The people from Nimba County living in America have become so divided that if many of them had their own way, a war would be the only thing to demonstrate who is who. The organization that brings these people together for development has become a political football. And playing this game seems to be a passion for many. At times, I get very frustrated and and begin to express my innermost feelings:
Nimbaians: As a member of the Board that assembled in New York in May of 2007 to hear the argument why Mr Andrew Wongeh should or should not be impeached, I have an obligation to remain walking a fine line when it comes to my personal opinion about the future of UNICCO. After almost two and a half years of exchanging tough verbiage and sometimes heated rhetoric, it's become clear that all of the wrangling from both sides of the aisles has done nothing but divided us more.
I must admit that there are moderates on both sides that are willing to vomit blood, even becoming anemic inorder for UNICCO to get back on its feet of glory. There are also the conservatives in UNICCO who don't really care what others feel. Their dog in this fight, they believe, must come out the winner, no matter how long it takes. I have never been a conservative in the sense that it's either my way or the highway. Now I understand what it means when it is said that UNICCO is a family organization.
A few weeks ago I was in Philadelphia. I was there upon an invitation to be part of the celebration of Mr Andrew Wongeh's birthday and his graduation from Graduate School. Our small Town, Siaplay, does not have a lot of book people. I have been and continue to be showered with praises for being the first from Siaplay to have graduated from College some 100 years ago! So, my presence was another opportunity to waste it on me, again. I am happy that the torch has been passed and Siaplay can now boast of many, many college graduates.
Even though Wongeh is my cousin, entering the hall that night felt like entering enemy territory. Besides the Siaplay people present and Dahn Dennis whom I have seen on many occasions at Maryland functions, I knew no one else. I felt odd because Philadelphia is where two local UNICCO chapters exist. And again, strangely enough, my other cousin, Romeo Dahn, leads the other side. There is something peculiar about Philadelphia and my Siaplay cousins.
As the celebration went on in full gear, a gentlemen walked up to me, extended his right hand and introduced himself: "Hello, Mr Kweme," he said. " I am Clarence Gono." Clarence and I have exchanged some serious writings. That night was the first time I had seen him. We shook hands and hugged. The next thing I knew, I was being introduced to Joana Toweh by Mr Wogbeh. Then there was Miamen from Chicago. Ordinarily, I would have passed these people on the streets like June passes by July. Seeing Clarence and Joana and Miamen; inviting Sunwabe, Jr for a GB dinner in Maryland; seeing Sam Kpahn and Lurlay at the Tapita Meeting in Silver Spring, all of these strange meetings have given me a different perspective about being a part of a divided group. It hurts my heart to see Nimbaians fighting each other they way they do.
If the proposed project from the North Carolina conference is to be undertaken big time, we need the participation of all Nimbaians. That includes, Wogbeh, Joana Toweh, Drs Taryor, Wonkeryor, Boayue, Flomo, Gonpue, Siaway; Ms Sendolo Belleh, Romeo Dahn, Tony Fele, Wongeh and Keita; Sam Koaloe, Dahn Dennis, Hendrix and Tom Grupee; Kokeh, Barbel, Diama, Miamen and Wopea; Mai Yuan, Victoria Zarkpah, and all the wonderful Nimba women of Nimba County who have been caught in this sad episode in our history.
If the proposal from Chicago regarding the setting up of a special, Eminent Group to bring the two groups together, then the notices being disseminated about a Minnesota Conference and a Chicago Conference in September and October of 2009, respectively, should be put on hold until this Eminent Group comes up with a statement.
I am tired and fed up with two groups of UNICCO and two conferences. I am tired and continue to be confused and baffled about the main court case and now the new court case. The withdrawal of the main court case that has drained our resources, must be done immediately. The withdrawal of the Minnesota court case is so necessary. The timing of this one is just wrong. As I said before, I think my stance on the issues in UNICCO carries a moderate tone.
As I moan and groan over the predicament we face, I am beginning to transform my mentality to that of a Blue Dog UNICCO member. The former Vice President, Mr Paye, I believe, is a Blue Dog UNICCO Member. A Blue Dog member is that member who emerges from within a group of conservative UNICCO members, who believe wholeheartedly, that the future of this organization must be put on hold. We need more Blue Dog members to catapult this persistent conservative mindset of keeping this organization divided, year in and year out.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Molding A New Generation Of Patriots
Liberia is 162 years old. From all indications, the country, like humans, seems to be deteriorating with age. There is a shortage of everything imaginable. Corruption is not lessening at all and the illiteracy number continues to climb. Sometimes it's difficult saying the same thing over and over again with no effect. But this is what is necessary to keep people's feet to the fire!
We in the Washington, DC Area celebrated our 26 on Saturday at the Liberian Embassy. It was the best I have witnessed since I have been going there. If I am not mistaken, there were more people than the food could handle. That's a first.
Each of the 15 counties had a booth to showcase its ware and cultural artifacts. I visited the Sinoe booth and was able to take a glance at the Constitution of the Sinoe County Association. I saw the River Gee County booth and the Grand Bassa County booth. I expected to purchase a bowl of rice and tor-bor-gee at the Lofa County booth, but that was not to be.
For my own reason, I have decided to curtail the eating of chicken. I just feel that I have eaten too much of this particular type of birds in my life time. So, when I did not find tor-bor-gee at the Lofa County booth, I began thinking: Where will I go to find a real good bowl of rice and smoked-fish gravy? This dish is prepared in all counties in Liberia, but when you think about serious dry rice and smoked-fish gravy, I believe Montserrado County takes this one, hands down. So off to the Montserrado County booth I went.
Between the booths of Bong County and Bomi County was the Montserrado County booth. Not much was happening in Bong and Bomi. Without much fanfare, I hurriedly proceeded directly to my destination. I was not disappointed. There was no split peas and pig feet; there was no smoked-fish gravy; but there was dry rice mixed with smoked-fish and SPAM with some real Goba Town palm oil; not the funny-tasting, diluted palm oil we are used to buying in this country.
After eating what I desired and being the patronizing person I am, I decided to take a tour of the Embassy grounds. The place was jammed packed. It was like being down Waterside. Like I said earlier, I have not seen that many vendors and customers on these grounds in many years.
