By: Rufus S. Berry II, MBA
The destiny of our beloved republic is in our hands, in regards to the freedom to freely and democratically choose our leaders and government.
In his open letter to the Liberian people on International Anti-Corruption Day dated December 8, 2022 – Ambassador Michael A. McCarthy said, “In the upcoming 2023 elections, however, it will be the turn of the people of Liberia to let their voices be heard on this topic, especially since several of those sanctioned officials may be running for office”.
Ambassador Michael A. McCarthy went on to say, “Ultimately, it is Liberians and not the U.S. government that are responsible for ensuring good governance in Liberia. Sanctions can help, but the ballot box is a far more important tool for holding officials accountable. If Liberians choose to elect or re-elect sanctioned officials as their leaders, that will send a very clear signal about how they truly feel about the fight against corruption and the future of their country”.
My fellow Liberians, we have the power to choose our destiny. We can’t continuously depend on the government of the United States of America and our mother country should not come to our rescue, if we continue to make terribly bad decisions for ourselves, by electing unethical and corrupt leaders.
The US Ambassador is telling us directly to take responsibility for fulfilling our destiny as a people by not merely taking fate into our own hands, but also by eventually becoming the hands that mold our own fate on the day of elections. Our friends and development partners will eventually come through the doors to assist when we make the right choice that will take us towards realizing our goals and dreams for a prosperous, transparent and productive government.
As a nation, our transformational destiny may be awaiting us, but whether or not we meet our destiny is up to us as a people. Our fate is in our hands. Liberia – Africa’s oldest independent nation – will not get to the promised land if we continue to be passive and foolishly wait on the government of the United States of America to solve all of our problems – problems that we could easily resolve by ourselves.
Liberia, land of liberty, we will lead the way to a brand new day, setting the nation free! It’s incumbent upon all of us to honestly decide in 2023 what becomes of us as a nation and people, by playing our part in voting wisely.
In conclusion, I pray that the Almighty God
will give us the grace to accurately process our thoughts, and guide our actions to reflect wisdom.
The wisdom to realize that our destiny as a nation is definitely in our hands. We also have to realize that in our pursuit of that destiny, life is indeed a series of choices that we make every single day, and the choices we will be making in October of 2023 will have consequences that will directly affect us as a country and people..
Happy Holidays and with God above Our rights to prove. We will o’er all prevail..
