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.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
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
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
Monday, August 29, 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
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
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
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?
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?
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Promoting the Positives
Some are hammering the President for not accomplisning anything since she took over the presidency in Liberia five years ago. I couldn't let that pass me by without kicking and screaming. I wrote this to the editor or Frontpageafrica:
Weedor and Flomo are best friends. Weedor has an inquiring mind. Flomo, on the other hand, is not too accommodating and wishes they were playing soccer instead:
Weedor: My man Flomo, come here let me ask you something.
Flomo: Weedor, my man, I coming; let me finish eating my cold bowl
Weedor: OK, but hurry up.
Flomo: OK, Weedor, what is it you want to ask me?
Weedor: Flomo, I know you are a big Unity Party man and you go around here boasting about it. What have you and the oldma done for the Liberian people?
Flomo: Weedor my man, don't give me hard time. Don't you listen to ELBC; don't you watch TV?
Weedor: Da all you will tell me? I don't listen to ELBC and I don't watch TV. Don't give me cheek; just tell me what your Party has accomplished in five years.
The sentiments from Weedor are the same concerns being voiced out by most Liberians living in the Diaspora. Unity Party members and sympathizers are of the opinion that the accomplishments of the past five years by the government are not being enthusiastically conveyed to the world. If the good news is out there, most people are not aware.
An all-out war on information dissemination needs to be taking place, for if the government does not sell itself, no one will know what is happening. Right now, people are wrapping themselves around the negatives and are completely oblivious of the positive things that the government of Liberia has accomplished.
Corruption has overshadowed news of the new Fendell campus of the University of Liberia. Corruption has covered over the news of the modern-day hospital in Tappita. How many Liberians have been employed since the beginning of 2010? How many schools have been refurbished and how is the transportation business in the country?
How is the hospital in Tappita being staffed? Is the hospital functioning in any capacity? How are the people in Belle Yalla? Are they benefiting from the road that just connected their town to greater Liberia, since 1847? How are the road conditions from Grand Gedeh to Maryland? What's in the pipeline when it comes to modernizing our highways?
Right now, the government of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf needs an Ed Bouey (sp), the roving reporter. Liberians need to know about all the positives in every nook and in every corner of the country, since Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf took the ship of state. No positive stone should be left unturned. Liberians all over the world want to be able to boast about accomplishments. The opposition will take care of the negatives, but the positives must prevail, especially as elections season draws near.
Another thing that needs tackling is the eye sore that is West Point. The government cannot afford to allow the opposition to mesmerize the people of West Point with rhetoric and good-for-nothing talk. West Point has been in the news since I first heard about the place. And that was during the Tolbert administration. My sister lives there; I have been there. The place is an insult to humanity. West Point is a project that the government must take head-on with an infusion of cash and humanitarian efforts.
No matter how tough our people are, replacing those shacks with high-rise apartment buildings will change minds in West Point and other areas in similar condition. Is anything in the pipeline regarding these areas? We want to hear about it.
Finally, and for once in a long time, the Iron Lady has done something that many of her supporters wish she had initiated long ago. If EJS can hire you, EJS has the constitutional right to also fire you, especially if a pile of documents on her desk continues to implicate people she thought were genuine and patriotic, honest and trustworthy.
It was a good thing that the president threw out the babies with the bath water. Those loud-mouth and crying babies will remain out there, wet and dazed and sore. The good babies will be picked up, wrapped up, hugged, and brought back into the house. Unlike God and Abraham and Sodom and Gomorrah, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf made sure the good and wicked suffered the wrath, knowing all along that the good ones will prevail over evil doers.
Information, information, information! We want to hear all the positive news about happenings in Liberia since January, 2006. The Ministry of Information must make this priority number one. Information in this age should not be scarce.
Weedor and Flomo are best friends. Weedor has an inquiring mind. Flomo, on the other hand, is not too accommodating and wishes they were playing soccer instead:
Weedor: My man Flomo, come here let me ask you something.
Flomo: Weedor, my man, I coming; let me finish eating my cold bowl
Weedor: OK, but hurry up.
Flomo: OK, Weedor, what is it you want to ask me?
Weedor: Flomo, I know you are a big Unity Party man and you go around here boasting about it. What have you and the oldma done for the Liberian people?
Flomo: Weedor my man, don't give me hard time. Don't you listen to ELBC; don't you watch TV?
Weedor: Da all you will tell me? I don't listen to ELBC and I don't watch TV. Don't give me cheek; just tell me what your Party has accomplished in five years.
The sentiments from Weedor are the same concerns being voiced out by most Liberians living in the Diaspora. Unity Party members and sympathizers are of the opinion that the accomplishments of the past five years by the government are not being enthusiastically conveyed to the world. If the good news is out there, most people are not aware.
An all-out war on information dissemination needs to be taking place, for if the government does not sell itself, no one will know what is happening. Right now, people are wrapping themselves around the negatives and are completely oblivious of the positive things that the government of Liberia has accomplished.