Dorzon and his family, one of Liberia's best food catering groups in our area, was at its usual best. What surprised me though was the killer prices. A plate of rice and cassava leaves was $5.00 last year, This year, it was $10. With the economy this tough and with the number of people I saw, if the Liberian food vendors didn't get rich on this 26 Day celebration, then I just don't know when these people will ever get rich!!!! I ran away from the Montserrado booth just because a small piece of fried fish tail was being sold for $2.50. A man!
When I was a little boy there was no way I would go near a dancing Gbetu or even near a long Devil. Even a Liberian Santa Clause used to make my heart pound. But at the Embassy, Liberian-American children were running after the Gbetu and pulling at its straw attire. As for the long Devil, cell phone cameras were flashing from every close-up angle imaginable. The long Devil was having fun too, tapping little kids and obviously frightened grown ups on the heads with its fleece. These dancing Devils had so much fun, they cared less whether their attendants were close by or not.
I saw placards and posters imploring Liberians to unite, for diversity is obviously the strength we need to survive in that country. Most countries that we know have gone through hell. Yet, they were able to pick up the pieces and move on with the most important thing humans can boast of: Life.
The reconciliation and punishment we seek are not a guarantee that life for us will be all rosy. If punishment, for example, was all that, then rampant corruption and the unending stealing we see in Monrovia would be a thing of the past, especially after the incident of April 12, 1980 and its aftermath. It's a terrible thing to do an over kill in meting out justice just to regret the action a year or two later.
As we celebrate 162 years of underdevelopment, illiteracy and war, Liberians need to pick up a lot of broken pieces and look to the future with the goal of molding a new nation of people with a high sense of patriotic attitude. It is a must that we use this year's celebration to begin charting this new path for our children and their children.
We in the Washington, DC Area celebrated our 26 on Saturday at the Liberian Embassy. It was the best I have witnessed since I have been going there. If I am not mistaken, there were more people than the food could handle. That's a first.
Each of the 15 counties had a booth to showcase its ware and cultural artifacts. I visited the Sinoe booth and was able to take a glance at the Constitution of the Sinoe County Association. I saw the River Gee County booth and the Grand Bassa County booth. I expected to purchase a bowl of rice and tor-bor-gee at the Lofa County booth, but that was not to be.
For my own reason, I have decided to curtail the eating of chicken. I just feel that I have eaten too much of this particular type of birds in my life time. So, when I did not find tor-bor-gee at the Lofa County booth, I began thinking: Where will I go to find a real good bowl of rice and smoked-fish gravy? This dish is prepared in all counties in Liberia, but when you think about serious dry rice and smoked-fish gravy, I believe Montserrado County takes this one, hands down. So off to the Montserrado County booth I went.
Between the booths of Bong County and Bomi County was the Montserrado County booth. Not much was happening in Bong and Bomi. Without much fanfare, I hurriedly proceeded directly to my destination. I was not disappointed. There was no split peas and pig feet; there was no smoked-fish gravy; but there was dry rice mixed with smoked-fish and SPAM with some real Goba Town palm oil; not the funny-tasting, diluted palm oil we are used to buying in this country.
After eating what I desired and being the patronizing person I am, I decided to take a tour of the Embassy grounds. The place was jammed packed. It was like being down Waterside. Like I said earlier, I have not seen that many vendors and customers on these grounds in many years.
Dorzon and his family, one of Liberia's best food catering groups in our area, was at its usual best. What surprised me though was the killer prices. A plate of rice and cassava leaves was $5.00 last year, This year, it was $10. With the economy this tough and with the number of people I saw, if the Liberian food vendors didn't get rich on this 26 Day celebration, then I just don't know when these people will ever get rich!!!! I ran away from the Montserrado booth just because a small piece of fried fish tail was being sold for $2.50. A man!
When I was a little boy there was no way I would go near a dancing Gbetu or even near a long Devil. Even a Liberian Santa Clause used to make my heart pound. But at the Embassy, Liberian-American children were running after the Gbetu and pulling at its straw attire. As for the long Devil, cell phone cameras were flashing from every close-up angle imaginable. The long Devil was having fun too, tapping little kids and obviously frightened grown ups on the heads with its fleece. These dancing Devils had so much fun, they cared less whether their attendants were close by or not.
I saw placards and posters imploring Liberians to unite, for diversity is obviously the strength we need to survive in that country. Most countries that we know have gone through hell. Yet, they were able to pick up the pieces and move on with the most important thing humans can boast of: Life.
The reconciliation and punishment we seek are not a guarantee that life for us will be all rosy. If punishment, for example, was all that, then rampant corruption and the unending stealing we see in Monrovia would be a thing of the past, especially after the incident of April 12, 1980 and its aftermath. It's a terrible thing to do an over kill in meting out justice just to regret the action a year or two later.
As we celebrate 162 years of underdevelopment, illiteracy and war, Liberians need to pick up a lot of broken pieces and look to the future with the goal of molding a new nation of people with a high sense of patriotic attitude. It is a must that we use this year's celebration to begin charting this new path for our children and their children.
Friday, July 17, 2009
The Problems We Face As Liberians
Liberians are fighting each other so much on the listservs that I get frustrated at times and know not what to do. To satisfy myself, I jot down a few lines, especially when I see others pumping money into Liberia to help our people:
I don't hear a lot of brouhaha about this kind of thing. I don't even hear people saying, oh, dog, thank you ya for our people.There have been about a billion or so words keyed on these listservs by Liberians since January this year. If all of us who contribute literally to the many topics put forth could decide on a particular pet project that we can all agree on to sponsor in Liberia, I think our yoyo and blah, blah, blah would mean a lot more to the people of Liberia.
Besides other people downgrading us, we ourselves are not good to us. We have all become a confused people, looking for a way out of our national dilemma. Liberians have become their own nightmare. We need some serious international help, from psychiatric help to self-esteem boosting.
I don't hear a lot of brouhaha about this kind of thing. I don't even hear people saying, oh, dog, thank you ya for our people.There have been about a billion or so words keyed on these listservs by Liberians since January this year. If all of us who contribute literally to the many topics put forth could decide on a particular pet project that we can all agree on to sponsor in Liberia, I think our yoyo and blah, blah, blah would mean a lot more to the people of Liberia.
