves; and that old, wicked ways, like treating the country like a family estate, for example, would be a thing of the past....a nightmare gone away; and that behold, all things would now be new in a new Liberia.

Bur it is crystal clear and apparent that the UN should not have completely turned over the affairs of Liberia to the same old corrupt people who, for fourteen years, brought the same Liberia and its people to their knees. UN advisors should have been in every ministry and every agency until things appear to be in sync with SOP. The hands-off approach has not worked for Liberia, and just propping up a corrupt regime is not fair to the people of Liberia or to the UN itself.

But all is not lost. The UN can take a hard look at the Liberia case in point and reset its overall peacekeeping objectives. There is no way that the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf government will ask the UN to leave Liberia because it 'meddles in Liberia's internal affairs' by its involvement in overseeing how things are done to enhance the peace. The UN needs to get more heavily involved in the day to day, hour by hour management of Liberia. There is no other way.

Two thirds of Liberia's land was taken away because America and the ACS allowed a hands-off approach after those they sent to that part of the world, were left to fend for themselves. These new settlers in Africa became complacent and easily satisfied with mediocrity. The French and British took advantage of the state of don't-care-ism demonstrated by the settlers who had declared Liberia a free and independent country. Actions did not boaster the declaration. Talk was cheap then and talk is even cheaper today.

Now that we have failed totally and miserably from 1847 to date, to govern our country for all; and now that the United Nations occupies the balance one third of what is left of Liberia, to help us wake up from the comatose of so many years, Liberians would be more than pleased not only with the peacekeeping aspect of the UN presence, but with the actual governance of the country.

UN experts should be heavily involved in the political, economic and financial running of Liberia. A new generation of Liberian counterparts will help put Liberia on a new path of actual recovery from the disastrous mismanagement of the past and the constant news of corruption presently dogging the country.

Sending peace keepers to Liberia from countries that have their own unresolved internal conflicts, does not make a lot of sense to the naked ears of a lay man. In Afghanistan, for example, we have the US, the British, Canada, Australia. In Liberia, we did not settled for the best, and so the same old, same old continues, undisturbed.

A second option: Since Liberia did not get the attention of America in the 1800s or even in the 1990s, it is time for the United States to send 10,000 or 5,000 or even 2,000 boots on the ground in Liberia from Afghanstan, with experts to put Liberia on the path to modernity and good governance. A mere five year tour will be less expensive and far less dangerous than the nightmare experienced in Iraq or Afghanistan. America can do this, alone!

I love Liberia, but it is uncompromisingly clear that we are unable to fend for ourselves. We have eaten crabs with shame for more than a century. We missed the boat of oneness and proper governance way before and after 1847. That misstep has haunted every aspect of our lives. It has caused us to hate each other in a strange way. We can end this, though, by swallowing our weak pride and calling out for genuine help.

The stubborn among us will say otherwise; but we need to somehow find a way to end this vicious circle of going nowhere. We cannot do it by ourselves.

From The Other America, The Story of Liberia, page 140, you will find how nepotism is embedded in our flesh: "Nepotism is a problem with no obvious solution, since there were no skilled people to replace its beneficiaries; the Liberian educational system turned out eloquent preachers and unnecessarily large cohort of lawyers but few competent administrators or businessmen. The post of treasury secretary usually went to a political insider will little experience in budgeting or even bookkeeping."

The above may no longer be the case; but still, nepotism is still alive and well in our LIB.

 

3/23/14

Free Rodney Sieh

Photos of human skulls in Bong County and videos of people being executed on a beach front and a sitting president being tortured in Monrovia, should all remind us of the evils that brought about the unspeakable tragedies that our people and the nation had to face for almost two decades.

These images stand as reminders, giving many of us hope that a journalist like Rodney Sieh would never have to go to jail. We expected these reminders to always prick the consciences of those who are elected or selected to power in Liberia. And that those in power would strive to always do the right thing.

We thought that the episodes of 1980 and those of 1989 to 2003 would forever remind Liberians that those evils that brought about the results of our many tragedies, would never again resurface in our new dispensation. We thought human beings in Liberia would always remember the ugly past and endeavor to perfect or even try to improve conditions for a better present and a glorious tomorrow.

That was our hope; that was our greatest expectation.

But apparently, there is an embedded and systemic evil in us human beings that does not remember the past or care about the present or a tomorrow.

In the midst of a preponderance of misdeeds, how can we be "the ones that we've been waiting for" to bring a new and hopeful day to the land and the people of Liberia? How in the world can we erase the notion and perception that what people in JJ Robert's time could not fix, we in this time must live and abide by the same norms?

