I may sound not palatable to earring of those reading these frustrated but painful wording that elders, opinion leaders and of course the religious communities has failed massively in addressing since the Nation Liberia returns to civility from her deadly fourteen years pass that saw no victors but victims!
The Nation (Liberia) that once proud herself the beacon of hope for thousands of African and other foreign nationals from around the globe is yet to come up to pile with those she claimed to nurture leading to their independence!
History has recorded that, almost all of the Nations of the World once in their struggles for independence suffer tribal conflicts in difference forms or manner so was Liberia, but they overcame these anomalies in putting Countries first!
Disappointingly, in the early seventies when those who considered themselves progressive then send on studies abroad with tax payers monies precisely the United States of America under disguise came with the slogan “ÏN THE CAUSE OF THE PEOPLE THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES” indicated that the government of the day were insensitive to the plights of the Liberian people!
My information is that they were invited by the then Tolbert regime to come over to Liberia to see for themselves what were been speculated among the Liberians students and residents in the diasporas for a facts finding mission regarding the insensitivities of the Liberian people plights!
These “progressives “ accordingly whose later served in these various regimes from the Tolbert to the presence administration after having the opportunities to served and knowing what power look like automatically change the slogan from ‘In The Cause Of The People The Struggle Continues I can make a good presidency
Evidence, to this was when Dr. Henry Boima Fahnbulleh was once upon the time hosted by the late Fanta Solumani Mamade Diakite then of Truth FM 96.1 on the Truth Breakfast show then on Ashmun in Monrovia clearly stated and I “no absolute progressive in Liberia as compared to what on folded in Southern Africa with the African National Congress”!
The Security advisor to the President of the Republic of Liberia Dr. Fahnbulleh by further that those who considering themselves as progressive in Liberia were people who only had their personals eagles and their only objective were to be president and nothing else!
He went on to say that these gentlemen when tested during the despotic regime of the late Master Sergeant Samuel K. Doe who knew nothing of multi-party democracy they (Progressives) misled the Master sergeant and the history are there for Liberians and the World to read!
When Liberians woke up to the realities of what true democracy meant after closed to hundred plus years under one party system under the regime of the True Wing party despite lies told to the People of Liberia by these “progressive” that they were in their interests it was catastrophe as the damages has already been done!
All along in the Liberian governance system, from its foundation vindictiveness is has had her fair share in the lives of the suffering massive when each given regime felt not obligated to continue from the previous regime in tern of her developmental goals but choose to ostracize former officials and development projects under taken by the regime they succeeded!
More disappointingly, indiscipline has find her way into top echelons of the governance systems especially within the Legislative and Executive branches wherein some members of these two distinct branches trade insults for the lease ever since I got to follow the activities of the Liberian government functions!
Precisely, I recalled when some members of the lower house traded insults and almost got into face fight just on policies difference as everyone felt their ideologies were better as such their colleagues must agree or else said colleagues branded names! For the sake of argument some political pundits will say this is not unique to Liberia as other civilized parliaments around the World also engages in seminar words of words and even face fights.
Again coming from an African tradition back ground especially the house of Representatives has and continues to be the symbol of dignity and respect as been the first branch of government where the People’s representatives sit to do their business has been reduce to public disrepute is never heard of since my existence as a Liberian!
I recalled though young at the time in the early seventies when my late father Hon. David Z, Wandah served in the House of Representatives as the first Representative of the people of Zoe-gah district of Nimba County never did I hear even as rumor that they had an disagreement that led to heated argument or face fight and the public got to hear of it!
So frustratingly, I see some members of the Legislative using insulting languages on the Chief Executive of the Republic with the lack of understanding that they all serve just one government and one people who’re the People of Liberia their employer!
Let’s just retrospect a little, the 1980 so-called coup that brought Master Sergeant Doe to power those brutally killed were not only those of the Executive and spare the live of those from the Legislative, but they soldiers at that time killed just all who were working with the Tolbert government! Then came the 1990’s rebellion, which degenerated into tribal war that too saw thousands of Liberians killed to as low as the janitors’ working in government offices just the fact that they were associated with the government of the late Samuel K. Doe!
Notwithstanding, some members of the Executive feel that they are only answerable to the Presidency and no one else as such don’t even respect other officials of the Legislative in the very government that brought them all to these serving positions!
In many instances, I read on newspapers pages and saw on local television some officials of the Executive branch openly insulting some of the House of Representatives because they says that this or that Representative insulted the Presidency so I as appointee of the Presidency must defend the Presidency!
Due to these anomalies’ the developmental goals of this Nation come to a halt because people from either side of the government feel that they represents difference group of Liberians rather than the Republic of Liberia whose citizens stood in the rains and blazing sun to cast their votes that give them these opportunities to serve!
Let’s not forget the realities, though they all came from difference political persuasion but yet for a single goal which is to serve Mama Liberia because they all told voters that the previous regime was not good enough in their stewardship! As far as developments are concern it know no political party or individual or group of individuals but a regime that promised to built on what their predecessor left undone and in making sure that the People’s welfares are met!
Liberians have undoubted trust and confidence, in those of you serving in positions of trust to managing their affairs from all branches of governance and must see themselves as servants of the People with the highest degrees of respect to them and keep those standards that characterized these offices that they occupied prior to their accession currently!
I will want all of those elected officials of government to know that you asked the People of Liberia for their mandate to lead them to a noble destination in meeting their demands that other regimes failed on and absolute nothing else! Because of the important this attached to them Liberians that is why they make sure that you elected and appointed officials has all it requires for your comforts including lucrative salaries!
Let’s all learn to keep sanity in these official offices that was once sacred to the founding fathers of this great Nation and put a complete halt to these vindictive and indiscipline activities that has shifted our developmental goals to bottom of the ladders of progress!
Remember the late African state men Nelson Mandela of South Africa once stated that “NO ONE IS BORN HATING ANOTHER PERSON BECAUSE OF THE COLOUR OF HIS SKIN, OR HIS BACKGROUND OR HIS RELIGION. PEOPLE LEARN TO HATE,THEY CAN BE TAUGHT TO LOVE,FOR LOVE COMES MORE NATURALLY TO THE HUMAN HEART THAN ITS OPPOSITE”!
Joe Noutoua Wandah is a Liberian broadcast journalist and writer and can be reach @ +231886224134/+231886224134 or E-mail [email protected]