Besides other people downgrading us, we ourselves are not good to us. We have all become a confused people, looking for a way out of our national dilemma. Liberians have become their own nightmare. We need some serious international help, from psychiatric help to self-esteem boosting.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
What The Paramount Chief Will Say On July 26, Liberia's Independent Day
Liberia's 162nd Independence Day celebration will be most unique this year: A Paramount, for the first time in the country's history, will be the national orator. What the Paramount Chief should tell the nation and its people is the topic of the feelings in my gut right now:
According to the Daily Observer Online, July 13, 2009 edition, the orator for July 26 this year will be a Paramount Chief from Bong County . Whoever thought about this must be given a bow, for as Tibelrosa Summoh Tarponweh wrote in a commentary published by FrontPageAfrica on July 14, 2009, “What does changing national symbols like the flag, and renaming cities and streets has to do with the callous disregard of laws by state functionaries and neglect of the governed?” So, for the 162nd anniversary of Liberia ’s Independence, the Paramount Chief from Bong County should focus on other things that will really bring change to his county and country.
The paramount chief should start off by saying that after 162 years, the people of Liberia are tired of crossing monkey bridges to get their sick love ones to clinics or hospitals miles and miles away. After getting a rousing ovation for this, the Paramount Chief should tell the Liberian people, the majority of whom are just like him…that they are tired of not being able to take their farm produce to market because of the deplorable condition of the roads in the country.
After those two statements, the Paramount Chief will have to interrupt the applause by going on further and telling his distinguished audience that the majority of the people of Liberia now know that they were left out from fully participating in their country’s development by keeping them as illiterate as possible. “We hear that to keep the majority of us from seeing the light,” the Paramount Chief will continue, “our leaders took all the money that was generated from Bong Mines, Lamco, the Sarpo National Forest, LMC, the Oil Palm Companies, LAC, B F Goodrich, Firestone and many other money-generating entities, to send their children to schools in America and Europe, leaving us here in Liberia to struggle and fend for ourselves.” The Chief must make it clear that this kind of inequality and divisive and discriminatory attitude must be abolished from our national polity.
The Paramount Chief knows that there is a lot of tension in the country at this time, especially, since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission put out its report. He has to address this, for without peace in the country and the people united, none of the things he just mentioned can be implemented. The Chief must remind the Liberian people that the war that killed so many of his people was a useless war. “Where are Generals Bush Shaking, Snake In The Grass, Peanut Butter, and Rambo today? All those who brought so much pain and suffering to us during the 14 years of war, where are they?” The Paramount Chief must ask. The Chief must again remind his very attentive audience that those who once pointed guns in their faces, raped their wives and children are right here in Liberia, amongst us; some begging for mercy while some are just too big for their britches to even admit that they did some terribly wrong and inhumane things to us, their own people.
The Paramount Chief will not want to keep his listeners sitting in their uncomfortable seats for too long in the hot auditorium; he will want his speech to be short and concise; a speech that will be remembered for generations to come. So, he will turn his attention to the President of Liberia: “Madam President,” he will say. “You are our only woman President, democratically elected, that our country has had since we declared to the world our Independence , 162 years ago. Almost 69% of those who voted in 2005 felt that you were the best qualified to lead us, even though we knew that you carry on your back a kinjah with a lot of questionable stuff in it. We also voted for you so that when push comes to shove, you, Madam President, will stand strong, like a patriotic Commander-in-Chief, to unite the people of this land.
The Paramount will tell Liberians and foreigners witnessing the Independence Day Celebration that our own Liberian men have over the years bamboozled the country. Besides keeping majority of the citizens oppressed and suppressed, all the Liberian men who have been in leadership, have destroyed this country from greed, immorality, and a vision that has been extremely nearsighted.
This Kpelle Paramount Chief will tell Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf that if she has never worked harder for her country, now was the time for her to demonstrate to the Liberian people that she is ready to work for them. She must use all the energy and means at her disposal to bring peace and unity to Liberia . She must rally her people and make them to understand that in this dog-eat-dog world of politics, she was able to play hardball just like those who were advanced in the game, from Joseph Jenkins Roberts to Charles Ghankay Taylor, and was able to survive to become their first female president in the whole of Africa . "Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Madam President," the Chief will continue, "you must come out, braver than ever before and confess to your people how you agonized day and night when you saw that things were not going right as planned."
The Paramount Chief will end his speech by calling on all of his fellow chiefs to join him and the president of Liberia in galvanizing the people and encouraging them to see the need for genuine reconciliation. For without genuine reconciliation, equal opportunity for all Liberians, and love and respect for one another, there will be no unity and of course, a doomed Liberia.
Amidst a thunderous applause, the Chief will end by saying in Kpelle: Kwa gana; ku kelay kwa pa, kwa gbeteh. Interpretation: We've destroyed it; all of us must come to together, to fix it.
According to the Daily Observer Online, July 13, 2009 edition, the orator for July 26 this year will be a Paramount Chief from Bong County . Whoever thought about this must be given a bow, for as Tibelrosa Summoh Tarponweh wrote in a commentary published by FrontPageAfrica on July 14, 2009, “What does changing national symbols like the flag, and renaming cities and streets has to do with the callous disregard of laws by state functionaries and neglect of the governed?” So, for the 162nd anniversary of Liberia ’s Independence, the Paramount Chief from Bong County should focus on other things that will really bring change to his county and country.
The paramount chief should start off by saying that after 162 years, the people of Liberia are tired of crossing monkey bridges to get their sick love ones to clinics or hospitals miles and miles away. After getting a rousing ovation for this, the Paramount Chief should tell the Liberian people, the majority of whom are just like him…that they are tired of not being able to take their farm produce to market because of the deplorable condition of the roads in the country.
After those two statements, the Paramount Chief will have to interrupt the applause by going on further and telling his distinguished audience that the majority of the people of Liberia now know that they were left out from fully participating in their country’s development by keeping them as illiterate as possible. “We hear that to keep the majority of us from seeing the light,” the Paramount Chief will continue, “our leaders took all the money that was generated from Bong Mines, Lamco, the Sarpo National Forest, LMC, the Oil Palm Companies, LAC, B F Goodrich, Firestone and many other money-generating entities, to send their children to schools in America and Europe, leaving us here in Liberia to struggle and fend for ourselves.” The Chief must make it clear that this kind of inequality and divisive and discriminatory attitude must be abolished from our national polity.