Will an apology from Sieh to Toe give the GAC reports some credibility? Will an apology stop the miscarriage of justice in Liberia and cause justice to be done to those who have been mentioned in the various audit reports that tax payers' efforts have allowed to occur?

When the government says it's not getting involved in the Sieh-Toe case, what does that mean in the bigger scheme of thing? Did one bad move on the part of government lead to other things that did not auger well for some people?

Should audits be carried out in Liberia at all? Is the whole exercise of auditing government entities just a gimmick?


Kweme
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." Barack Obama

Free Rodney Sieh

The owner and publisher of FrontPageAfrica, Mr Rodney Sieh, has been in jail for almost two weeks now. His crime: He is unable to pay $1.5 Million to the former Minister of Agriculture, Dr Chris Toe, for publishing the results of an audit report that showed that Minister Toe could not give account or show documents for monies under his management. The Daily Observer Newspaper thinks that Mr Sieh should apologize to Dr Toe so that the case may be withdrawn. Here is a part of the Daily Observer suggestion: "The purpose of this editorial is to make it clear to the public and to the international community that this is not at all apolitical case, and that those arguing that it is are doing Sieh a major disservice. The only victims here are the people whose hard-earned reputations have been tarnished.We hope that upon leaving prison, Mr. Sieh will change the way he practices journalism and bring honor to the profession as all journalists are required to do."

With the audit reports clearly pointing to Minister Toe, it is amazing that Mr Sieh is being sued for publishing and exposing what had already been reported. I had to have my take in this one:

I think the editorial staff of the Daily Observer has seriously erred here. The constant and forever-business of apologizing for exposing the evil of society resolves nothing and is sickening.

If the government of Liberia and Chris Toe think that both of them are absolutely clear in conscience and mind, then they should allow Rodney Sieh to rot in jail.

If all the audit reports conducted in Liberia are now considered not credible and a farce, then Rodney Sieh will have to remain in jail; for it is clear that he does not have the $1.5 Million.

The more things change in Liberia(if that is really the case}, the more they remain the same old, same old!


Kweme

My desire to see the presidency of Liberia rotated as per county every four years, is seriously becoming a past time and a passion. What are some of the advantages of each of the fifteen counties taking the responsibility of leading the nation every four years? Keep reading.

Liberians can untangle themselves from the old ways by initially changing the way we elect our leaders. We can rewrite our constitution to reflect some of the suggestions I made, making life easy for all of us.

 

We are a tribal people. We love to see our kind up there. Make that possible and the potential for conflicts reduces. The potential for military coups is eliminated.

 

We can modify the democratic process by blending it with what is good for our situation. Only America has a tribal reservation. Everyone else comes and assimilates into the American way. That is impossible in Liberia with sixteen diverse ethnic groups. And the war made things even worse.

 

Everything falls into place when each county in Liberia is given the chance to lead the nation for four or six years. This will surely give Liberians the chance to think about things other than politics.

 

I myself want to be president of Liberia. I will never be reach that goal with the present system in tact. With my mode of thinking, I may have a chance if my county thinks I am good for the country. My impact in the county must reflect what's ahead for the country. My ability to negotiate with Mittal Steel to bring the pork home, for example, will show how well I will do for the country as a whole.

 

With Wologisi in the spotlight, how well are citizens in Lofa County doing when it comes to benefiting from the huge revenue potential from their mountain? How are the sons and daughters making things happen for the people of Lofa? How are the negotiations going in Sinoe County with regard to the oil palm entities?

 

165 years of an unblended system has left us with no water, no light, no roads, no hospitals, no nothing. The war did not even help!

 

If I don't kill my own people, I can never be president. If I don't put those who disagree with me in jail or threaten to unleash tragedy upon my own people, I can't rule in peace.That is so wrong and evil. How does one even rule normally after such carnage and brutality? 

 

My mode of thinking is similar to that of the Vatican's. A Pope is elected, the people wait, white smoke comes from a chimney, the people see their new leader, and happiness returns to society.

 

Liberians need to rethink this whole thing over for the good of all of us and posterity. We can do far better than what we are doing at the moment.