Corruption has overshadowed news of the new Fendell campus of the University of Liberia. Corruption has covered over the news of the modern-day hospital in Tappita. How many Liberians have been employed since the beginning of 2010? How many schools have been refurbished and how is the transportation business in the country?
How is the hospital in Tappita being staffed? Is the hospital functioning in any capacity? How are the people in Belle Yalla? Are they benefiting from the road that just connected their town to greater Liberia, since 1847? How are the road conditions from Grand Gedeh to Maryland? What's in the pipeline when it comes to modernizing our highways?
Right now, the government of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf needs an Ed Bouey (sp), the roving reporter. Liberians need to know about all the positives in every nook and in every corner of the country, since Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf took the ship of state. No positive stone should be left unturned. Liberians all over the world want to be able to boast about accomplishments. The opposition will take care of the negatives, but the positives must prevail, especially as elections season draws near.
Another thing that needs tackling is the eye sore that is West Point. The government cannot afford to allow the opposition to mesmerize the people of West Point with rhetoric and good-for-nothing talk. West Point has been in the news since I first heard about the place. And that was during the Tolbert administration. My sister lives there; I have been there. The place is an insult to humanity. West Point is a project that the government must take head-on with an infusion of cash and humanitarian efforts.
No matter how tough our people are, replacing those shacks with high-rise apartment buildings will change minds in West Point and other areas in similar condition. Is anything in the pipeline regarding these areas? We want to hear about it.
Finally, and for once in a long time, the Iron Lady has done something that many of her supporters wish she had initiated long ago. If EJS can hire you, EJS has the constitutional right to also fire you, especially if a pile of documents on her desk continues to implicate people she thought were genuine and patriotic, honest and trustworthy.
It was a good thing that the president threw out the babies with the bath water. Those loud-mouth and crying babies will remain out there, wet and dazed and sore. The good babies will be picked up, wrapped up, hugged, and brought back into the house. Unlike God and Abraham and Sodom and Gomorrah, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf made sure the good and wicked suffered the wrath, knowing all along that the good ones will prevail over evil doers.
Information, information, information! We want to hear all the positive news about happenings in Liberia since January, 2006. The Ministry of Information must make this priority number one. Information in this age should not be scarce.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Remembering November 12, 1985
After all that we have gone through, many are still inciting the minds of our people toward the same evil that almost ended our existence as a people. I still remember vividly what some of us experienced:
The talk of the town after the incident of November 12, 1985 was that General Quiwonkpa came with a Bible in his right hand to overthrow a military government. Apparently, the people of Liberia wanted a blood bath; for what happened in 1979 and 1980 was not horrendous enough to rattle their psyche. When the tide changed, the General was accused of being a weakling.
Then the witch hunt began and many people lost their lives. Then came 1989, and more and more people died. What General Quiwonkpa did not do to the Liberia people, others of more vicious minds and character did.
What happened to us will never leave our minds. It's like an indelible ink on the face of a stone.The evil deeds of our past are now in the history books for generations unborn to read and talk about. One thing we should all commit to:We should never, ever allow the devious and destructive past to ever show its ugly head again. We should never again encourage war; we should never again raise the rhetoric to a level that will open up the wounds that almost ended our existence as a people.
Those that died in our war did not die, I think, so that we the living can further tear each other apart. Those that died from 1979 to 1989 and the 250,000 or more who made the ultimate sacrifice from 1990 to 2003 did not passed so that we become more vocal to cause another mayhem. The blood shed was shed so that we pick up the pieces and move on into a brighter future.
Showcasing the skulls and bones of our dead relatives is not a good way to remind us of our past. As we reflect on the incident of November 12, 1985 as well as other dark days in our country's history, we should always be reminded that those who died want us to remember them by lifting ourselves up in unity to build our lives and the country they loved and left behind.
The talk of the town after the incident of November 12, 1985 was that General Quiwonkpa came with a Bible in his right hand to overthrow a military government. Apparently, the people of Liberia wanted a blood bath; for what happened in 1979 and 1980 was not horrendous enough to rattle their psyche. When the tide changed, the General was accused of being a weakling.
Then the witch hunt began and many people lost their lives. Then came 1989, and more and more people died. What General Quiwonkpa did not do to the Liberia people, others of more vicious minds and character did.
What happened to us will never leave our minds. It's like an indelible ink on the face of a stone.The evil deeds of our past are now in the history books for generations unborn to read and talk about. One thing we should all commit to:We should never, ever allow the devious and destructive past to ever show its ugly head again. We should never again encourage war; we should never again raise the rhetoric to a level that will open up the wounds that almost ended our existence as a people.
Those that died in our war did not die, I think, so that we the living can further tear each other apart. Those that died from 1979 to 1989 and the 250,000 or more who made the ultimate sacrifice from 1990 to 2003 did not passed so that we become more vocal to cause another mayhem. The blood shed was shed so that we pick up the pieces and move on into a brighter future.
Showcasing the skulls and bones of our dead relatives is not a good way to remind us of our past. As we reflect on the incident of November 12, 1985 as well as other dark days in our country's history, we should always be reminded that those who died want us to remember them by lifting ourselves up in unity to build our lives and the country they loved and left behind.
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