The Paramount Chief knows that there is a lot of tension in the country at this time, especially, since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission put out its report. He has to address this, for without peace in the country and the people united, none of the things he just mentioned can be implemented. The Chief must remind the Liberian people that the war that killed so many of his people was a useless war. “Where are Generals Bush Shaking, Snake In The Grass, Peanut Butter, and Rambo today? All those who brought so much pain and suffering to us during the 14 years of war, where are they?” The Paramount Chief must ask. The Chief must again remind his very attentive audience that those who once pointed guns in their faces, raped their wives and children are right here in Liberia, amongst us; some begging for mercy while some are just too big for their britches to even admit that they did some terribly wrong and inhumane things to us, their own people.
The Paramount Chief will not want to keep his listeners sitting in their uncomfortable seats for too long in the hot auditorium; he will want his speech to be short and concise; a speech that will be remembered for generations to come. So, he will turn his attention to the President of Liberia: “Madam President,” he will say. “You are our only woman President, democratically elected, that our country has had since we declared to the world our Independence , 162 years ago. Almost 69% of those who voted in 2005 felt that you were the best qualified to lead us, even though we knew that you carry on your back a kinjah with a lot of questionable stuff in it. We also voted for you so that when push comes to shove, you, Madam President, will stand strong, like a patriotic Commander-in-Chief, to unite the people of this land.
The Paramount will tell Liberians and foreigners witnessing the Independence Day Celebration that our own Liberian men have over the years bamboozled the country. Besides keeping majority of the citizens oppressed and suppressed, all the Liberian men who have been in leadership, have destroyed this country from greed, immorality, and a vision that has been extremely nearsighted.
This Kpelle Paramount Chief will tell Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf that if she has never worked harder for her country, now was the time for her to demonstrate to the Liberian people that she is ready to work for them. She must use all the energy and means at her disposal to bring peace and unity to Liberia . She must rally her people and make them to understand that in this dog-eat-dog world of politics, she was able to play hardball just like those who were advanced in the game, from Joseph Jenkins Roberts to Charles Ghankay Taylor, and was able to survive to become their first female president in the whole of Africa . "Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Madam President," the Chief will continue, "you must come out, braver than ever before and confess to your people how you agonized day and night when you saw that things were not going right as planned."
The Paramount Chief will end his speech by calling on all of his fellow chiefs to join him and the president of Liberia in galvanizing the people and encouraging them to see the need for genuine reconciliation. For without genuine reconciliation, equal opportunity for all Liberians, and love and respect for one another, there will be no unity and of course, a doomed Liberia.
Amidst a thunderous applause, the Chief will end by saying in Kpelle: Kwa gana; ku kelay kwa pa, kwa gbeteh. Interpretation: We've destroyed it; all of us must come to together, to fix it.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Blowing The Whistle On Liberia's Crooks
The alarm being sounded in the market place of discontent in Liberia is corruption. People are siphoning the country's revenue as if it was an inheritance. The outcry is huge. Why should I be sitting on the fence?
I really wanted to write about Firestone this week, but the stealing and rumors of stealing that keep coming out of Monrovia continue to prompt me to keep sounding the alarm in the market place of discontent. To those in high positions from Margibi County where Firestone is located, or those born in Firestone who are now in government, it is time that the name Firestone Plantations Company be erased or eliminated from the minds of our people and the books of Liberia .
Like Morris’s Farm, Cooper’s Farm, Mount Barclay …all Rubber Estates, Firestone Rubber Estate should be more appropriate a name in Liberia . Plantation is synonymous to slavery and I don’t like it one bit, for it legitimizes slavery in a country whose majority has over the years, been treated with inequality by ironically, people who were once themselves slaves.
Now, let me begin to make more noise about the unabated news of stealing and the shameless behavior of say, 60% of those Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf brought into her government. How accurate is the percentage? I don’t know, but when Ellen’s government is now known to be three times more corrupt than Gyude Bryant’s government, of all governments, then any figure will carry the day.
I, like many others who support Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, am running out of ammunition to fight the doomsday preachers and prognosticators. Every social gathering in the Diaspora talks about one thing and one thing only: The rampant corruption and misuse of power in the present government of Liberia . We endeavor with all our might to point out some of the positive things going on in Liberia . Nothing overshadows progress more than corruption in high places. And to shift those whose misdeeds are so glaring from one ministry to another entity, to even the less-sophisticated minds, is nothing but amazing.
The competition for dubious activities by Harry Greaves and Morris Saytumah has become historical in the annals of corruption in the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf government. If Greaves is not suing the Legislature of Liberia, Saytumah is soliciting money, By Directive of the President, to take sick newspaper editors for medical treatment in other countries. Murphy’s Law has taken hold of the Oldma’s government. And lo and behold, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has been condoning this thing by allowing compassion and sympathy to send her legacy to hell.
Excuse ye the expression, for Sarah Johnson appeared in my dream: “Tell my daughter,” she told me, “that a good name is far better than silver or gold. Keeping dishonest people in her government will ruin her. She must demonstrate the fiduciary discipline for which she is known. The Liberian people will not forgive her if she continues to tolerate the dishonesty of her friends and relatives in government. Nothing should come between her and her country.”
The only Minister I heard of who agrees with John Morlue, the Auditor General, is Ngafuan, the Minister of Finance. Even the Legislators, who at first could not stand Mr. Morlue, are now soliciting his advice on the country’s financial mishaps. Many more honest cabinet minister need to come out of their shells and help shine the light on the evil that is keeping our people poorer and our country a hundred years backward.
I am tired, and I know many more concerned Liberians are fed up, with the way things are in our country. Liberia and majority of its people have seen no progress in almost 161 years of existence. Our people continue to live in huts and zinc shacks. Some are drinking water from creeks chemically polluted by big industries that care less for the human condition.
Majority of our people continue to be without health care, with as many as possible walking barefooted. The revolution was about serving the people and improving their lot. The people continue to remain victims of the revolution. In a sense, it was all a gimmick; it was all a big, self-aggrandizing lie.
The people’s struggle must be fought by a new generation of patriots, for as James Russell Lowell wrote, “time makes ancient good uncouth.” And of course, people born to parents of ancient ideas and myopic thoughts will not succumb to the banishment of the status quo.
Liberians from all walks of life must begin to sound the alarm on uncouth behaviors…behaviors that bring harm to the nation and its people. Liberians must not relent in voicing their displeasure not only with the president but also with those who claim to carry the banner of patriotism and nationalism on their bosoms but yet, are mired in the mud pit of corruption.