 

5/3/13

 

 

 

There is a word in Afghan called Wahsta. Wahsta means that no matter what, tribal affiliation and loyalty will always exist. Here is the quotation and what I glean from it with regard to the ignored or negligent development most of the people of Liberia have experienced over the years:

"According to a tribal tradition, it is appropriate to treat different people differently; killing someone outside of the tribe is seen as morally acceptable. Such differential treatment is not seen as unjust but is an indication of loyalty and solidarity to one’s tribe. Nepotism or favoritism towards members of the group is expected. In Afghanistan this is known as “wahsta” [WAH-stah]. Wahsta is particularly common in the hiring of workers. In other words, if a farmer is looking for field laborers, for example, the family, tribe or clan would always come first."


I read the piece above and immediately realize that this is it. Liberians have had this for 133 years from one tribe or ethnic group or section of our society....the congau group or Americo-Liberians. Then in 1980, the Krahn group enjoyed, big time, this status. Even today when we mention how the Krahns were all over the place during President Doe's regime, they say da lie. Even the Krahn book-people vehemently deny this. They want us to prove it. Proving what is globally known is boring!

The democratic version of rule is fine, but for Africa, we must admit without eating the crab silently, that indeed wahsta will always exist. How do we unshackle ourselves from this phenomenon, knowing that we must live together as 16 different ethnic groups in fifteen counties in Liberia?

My simple take: If a Gola person is the president of Liberia, that person should make sure that the opportunity to excel is open to all Liberians. Like Tubman said, each tribe in Liberia will have the chance to govern. Each ethnic group should be given the prospect that one day its time will arrive. That time has come. The urgency is now!

Let's try allowing each ethnic group six or four years to run the presidency of Liberia. Excluding the Golas, Krahns, Congaus, who have their chance, in the next seventy-two years as of 2016, the rest of the ethnic groups or counties in Liberia would have had the chance to captain the ship of state. With this system in place, Liberians will no longer worry about one tribe killing members of another tribe while the others sit and watch. With this new system in place, the rest of the people will wave their fingers and say: No, no! Don't even try it! Don't start that foolishness again!

Let me see: If I represent my ethnic group or county as president of Liberia, do I appoint so, so Dan and Maan and Krahn and Gbi and Mandingo and Kpelle people to the cabinet? My cabinet must look like Liberia, and so the democratic way will always prevail. The presidency is what we are concerned about.

Choosing the President and Vice President: There is this huge drum on wheels with 15 crumbled sheets of paper representing the 15 counties of Liberia. At a gathering of citizens, the wheel is turned fifteen times. A fifteen-year old girl puts her hand in the drum and brings out a crumbled sheet.The president who has two years left in his/her term, opens the sheet and reveals the county of the next president to the citizens that have gathered. A county that has been chosen is not entered into the next round of choice.

If this is being done at the Centennial Pavilion or the Capitol Building, fifteen county flags are flown at full staff, side by side of the Liberian flag. When the county is chosen, all fifteen flags will be lowered. As the nation waits, the flags of the counties whose sons or daughters will lead the nation for the next four or six years, will then be hoisted by two fifteen-year old kids from the two counties. Examples: County of the President: Nimba. County of the VP: Margibi: Nimba/Margibi; County of the President: Sinoe. County of the VP: Grand Gedeh: Sinoe/Grand Gedeh. The flag from the president's county is hoisted on the right and that of the VP on the left of the Liberian flag.

The campaign to select the president and vice president of Liberia is now set to take place in just two counties! Electing the president on a rotational basis is the best way forward for Liberia.

Wahsta is a given in Africa. It's the culture. It's an ethnic/tribal thing. Let's knowingly keep it that way and reduce the stress.

I feel like I just drank a nice cup of Liberica Coffee on a cold January morning in Ganta.

Good research, Dennis Jah 

The condition of majority of the people in Liberia is not something to boast about. No conscientious Liberian can look at the living standard of the people and say with glee that all is well. What is then the way forward before 2017? Here is my take after it was suggested that the conditions at Belle Yalla were no different than the present conditions being experienced by majority of Liberians:

If after seven years of an Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf government, the Liberian people are still congregating at Red Light, at Duport Road Junction; if the pathways through Kakata, Gbarnga, Ganta, Voinjama, and perhaps many other town and cities are being blocked by people struggling to make a living after the war ended  almost ten years ago; if Flumpa is still dark and Toe Town and Barclayville have no pipe-borne drinking water; if a pregnant woman must ride on the back of a motor scooter from Saclepea to the Jackson Doe Hospital in Tappita, on a muddy, back-breaking road; if students are struggling with their Legislators for scholarship money and government officials are scrambling to Nigeria or Ghana or the United States to seek medical attention, how can most of us say with sane and conscientious minds that indeed, Belle Yalla was most notorious for being oblivious to human dignity?