I really wanted to write about Firestone this week, but the stealing and rumors of stealing that keep coming out of Monrovia continue to prompt me to keep sounding the alarm in the market place of discontent. To those in high positions from Margibi County where Firestone is located, or those born in Firestone who are now in government, it is time that the name Firestone Plantations Company be erased or eliminated from the minds of our people and the books of Liberia .
Like Morris’s Farm, Cooper’s Farm, Mount Barclay …all Rubber Estates, Firestone Rubber Estate should be more appropriate a name in Liberia . Plantation is synonymous to slavery and I don’t like it one bit, for it legitimizes slavery in a country whose majority has over the years, been treated with inequality by ironically, people who were once themselves slaves.
Now, let me begin to make more noise about the unabated news of stealing and the shameless behavior of say, 60% of those Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf brought into her government. How accurate is the percentage? I don’t know, but when Ellen’s government is now known to be three times more corrupt than Gyude Bryant’s government, of all governments, then any figure will carry the day.
I, like many others who support Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, am running out of ammunition to fight the doomsday preachers and prognosticators. Every social gathering in the Diaspora talks about one thing and one thing only: The rampant corruption and misuse of power in the present government of Liberia . We endeavor with all our might to point out some of the positive things going on in Liberia . Nothing overshadows progress more than corruption in high places. And to shift those whose misdeeds are so glaring from one ministry to another entity, to even the less-sophisticated minds, is nothing but amazing.
The competition for dubious activities by Harry Greaves and Morris Saytumah has become historical in the annals of corruption in the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf government. If Greaves is not suing the Legislature of Liberia, Saytumah is soliciting money, By Directive of the President, to take sick newspaper editors for medical treatment in other countries. Murphy’s Law has taken hold of the Oldma’s government. And lo and behold, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has been condoning this thing by allowing compassion and sympathy to send her legacy to hell.
Excuse ye the expression, for Sarah Johnson appeared in my dream: “Tell my daughter,” she told me, “that a good name is far better than silver or gold. Keeping dishonest people in her government will ruin her. She must demonstrate the fiduciary discipline for which she is known. The Liberian people will not forgive her if she continues to tolerate the dishonesty of her friends and relatives in government. Nothing should come between her and her country.”
The only Minister I heard of who agrees with John Morlue, the Auditor General, is Ngafuan, the Minister of Finance. Even the Legislators, who at first could not stand Mr. Morlue, are now soliciting his advice on the country’s financial mishaps. Many more honest cabinet minister need to come out of their shells and help shine the light on the evil that is keeping our people poorer and our country a hundred years backward.
I am tired, and I know many more concerned Liberians are fed up, with the way things are in our country. Liberia and majority of its people have seen no progress in almost 161 years of existence. Our people continue to live in huts and zinc shacks. Some are drinking water from creeks chemically polluted by big industries that care less for the human condition.
Majority of our people continue to be without health care, with as many as possible walking barefooted. The revolution was about serving the people and improving their lot. The people continue to remain victims of the revolution. In a sense, it was all a gimmick; it was all a big, self-aggrandizing lie.
The people’s struggle must be fought by a new generation of patriots, for as James Russell Lowell wrote, “time makes ancient good uncouth.” And of course, people born to parents of ancient ideas and myopic thoughts will not succumb to the banishment of the status quo.
Liberians from all walks of life must begin to sound the alarm on uncouth behaviors…behaviors that bring harm to the nation and its people. Liberians must not relent in voicing their displeasure not only with the president but also with those who claim to carry the banner of patriotism and nationalism on their bosoms but yet, are mired in the mud pit of corruption.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Our Sad Interconnection
The dilemma Liberia faces is punishing those who brought havoc upon the people and country. We are so interconnected that it is near impossible to harm one and not cause a wave of bad feelings from other connected parts of the chain. My gut feeling is that those who revelled in humiliating our people and destroying our country, these people should be handled by the international community. Fragile Liberia has no place to accommodate our killers and tormentors.
I am sitting at my desk at work and thinking about all the good and the bad things that are happening in Liberia. I do not have all the information I need to pin point exactly these good and bad things. But from reading here and there I hear that $87 Million will soon be pumped into the country’s economy by an investment company to build houses in Virginia, Brewerville, and on Robertsfield highway for low as well as middle income citizens.
Since Monrovia is so congested, why wasn’t the Kakata area, say near Todee junction, selected for this project? If I can remember, Kakata is like 40 miles from Monrovia. I drive 40 miles one-way to work everyday. Anyway, that is a good thing; for when I finally come home, I will be able to live somewhere comfortably until I can build my own house.
Later on, my mind took me to the civil war that started on December 24, 1989. Charles Taylor was all over the radio waves. President Doe was also all over the radio waves. Majority of Liberians did not know who else was pushing Mr Taylor. What many of us knew was that Charles Taylor once worked for President Doe and the big news was that Taylor had sold a plane or something and had duped the President. Money is one of those things that spoil friendship!
The race to reach Monrovia to capture President Doe was intense. News began to filter out from the front line that Prince Johnson, one of Charles Taylor’s top guns, had defected. Not many people knew who Prince Johnson was; but the news was that the guy was fierce. From America I heard that Prince Johnson had a stool that he sat on, in the middle of the road. Enemy soldiers traveling on roads where Prince Johnson controlled had no chance. I believe, Senator, the people of Liberia deserve to hear your war-years stories in book form.
A lot of Johnsons took part in our civil war. From America, one Ellen Johnson was leading a group. From Camp Johnson Road, a Roosevelt Johnson was making his name, protecting his people, as we heard. Roosevelt Johnson, we also learned, was also a fierce warrior. oh yes, Koboi Johnson would have made an awesome foursome!
Even though Ellen Johnson is one of us, Gola father, Kru grandmother, she was brought up with and influenced by the Congau people. My thinking is if Ellen’s intention was to protect or fight for anyone, the fight would be for the Congau people. Roosevelt Johnson was fighting to protect his tribal Krahn people. And Prince Johnson was there to fight for and protect his people from Nimba County.