 

We can help to change these conditions by reminding those in power in Liberia that they are not doing well for the people whose sons and daughter were displaced and or killed during almost fourteen years of a brutal war. Those in the Diaspora must make this known to the people of the United States whose taxes made many things possible for the new and old big shots in Monrovia.

 

Liberians in the Diaspora must muster the strength to gather en masse in Washington, DC, at the UN in New York or even in European Capitals to remind Liberia's partners that what is being done in Monrovia is far from being in the interest of the people who deserve better.

 

And lastly, and more importantly, I don't think it will be fair to the Liberian people for the UN to leave Liberia when Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf's term to govern expires. Leaving Liberia will be like leaving the hen house exposed to the foxes. The UN cannot just protect Ellen and leave when she leaves the Executive Mansion in Monrovia.

 

What do I suggest the the UN do? The UN has accommodated with open arms, those who were most responsible for the atrocities in Liberia. These people are now representatives and senators; ministers and big shots in the government. (I don't know whether anything like this exists anywhere in the world.) Liberia must be a very bad lucky country.

 

The rain and snow that come from heaven do not water the earth for most Liberians. They do not bring forth the bud that gives rise to seeds for the farmers and bread to those in need. Our rains have been useless to us for more than a century and a half. The change we've been calling for has been very elusive.

 

The UN, with the help of the Liberian government, should come up with a retirement plan for the war lords of the land. Get them out of politics for good with a retirement plan, and supervise an election in 2017 that will bring in a new breed of Liberians that will preach and foster peace and commit to prosperity for all. 

 

The Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf era may not have prisoners at Belle Yalla or in Zwedru; freedom to speak one's mind may abound in the streets of cities and towns in Liberia; but corruption with impunity carries more evil than we can imagine. It sucks the life blood out of the country and those who are to inherit it.

 

We must cross our fingers and hope that the best for Liberia is yet to come.

For 165 years, Liberians continue to struggle to find their footing in nearly everything they try. The fourteen-year war did not move the needle one bit toward meaningful progress. We remain a poor people, a rich nation, and we continue to embrace a corrupt leadership. Our halls of power are occupied by mostly those who hurt us and destroyed our nation. The Bible is talking to me here, and I am bellowing the message:

Each morning, I get a popup of Bible verses on my phone. This is what popped up this morning:

⁶ Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. - Isaiah 55: 6-7

Why are some Liberians mesmerized by and obscessed with the TRC Report? Why are they consistently in the business of calling for the implementation of what the report dictates?

It is clear from my understanding of the passages above that man is not the one to pardon the wicked ones. Man is not clothed with that ability to give mercy and have mercy upon the unrighteous.

And that is why God has given the wicked the unconditional chance to turn to Him for abundant pardon and to serve Him. In other words, those who were responsible for the carnage in Liberia should be serving God instead, and not mingling with their victims in the corridors of power.

"You kill my pa, you kill my ma, I will vote for you", is not a call of forgiveness. It's a call of a desperate, depressed and lamenting people to God to rid their nation of those who rained evil, death, and destruction upon a peaceful people. 

2014 and 2017 should be defining moments in the history of elections in Liberia: Anyone who has had a hand in the carnage and mayhem; in terrorist acts, that were experienced by the nation and its people, during the period of fourteen years, should not be voted into office.

This idea should be the battle cry of the future, if the people of Liberia are to ever be successfully responsible for their own destiny; if the people of Liberia are ever to divorce themselves from corruption, lack of roads, water, electricity, and good healthcare.

Liberians will be willing to accept the construction of thousands of churches that will entertain and accommodate the wicked and unrighteous in our society. Those churches and mosques are where our killers and collaborators divinely belong. And with the pillaging currently going on, God/Allah will, as He promised, take exceptional care of them.

It is time that the Cains of Liberia take cue from General Butt Naked and live a normal life in Jesus Christ , the Savior of the wicked and unrighteous.

All the analyses and historical perspectives will continue to waste our time if the main bogeymen amongst us are not unsnapped from our backs.

Humans have not the power to give genuine mercy and pardon to any of their wicked and unrighteous kind.

Keeping The Greasy Guts

There is a biter-sweet love between some of us and the colonialists of Africa. Those colonialists whom some of us really despise are Germany, the United States, France, and Great Britain. Spain and Portugal ventured into Africa, but we do not hear a lot about what they did or did not do in that part of the world. They stand absolutely immune. Once in a while, a shot is taken at these despised colonialists that some of us hate to love. A case in point is the gesture shown to Mali by the French, an old friend, who came to the aid of the Malian people when extremists occupied the Northern part of that country. Some people don't appreciate the help. I do not understand why:

So why are some of us so upset that France came to the aid of the Malian people? Mali, according to the BBC article, has been in the mining business since a King carried tons of gold on caravans from Timbuktu! The French and the Malians have been friends long before we were born.

What would some of you have preferred? Would you have wallowed and celebrated in the fact that Northern Mali was invaded, Timbuktu burned, people killed, and the invaders continue their escapade down South with Liberia in the cross hairs of their Libyan weapons?

We live in a dangerous and unpredictable world. And furthermore, I did not see the Malians whose city was liberated, protesting the presence of the French liberators. Had this been an all African affairs with all the blah, blah, blah, Bamako would be under siege by this time!

I know America, France, Britain, Germany, are all countries some of us hate to love. Some of us can't just stand these people. Yet, most of our people are much, much safer and happier with them around, looking after their backs. In other words, these porcupine guts are just too bitter to eat and yet, too greasy to get rid of.

Scenario: If there were a plan in the offing, for example, by a group of happy-go-lucky guys to say, blow up the iron ore facilities in Yen-yen with the intention of pushing further into Kakata, would any of you prefer that Liberia duke it out alone, without rapid outside intervention? I mean seriously, rapid intervention!

Well, here is what I would be doing in front of the Capitol Building in Washington, DC: I would print myself a placard and march around the reflecting pool in front of the Capitol, asking the American people to help Liberia immediately by sending a few Marines to end the Odyssey of this evil group. My first instinct won't be to worry about iron ore, rubber, future oil exploration, piassava, or anything else. I would be deeply concerned and worried about the lives of the Liberian people.

For like we say in Liberia: Duty before complaint!

Putting The Basic Things Into Place

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has been my choice from day one. Now that she has won two elections, I want to see results, tangible results for the country. Roads, pipe-borne water, and electricity are basic things I expect the President to be seriously concerned about. There is no way I can be quiet about these things. No way!

The President said Liberia needs her sons and daughters living away from Liberia, to "Come home." She stressed this in Worcester, MA. It's easier said than done.

There are certain basic things the President needs to fight for, toil for, to encourage Liberians living abroad to come home with immediate effect. Even if all Liberians decided to live in Monrovia after living in Europe, Japan, or America for all these years, it will not be easy. With the lack of electricity, pipe-borne water and good roads for returnees to go and see their families in the counties, frustration will drive people back to where they came from. If you are not the stealing type, the regular breakdown of your cars or trucks will really hit you.

There is more fun outside of Monrovia, but getting to the places of choice is back-breaking. To use all the money for only peace and capacity building, for almost ten years, does not sound right.

It's difficult for me to understand why Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf would spend a lot of her time in Wisconsin and Virginia, in the United States and yet, feel comfortable seeing Monrovia with out electricity or traffic lights for almost seven years. I thought lightening up the city would be one of her priority things to do for the people and the country.

The "beloved" President needs to demonstrate some love for her country and people. Not paving that road to Belle Yalla was not a farsighted endeavor. I understand that traveling on that path through that part of the country today, has become difficult. That was a special project of the President's. She should have made her name by paving the road, thereby showcasing here love for the people of Belle Yalla  and those who would travel on her special pet project. Even naming the modern road after her would not have caused a stare at all.

Obama is being blamed for the tough time America faces. He is the CEO. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is the CEO of Liberia. If I can not turn the faucet to have water when I want it, I will blame her. If I can't switch the lights on and off when I choose to, I will blame her. If I will have to change flat tires on my truck four times before reaching the Ivorian border from Monrovia, who will take the heat?

All I am doing is holding the Oldma's feet to the fire. The more we see the shortcomings and refuse to tell them as we see them, the more we are keeping the country and its people way in the hole of primitiveness.  

There is a golden opportunity in the next five and a half years for the Sirleaf brothers to influence the implementation of the basic development needs of Liberia and its people. They need to make sure their mom's legacy can be seen and felt. And, it is time for Liberians in the Diaspora, like never before, to vent their frustrations at things that should be done, but are being placed on the back burners. As one of the panelists of Vision 2030 said: People in Liberia depend on Liberians in the Diaspora to shake things up in that country. It reminded me of Bacchus, Tipoteh, Jackson, Gbala, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, etc., etc.