For the Gola, Kru and Congau people, Ellen Johnson was there for you. For the Krahn people, Roosevelt Johnson and the President of Liberia, Samuel Doe, Amos Gbon, George Boley, and many other prominent fighters were there to protect your interest. For the Mandingo, Gio, Mano, Gbi, and Krahn people of Nimba County, Prince Johnson was the son who was destined to protect you. Many other counties were now vulnerable. They had no one to fight for them. Bong, Lofa, Maryland, Cape Mount and a few other counties needed to be represented in the war. Tom W was there to fight for the people of Bassa and Rivercess Counties. Oh, there was another Johnson who got ambushed in Grand Bassa County during the early stage of the war. I wonder from which county he came.
Because of this vulnerability, a son of Lofa County, Alhaji Kromah, got into the fray. He too was expected to fight for and protect the Kissi, Mandingo, Lorma, Belle, and Gbandi people of Lofa County. From this picture, it is now clear that a full-blown civil war was in the making. The people of Liberia were in for a long and devastating period, never before experienced.
My wife’s paternal grandmother, a Belle, who lived in Gwellita in Lofa County, was forced to walk miles and miles into the Belle forest. Because of her age, she died during her ordeal. Her village was burned and none of us know where she was buried. When we heard the news, we knew that Mr Kromah was not in Lofa County to protect all of its population.
My sister in-law and her husband, Stephen Konah, lived in Bong Mines. The family had a small clinic they operated near one of the gates leading into the compound of the company. Stephen Konah was from Nimba County. When Prince Johnson and his fighters reached Bong Mines, It was impossible to ignore the new Sherriff in town.
Mr Konah and his family cooked for and did all they could to accommodate Mr Johnson and his group of fighters. The fierce warrior from Nimba County did nothing to protect and save Mr Konah. Mr Stephen Konah was brutally murdered in front of his family by those who were supposed to protect him. The reason: The group was not sure whether Mr Konah was a spy for government forces or a genuine supporter of Mr Johnson.
What was the war about if it did not save the lives of the innocent? Why did many refuse to admit to the atrocities they committed against their own people? Why were some people fighting to save their people why others were gleefully killing their own? Why are we crying about the untold destruction and the=2 0backwardness of our country when we know within ourselves that we did the damage?
It is a difficult thing for the common person like me to decide who, amongst our killers, should be sent to the gallows, incarcerated or set free. To know that these killers of men are roaming the streets of our towns and villages makes for a chilling feeling. To know that men we once feared are now making our laws and teaching our people; to know that the same people who once killed innocent people and stole our money are now deacons in churches and Imams in mosques, carrying the Bible and Koran on their chests in broad day light; to live with these terrible feelings everyday, is indeed frightening, stressful and heartbreaking.
The international community needs to help us Liberians decide what to make of the results of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. All those who played major roles in our civil conflict must be made to face the consequences. Whatever list is out there that is already causing concerns should be given due process, for justice must be done to all men and women.
There is just no jail in Liberia to keep Prince Johnson or Conneh or Alhaji Kromah or Senator Dolo. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has become larger than life. Is there a jail house in Liberia where she can be incarcerated because she started off this thing with $10,000? Are the women of Liberia, her greatest strength, our mothers and sisters who voted her into the presidency, are these women ready to see their idol in hand cuffs?
Our situation is so pitiful and interconnected. I hit a huge wall whenever I think about the dilemma Liberians face in doling out justice to those who killed us. Like Charles Taylor, I just wish these big Whigs were all somewhere else as we decide from the comfort of our cities, towns and villages what to do with them. If our tormentors were somewhere else, far, far away from Monrovia, my call would be: Let those people stay right where they are.
How in the world will the baby Jesus be sent from Egypt when King Herod is still roaming the streets of Nazareth?
I am sitting at my desk at work and thinking about all the good and the bad things that are happening in Liberia. I do not have all the information I need to pin point exactly these good and bad things. But from reading here and there I hear that $87 Million will soon be pumped into the country’s economy by an investment company to build houses in Virginia, Brewerville, and on Robertsfield highway for low as well as middle income citizens.
Since Monrovia is so congested, why wasn’t the Kakata area, say near Todee junction, selected for this project? If I can remember, Kakata is like 40 miles from Monrovia. I drive 40 miles one-way to work everyday. Anyway, that is a good thing; for when I finally come home, I will be able to live somewhere comfortably until I can build my own house.
Later on, my mind took me to the civil war that started on December 24, 1989. Charles Taylor was all over the radio waves. President Doe was also all over the radio waves. Majority of Liberians did not know who else was pushing Mr Taylor. What many of us knew was that Charles Taylor once worked for President Doe and the big news was that Taylor had sold a plane or something and had duped the President. Money is one of those things that spoil friendship!
The race to reach Monrovia to capture President Doe was intense. News began to filter out from the front line that Prince Johnson, one of Charles Taylor’s top guns, had defected. Not many people knew who Prince Johnson was; but the news was that the guy was fierce. From America I heard that Prince Johnson had a stool that he sat on, in the middle of the road. Enemy soldiers traveling on roads where Prince Johnson controlled had no chance. I believe, Senator, the people of Liberia deserve to hear your war-years stories in book form.
A lot of Johnsons took part in our civil war. From America, one Ellen Johnson was leading a group. From Camp Johnson Road, a Roosevelt Johnson was making his name, protecting his people, as we heard. Roosevelt Johnson, we also learned, was also a fierce warrior. oh yes, Koboi Johnson would have made an awesome foursome!
Even though Ellen Johnson is one of us, Gola father, Kru grandmother, she was brought up with and influenced by the Congau people. My thinking is if Ellen’s intention was to protect or fight for anyone, the fight would be for the Congau people. Roosevelt Johnson was fighting to protect his tribal Krahn people. And Prince Johnson was there to fight for and protect his people from Nimba County.
For the Gola, Kru and Congau people, Ellen Johnson was there for you. For the Krahn people, Roosevelt Johnson and the President of Liberia, Samuel Doe, Amos Gbon, George Boley, and many other prominent fighters were there to protect your interest. For the Mandingo, Gio, Mano, Gbi, and Krahn people of Nimba County, Prince Johnson was the son who was destined to protect you. Many other counties were now vulnerable. They had no one to fight for them. Bong, Lofa, Maryland, Cape Mount and a few other counties needed to be represented in the war. Tom W was there to fight for the people of Bassa and Rivercess Counties. Oh, there was another Johnson who got ambushed in Grand Bassa County during the early stage of the war. I wonder from which county he came.