There is something about going to Liberia with an open mind and an independent perspective. The country will be 165 year old this year, you know.

The government must tackle the main roads of Liberia. Returnees and businesses will help with the secondary and feeder roads. One of the enconmic backbones of a country is it's roads...well-maintained, paved roads. Liberia's economy is not an exception.

6/6/12

The Raging Fire for Justice in Liberia

Implementation of the TRC Report is picking up some steam, especially now that Charles Taylor is to be sentenced by the International Court of Justice in the Hague, on May 30, 2012. The flame of fire for justice is starting to rage. No stand-by!


The words: Command and Control, will play a major role in the implementation of the TRC, after the Taylor Sentencing on May 30. It is inconceivable and outright buffoonery to believe that the number 250,000 or more will mean absolutely nothing to us Liberians.

Aiding and Abetting are two other words that will take center stage if real peace is to become a reality in Liberia. What will really fan the flame for justice is the knowledge that many, many of those who directly benefit from the spoils of war, from the negotiation perks, high salaries, are not fighting tooth and claw to do away with the evils that started this whole killing spree in the country.

The vicious circle of corruption and poor vision remains in tact. The noise makers of yesteryears are now the carriers of swollen bellies of ineptitude, insensitivity, and greed; hope for most people seems so very far away at the moment.

The people of Liberia around the world must rise up for justice....not with guns and bombs....not with bazookas and grenades....but with simple protests and sit-ins. Liberians have experienced what the guns and bombs are capable of doing. They are hardened in that type of warfare. We cannot afford a further reduction in our numbers.

The new war for justice must be fought with words and sober actions. Justice is delayed and denied only if the victims of injustice are complacent and nonchalant. Liberians need to wake up and act now!

The world is watching and waiting to help. The world is in Liberia!

Deep Thoughts

There is nothing like experiencing an event for oneself. Visiting Liberia for the second time after going there in 2009, gives me a better view of what I feel is lacking in that country. The county looks like it's being run by people who really don't care about the urgency of developing Liberia. My heart is spilling out what cannot remain inside my system. Read:

"Blurry vision for Liberia can no longer be an option in the 21st century." -Kweme



Three words I heard when Charles Taylor was being indicted in the Hague in April of 2012: Command and Control.

Pipes that once brought water to the people of Monrovia were damaged or blown up. The source of electricity that once lit the city and other parts of Liberia was decommissioned by people who were in Command and Control of the war in Liberia. Who were those who were in Command and Control of the war in Liberia?

If I turn the pages of history, I see Charles Taylor, Prince Johnson, Alhaji Kromah, Sekou Damante; I see George Boley. Am I missing anyone who was in Command and Control of the war in Liberia?

Today in LIB, for example, the Lone Star Cell Phone Company is the handiwork of Charles Taylor. Between Duport Road and Red Light, there is a water filtration plant owned, I understand, by Sekou Damante. I saw UN tankers lined up to fetch water. Other huge businesses owned by those who were in Command and Control of the War in Liberia are doing well. Shouldn't the people demand that these entities be confiscated and the millions of dollars being generated be spent on replacing the water pipes and the light poles? shouldn't the Hydro be rebuilt from the millions being generated from these dubious businesses because the owners were in Command and Control of the war in Liberia?

What's the use of replacing one bad government with another bad government? What's the use of killing 13 ministers for rampant corruption and misuse of power when those replacing them are wallowing in dubious business enterprises and involved in "three times" more corrupt activities than those they replaced?

The consternation is that many of our new leaders are totally oblivious to the events of April 12, 1980 and what happened to Liberia from 1990-2003. How can that be? How many of these traumatic events must we experience before the light bulb of honesty is lit?

Not that Liberians want the government to hand out everything to them on a silver platter. That is not what is being demanded. What is required of government is to provide those basic things that will encourage Liberians to set up NGOs not only in Monrovia, but also in Barclaysville in Grand Kru County or in Loguituo in Nimba County.

Owners of cars and trucks of NGOs that venture out of Monrovia are subject to all kinds of pain from the terrible condition of the roads, even in the dry season. This is unacceptable. The darkness and lack of water are a tough sell to even the most patriotic Liberian!

Liberia's Person for 2011

Time Magazine's Person of the year 2011 was the Protester that turned heads in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and in Russia, where the Russians for the first time, told their leaders that whatever elections were held in that country were not free or fair.

2011 was election year in Liberia and when October 11 came, the voters of Liberia gave President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf 44% in the first round. When the run-off day arrived, CDC refused to take part and their supporters demonstrated their anger by clashing with the police.

2006 to 2011 was the most peaceful period in the history of Liberia after an election. I was happy that our people were enjoying freedom for the first time after 14 years of war. It was my wish that such tranquility would have remained for a long, long time.

Liberians do not need another war. We have fought our war. We are now trying to get our lives back on track and rebuild a destroyed country. That is why Liberians do not need to imitate what's happening in the Middle East or North Africa. For example, freedom of speech was a strange phenomenon to the people of Libya for 42 years under Colonel Kaddafi. That is not the case in Liberia at the moment. Even though Libyans are rich and with a lot of oil, the freedom to criticize their government was lacking, and there is no feeling so great than to be able to call your President a German Monkey and sleep peacefully the next night!

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has been my choice for the presidency of Liberia from day one. Why? First, I felt it was time for a woman to be president of Liberia, period. second, she was qualified and third, she had gone through the burning bush of African politics, unlike many of those who were running against her.

If I were to give a grade for the past six years of the Old Ma's administration, besides the CDC incidents, the grade would be a B. I was in Monrovia in 2009 and I was shocked to see a dangling traffic light at the Paynesville and ELWA Junction. I was also amazed to see such a huge gathering of people at Broad and Randall Streets all the way to Water Side. I was even sick when I realized that it took almost an hour to drive from Duport Road to the Coco Cola Factory. The amount of Pem-Pem in the city was a great eye sore for me. I felt like I was in India!

Another reason for the grade of B is that the road from Gbarnga to Ganta was the kind of highway that I had not driven on in almost 20 years. I would have gone crazy had I gone to Liberia in September, 2009 instead of December, 2009. And when I read that Ministers of government were given 900 gallons of gasoline per month to drive around in Monrovia, I felt sick in my stomach. For I remember vividly that when I worked for Firestone, controlling 3800 acres of rubber trees and supervising 300-400 workers, I was allotted only 125 gallons of gasoline per month to do my work! Wasn't the poor government of Liberia being wasteful?

As the years went by unemployment never made that great break-through for the people of Liberia, especially the youth. Reports gave the country some good marks for freedom and democracy, but when it came to the poverty of most Liberians, the record remains astoundingly dismal. After a civil war and with the population shift in Monrovia, I personally would be less comfortable driving a Hummer or a Cadillac through the streets of Monrovia.

Those who love democracy and freedom are Liberia's persons of 2011. They braved the scary situation of November 7 and went to vote for Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf; for these people feel and know that she will improve their living conditions in 2012 and beyond and will help them rebuild a nation for posterity.

And finally, I am happy that the Vai Town Bridge has been completed. I wish the old name had remained, but the new name, Zolu Duma, is historical and will please those who are connected to this great Liberian.

If the red arch at the entrance of the bridge is a permanent structure, I suggest it be taken down and replaced with an arch depicting an iconic Liberian symbol like the Pepper Bird or the Pigmy Hippo. I saw that Chinese symbol and I immediately thought: Is that a road to China Town?

To all Liberians and friends of Liberia, I wish you a Happy New Year. May 2012 bring jobs and more jobs and prosperity for the people of Liberia.

Liberians Want Peace to Prevail

Senator Prince Johnson has endorsed candidate Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf as she competes in the second round of the 2011 presidential election on November 8. Some are saying she will lose. I don't see it happening on this global watch! My views:

There is also the feeling that if Senator Johnson didn't endore anyone, the Oldma would still win, come November 8.

Look here: Africa's first female president, Nobel Laureate, endorsement from the third-place candidate, 30% vote in Nimba County, lots of votes from Bong, Lofa, River Gee, Grand Kru, Cape Mount; huge votes from Gbarpolu, Bomi, River Cess, Margibi, Montserrado. Six years of peace, JFD Hospital, community colleges in places where education at the high school level was considered sufficient to build Liberia; debt relief, investments, banks, ATMs, up-to-date salary disbursement. Free Press, freedom of the mouth to say anything, any time of the day in Liberia. No political prisoners. No midnight or surreptitious arrests in six years!

Are some saying that all of the above are not important to the Liberian people and good reasons to elect Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf for a second term? Are some die-hard cynics saying that the above achievements are illusions? Will the people in the Southeastern part of Liberia all of a sudden see the need to create a vacancy for the presidency come November 8?

And for the other talk, what happened to "Birds of a feather flock together"?