Because of this vulnerability, a son of Lofa County, Alhaji Kromah, got into the fray. He too was expected to fight for and protect the Kissi, Mandingo, Lorma, Belle, and Gbandi people of Lofa County. From this picture, it is now clear that a full-blown civil war was in the making. The people of Liberia were in for a long and devastating period, never before experienced.
My wife’s paternal grandmother, a Belle, who lived in Gwellita in Lofa County, was forced to walk miles and miles into the Belle forest. Because of her age, she died during her ordeal. Her village was burned and none of us know where she was buried. When we heard the news, we knew that Mr Kromah was not in Lofa County to protect all of its population.
My sister in-law and her husband, Stephen Konah, lived in Bong Mines. The family had a small clinic they operated near one of the gates leading into the compound of the company. Stephen Konah was from Nimba County. When Prince Johnson and his fighters reached Bong Mines, It was impossible to ignore the new Sherriff in town.
Mr Konah and his family cooked for and did all they could to accommodate Mr Johnson and his group of fighters. The fierce warrior from Nimba County did nothing to protect and save Mr Konah. Mr Stephen Konah was brutally murdered in front of his family by those who were supposed to protect him. The reason: The group was not sure whether Mr Konah was a spy for government forces or a genuine supporter of Mr Johnson.
What was the war about if it did not save the lives of the innocent? Why did many refuse to admit to the atrocities they committed against their own people? Why were some people fighting to save their people why others were gleefully killing their own? Why are we crying about the untold destruction and the=2 0backwardness of our country when we know within ourselves that we did the damage?
It is a difficult thing for the common person like me to decide who, amongst our killers, should be sent to the gallows, incarcerated or set free. To know that these killers of men are roaming the streets of our towns and villages makes for a chilling feeling. To know that men we once feared are now making our laws and teaching our people; to know that the same people who once killed innocent people and stole our money are now deacons in churches and Imams in mosques, carrying the Bible and Koran on their chests in broad day light; to live with these terrible feelings everyday, is indeed frightening, stressful and heartbreaking.
The international community needs to help us Liberians decide what to make of the results of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. All those who played major roles in our civil conflict must be made to face the consequences. Whatever list is out there that is already causing concerns should be given due process, for justice must be done to all men and women.
There is just no jail in Liberia to keep Prince Johnson or Conneh or Alhaji Kromah or Senator Dolo. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has become larger than life. Is there a jail house in Liberia where she can be incarcerated because she started off this thing with $10,000? Are the women of Liberia, her greatest strength, our mothers and sisters who voted her into the presidency, are these women ready to see their idol in hand cuffs?
Our situation is so pitiful and interconnected. I hit a huge wall whenever I think about the dilemma Liberians face in doling out justice to those who killed us. Like Charles Taylor, I just wish these big Whigs were all somewhere else as we decide from the comfort of our cities, towns and villages what to do with them. If our tormentors were somewhere else, far, far away from Monrovia, my call would be: Let those people stay right where they are.
How in the world will the baby Jesus be sent from Egypt when King Herod is still roaming the streets of Nazareth?
Monday, June 22, 2009
Ending The Blame Game
With general elections around the corner, manipulators of the Liberian people are coming out en masse with the same old divisive ideas of blaming one group of people for the country's demise. Mentally and psychologically, majority of the Liberian people were kept down by a small group of freed slaves, for 133 years. Morally and physically, our people and the country were destroyed when the majority finally took the rein of power.
To rebuild Liberia and unite its people, something new has to happen. The blame game, however, must end. That is my gut feeling:
The population of Liberia is now 3.4 million people. Does this amount include Liberians living outside of the country? I am just curious.
On April 12, 1980, Liberians woke up to the voice of Master Sergeant Samuel K Doe of the People’s Redemption Council. MSGT Doe told us, the Liberian people that 133 years of Americo-Liberian rule had ended; that years of rampant corruption and misuse of power were over. There was dancing in the streets of Monrovia and in towns and villages all across the country. 95 percent of the people were rejoicing because 5 percent had controlled the helm of power for too long a time.
The beneficiaries and gravy seekers of 133 years of Americo-Liberian rule were obviously and understandably saddened by the incident of that memorable morning. Although a few had been killed, many Americo-Liberians and their surrogates left the country; many of the same people remained in the country. Some became Ministers and big shots in the new government.
It was not long after the celebration that it became clear that after 133 years of inequality imposed upon 95 percent of the population, after 133 years of separation of Liberians into two groups---Congo and Country, the people of Liberia were about to witness a nightmare never before experienced in the country’s 133 years of independence.
What did I expect when the coup occurred and the True Whig Party was dislodged? What did I expect when Samuel Doe and the PRC announced that they were now in power in Liberia and that rampant corruption and misuse of power had come to a screeching halt? I expected the doors that had been closed for so long to majority of the people of Liberia to now be opened to all Liberians. I expected to see the government of Liberia to look like Liberia. I expected more schools and especially more universities. I felt it was just wrong for students in Harper or in Voinjama to come all the way to Monrovia to attend the only University in the country. Of course, I expected a lot more from the new majority government in Liberia.
It was good to see citizens from all the counties in the country, including Congo people, in the new government. I could not understand why it was so difficult to appoint a citizen from Nimba County Vice President of the country when the Congo people were in charge? After all, James E Green from Sinoe County had been Vice president. Why was it always a Congo person or a surrogate who had to be President or Vice President of a country that belongs to all Liberians? What was it that made Americo-Liberians so afraid of their own people whom they had lived with for more than a hundred years? People living in Lofa, Grand Gedeh, Nimba, Bong, Bomi counties were Liberians too, right?
As I was saying, I expected a lot from the PRC and Samuel Doe. I wanted to see unity amongst the soldiers who had taken over. I wanted them to be united in their efforts to demonstrate to the Americo-Liberians that we were all in this boat together. Oh how wrong a path on which my thoughts were leading me! As I was looking at the bright side of the coin, the surrogates and gravy seekers of our new government were hatching something else---something more sinister and devastating than any of us could foretell.
The demonic thoughts and dark-alley manipulations by the surrogates and gravy seekers of the new government started a domino effect that began with General Quiwonkpa’s transfer from the Army Barracks to being Secretary General of the PRC. The killing of General Weh-Syehn and other soldiers who announced the change on the morning of April 12, 1980, was a big set back for unity. I did not like the verbal presentations of those who were now in power, but I felt assured that our country would never be the same again. I felt that with an equal playing field, Congo and Country people would compete fairly for a slice of the nation’s pie. We would all be unanimous in our efforts to finally build the Liberia of our collective liking.