If I were Ellen, after winning this thing on November 8, here is the first thing I would do: If Kofi Woods is still around or who ever will be the Minister of Public Works, I would move the Minister to Baclaysville in Sinoe County. There, the road project for Liberia will start. There will be no sleeping for this guy or gal. The highway for the East-West Corridor must be paved and completed before the end of 2015. One of Liberia's vexing problems is terrible and horrible road condition. We need to get rid of that nightmare once and for all.

Such a massive project will put a lot of our people to work. Papa will really come home laughing, from jaw bone to jaw bone! Huge agricultural projects, huge solar energy projects, pipe-borne water projects, housing projects, building of schools, clinics, training our people to meet the demands of investors. With these and many others like mining and logging in place, idleness with disappear from Monrovia and the future of our people and country will be moving in the right direction.

I can imagine what the Oldma is thinking: I have heard the voices of my people; I need to work for them more than ever before. I will do it for the Liberian people. I will bring in Weah and Tubman and Brumskin. They must not sit surpinely and watch. They must come and suggest and participate from within and make life easy for all Liberians.

Liberia is small. Sixteen Political Parties? Not correct!

10/18/2011

My First Major-Earthquake Experience

When an earthquake rattled the area of the US where my family and I reside, I was not frightened or did I panic. I couldn't wait to tell the world where I was when the rumbling started. Here is my story:


A few days earlier, I had written about my love for the East Coast and how the West Coast, especially Texas(Houston), almost fried me up from the 100 plus-degree temperature when I went to visit my sisters and brothers and their families.I wrote how my flight from Houston was delayed by four hours and how I wished I had The Journey, a book by Kou Weanquoi-Rac, to keep my company during the ordeal.

Tuesday, August 23, was like any other day, except that I slept a little bit longer that morning. I hate looking at the clock in the morning and I hate the noise of the alarm. I have one of those short wave radios that is supposed to wake me up at 7:30 AM with news or the Early Edition on NPR.

I-270 was not crowded; schools were still closed in Montgomery County, where I live. I reached work on time.

I usually don't go out for lunch, but around 1:35 PM on this afternoon, I left the office for the Atlanta Bread Shop to pick up a bowl or a cup of basil-tomato soup. Instead of getting me a half turkey sandwich, I went for the soup, since the needle on the scale in my sister's bathroom seems not to know where to stop when I reluctantly tried to stand on it. It's hard to lose weight, especially after taking a long trip to see family members.

I arrived at the Atlanta Bread Shop at about 1:48 PM. Some customers were eating; others had had their lunch and were just sitting, chit chatting. I and the rest of the customers were on line waiting to put in our orders. As I turned to take a sample of the bread placed in a plate on the counter, the floor of the shop began to shake. The building itself began to shake. All of us in the shop began to look at each other. Those who had finished eating took their jackets and other belongings and began to leave the building.The rumbling was not for long; 5-10 seconds was the most, I think. it was about 1:55 PM.

I was sleeping one morning in July of 2010 when our house began to shake. That was my first experience of an earthquake. The Richter Scale read 4.2 or 4.5 that day. My son who slept next door had no idea of what had happened.

I did not panic. In fact, one of the receptionists at the shop said that she was wishing and waiting for the big one! The rock on which the East Coast stands has no cracks or crevices to absorb the vibration of the movement of our part of our section of the earth.

I bought my soup and left the building. A lady who who was entering asked me whether I had felt the tremor? "What on earth is the world coming to?" She asked me. "That is scary," I replied.

I wanted to send a quick message to Facebook or an email to my children. I realized then that I had forgotten my phone at the office. I remembered forgetting the phone at home on Monday. Had something big happened and if my office had been affected, my family would be calling and inquiring about my whereabouts. I had no phone, I would have been buried under the rubble of an Atlanta Bread Shop.

As I drove to the gas station right across from the Bread Shop, I began to wonder what if the gas pipes underground had experienced a rupture during the movement of the earth. I was also curious about what was happening at work.

As I drove up to the traffic light near my work place, I saw a few police cars and nearly everyone in our three-storey building standing outside, getting ready to leave for the day. I parked my car, ran to the main door and begged to go inside to get my phone and other stuff. "Hurry up and get down here quickly", said our Legal Council, who was taking a headcount of the employees.

We were all asked to go home for the day. The office building was to be closed until things settled down and a structural evaluation completed. It was on my way home that I heard from the radio that indeed we had just experienced a 5.8 earthquake and that the last time the East had felt anything like this was in 1944.

Oh yeah, it was 1944 that William VS Tubman became President of Liberia!

8/24/11

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?