133 years of Americo-Liberian rule may have educationally paralyzed 95 percent of our people, but when 95 percent of the people were given the chance to redeem all of us of this past evil, a small group of manipulators and gravy seekers derailed the golden opportunity handed to us through the sacrifice of a few brave men.
We can continue to blame those who kept us down for 133 years. We can say that Americo-Liberians were or are a mean set of people who thought and continue to think that they were or are better structured by God to rule the rest of us. We can lay the underdevelopment of our country squarely in their laps. But when it comes to our turn to demonstrate to the world and our people what we did then and what we are doing now with the given opportunity, there is actually nothing meaningful that the representatives of 95 percent of the people can show. Whereas Americo-Liberians mentally and psychologically killed the majority, representatives of the majority have made sure they physically destroyed those who were their strength. Physically destroying or killing members of the majority was the one recipe needed to bring the country to what it is today.
There is no question, Liberians will have to reconcile if we want to live together in peace. The burden is on all of us to tell the truth…to tell each other why we were so mean to each other and to give each other the assurance that such evil will not be allowed to come our way again.
Because one evil led to another evil, those who were vicious and who became law and gospel will have to face some retribution for such vicious crime against humanity. For we know that burning the bridges behind you after killing your own people did not suffice; for here you are, coming back to the same villages you destroyed…coming back to the survivors of those you killed in your hours of excitement.
We need to come up with bold, new and transformational ideas to build the country and unite our people. The blame-game will have to end if we must move forward.
To rebuild Liberia and unite its people, something new has to happen. The blame game, however, must end. That is my gut feeling:
The population of Liberia is now 3.4 million people. Does this amount include Liberians living outside of the country? I am just curious.
On April 12, 1980, Liberians woke up to the voice of Master Sergeant Samuel K Doe of the People’s Redemption Council. MSGT Doe told us, the Liberian people that 133 years of Americo-Liberian rule had ended; that years of rampant corruption and misuse of power were over. There was dancing in the streets of Monrovia and in towns and villages all across the country. 95 percent of the people were rejoicing because 5 percent had controlled the helm of power for too long a time.
The beneficiaries and gravy seekers of 133 years of Americo-Liberian rule were obviously and understandably saddened by the incident of that memorable morning. Although a few had been killed, many Americo-Liberians and their surrogates left the country; many of the same people remained in the country. Some became Ministers and big shots in the new government.
It was not long after the celebration that it became clear that after 133 years of inequality imposed upon 95 percent of the population, after 133 years of separation of Liberians into two groups---Congo and Country, the people of Liberia were about to witness a nightmare never before experienced in the country’s 133 years of independence.
What did I expect when the coup occurred and the True Whig Party was dislodged? What did I expect when Samuel Doe and the PRC announced that they were now in power in Liberia and that rampant corruption and misuse of power had come to a screeching halt? I expected the doors that had been closed for so long to majority of the people of Liberia to now be opened to all Liberians. I expected to see the government of Liberia to look like Liberia. I expected more schools and especially more universities. I felt it was just wrong for students in Harper or in Voinjama to come all the way to Monrovia to attend the only University in the country. Of course, I expected a lot more from the new majority government in Liberia.
It was good to see citizens from all the counties in the country, including Congo people, in the new government. I could not understand why it was so difficult to appoint a citizen from Nimba County Vice President of the country when the Congo people were in charge? After all, James E Green from Sinoe County had been Vice president. Why was it always a Congo person or a surrogate who had to be President or Vice President of a country that belongs to all Liberians? What was it that made Americo-Liberians so afraid of their own people whom they had lived with for more than a hundred years? People living in Lofa, Grand Gedeh, Nimba, Bong, Bomi counties were Liberians too, right?
As I was saying, I expected a lot from the PRC and Samuel Doe. I wanted to see unity amongst the soldiers who had taken over. I wanted them to be united in their efforts to demonstrate to the Americo-Liberians that we were all in this boat together. Oh how wrong a path on which my thoughts were leading me! As I was looking at the bright side of the coin, the surrogates and gravy seekers of our new government were hatching something else---something more sinister and devastating than any of us could foretell.
The demonic thoughts and dark-alley manipulations by the surrogates and gravy seekers of the new government started a domino effect that began with General Quiwonkpa’s transfer from the Army Barracks to being Secretary General of the PRC. The killing of General Weh-Syehn and other soldiers who announced the change on the morning of April 12, 1980, was a big set back for unity. I did not like the verbal presentations of those who were now in power, but I felt assured that our country would never be the same again. I felt that with an equal playing field, Congo and Country people would compete fairly for a slice of the nation’s pie. We would all be unanimous in our efforts to finally build the Liberia of our collective liking.
133 years of Americo-Liberian rule may have educationally paralyzed 95 percent of our people, but when 95 percent of the people were given the chance to redeem all of us of this past evil, a small group of manipulators and gravy seekers derailed the golden opportunity handed to us through the sacrifice of a few brave men.
We can continue to blame those who kept us down for 133 years. We can say that Americo-Liberians were or are a mean set of people who thought and continue to think that they were or are better structured by God to rule the rest of us. We can lay the underdevelopment of our country squarely in their laps. But when it comes to our turn to demonstrate to the world and our people what we did then and what we are doing now with the given opportunity, there is actually nothing meaningful that the representatives of 95 percent of the people can show. Whereas Americo-Liberians mentally and psychologically killed the majority, representatives of the majority have made sure they physically destroyed those who were their strength. Physically destroying or killing members of the majority was the one recipe needed to bring the country to what it is today.
There is no question, Liberians will have to reconcile if we want to live together in peace. The burden is on all of us to tell the truth…to tell each other why we were so mean to each other and to give each other the assurance that such evil will not be allowed to come our way again.
Because one evil led to another evil, those who were vicious and who became law and gospel will have to face some retribution for such vicious crime against humanity. For we know that burning the bridges behind you after killing your own people did not suffice; for here you are, coming back to the same villages you destroyed…coming back to the survivors of those you killed in your hours of excitement.
We need to come up with bold, new and transformational ideas to build the country and unite our people. The blame-game will have to end if we must move forward.
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