Echoes of the past and a call for Stewardship in Liberia

By Hun-Bu Tulay

Email: ntevoma@gmail.com

Cell# +231 886-517 356/77 547 2336

Fellow officials appointed and elected, bearers of a profound and sacred trust. The mandate you hold was not bestowed by accident, nor was it granted merely by the signature of President Boakai or the tally of votes alone. It was entrusted to you by the very spirit and need of Liberia, by the collective hope of a people yearning for dawn after a long night. That talent, that capacity for leadership, resides within you. Now begins the solemn and urgent work: to call into action the highest forms of your being your integrity, your courage, your wisdom, and your selfless devotion to making this country better and great.

This is not a time for ceremonial occupancy of office, but for transformative action. It is the hour to do your part, not in isolation, but in concert, to advance this nation and create tangible opportunities for its most precious jewels: its children, its youth, its farmers, its entrepreneurs, its weary yet hopeful citizens. Each of you, whether a minister, senator, representative, or judge, must exert yourself to be a true keeper of a sacred triad: “PEACE, RECONCILIATION, and PROGRESS.” These are not mere words for a plaque on the wall; they are the three pillars upon which our future stability and prosperity rest. Peace is not merely the absence of gunfire, but the presence of justice. Reconciliation is not forgetting the past but healing its wounds through fairness and inclusion. Progress is not a statistic in a report, but a felt improvement in the life of the ordinary Liberian.

In the timeless words of the Honorable Dr. Edward Wilmot Blyden, the greatest intellectual negro to walk this plant in one of speeches in Washington in the late 1800s said, “Whatever your condition, you occupy some room in this country; what are you doing to make a return for the room you occupy?” Reflect deeply on this. The room you occupy is a chamber of power, a seat of influence paid for by the sweat and sacrifice of the people. What is your return on their investment? Are you furnishing that room with personal gain, or are you building from it a brighter hall for all? Tragically, there are those who fail to realize this fundamental responsibility, who become deaf to the inspiring call of our history and the prophetic call of our potential. They see the office as an end, not a means to a greater end.

The purpose of this feature is to stir the echoes of our own past of resilience and of ruin and compel you to reflect somberly. You must readjust your purpose to become the leaders who see not color, tribe, or creed, who is not swayed by money, personal relationships, or the narrow urge to merely satisfy political superiors. Your sole allegiance must be to the Constitution and the people you swore to serve. You must become a minister of development, a senators of principle, a representatives of the voiceless, and judges of unwavering impartiality.

For failure on your part, the consequences will be dire, and the price will be paid not first by you, but by the nation. The decay will be incremental but inexorable.

What Happens When the Trust is Betrayed?

When appointed and elected officials collectively fail, when governance becomes a syndicate of self-interest, when justice is auctioned to the highest bidder, when the cries for opportunity are met with indifference the social contract fractured the first casualty is public trust. Then follows institutional rot: the civil service atrophies, the judiciary becomes a comedy of delays and bribes, public funds evaporate, and infrastructure crumbles. The economy, starved of confidence and honest stewardship, contracts. Despair festers, especially among the youth who see the doors of the future slammed shut by nepotism and corruption.

This vacuum of legitimate hope does not remain empty. It is filled with frustration, then anger, and ultimately, a demand for reckoning that can shake the very foundations of the state. History, in every corner of the globe, is the testament to this immutable political law. You are not merely officials; you are students of history, whether you attend its lessons or not.

The Echoes of History: A Warning in Four Acts

Consider, and consider gravely, the examples where the people, pushed beyond endurance, reacted to the failure of their governing classes:

1. The French Revolution (1789): For decades, the “Ancient Régime” of monarchy and aristocracy believed itself unassailable. They occupied the grandest rooms in France but gave no return to the people, burdening them with taxes while living in obscene luxury. The Estates-General was called but became a symbol of intransigence. The result was not a petition, but the storming of the Bastille. The revolution that followed did not merely change governments; it unleashed a tidal wave of violence, regicide, and terror that consumed the very elites who thought themselves untouchable. Their failure to readjust, to reconcile, to make progress led to their obliteration.
2. The Tennis Court Oath (A Prelude to Revolution): Even before the Bastille fell, a pivotal moment occurred. The Third Estate the commoners’ representatives found themselves locked out of their meeting hall at Versailles. They adjourned to a nearby indoor tennis court. There, they swore an oath not to disband until they had given France a constitution. This was the moment when representatives, failed by the old order, “became” the keepers of a new future. It is a lesson in what happens when legitimate channels are blocked: the people, through their representatives, will create new ones, often outside the crumbling edifice of the state.
3. The Arab Spring (2010-2012): A more recent echo. In Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and elsewhere, decades of autocratic rule, economic stagnation, rampant corruption, and youth unemployment created a tinderbox. The self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi was not a cause, but a spark. It ignited a region-wide conflagration because it symbolized the ultimate despair of a man failed by every official and every institution. The people reacted with mass protests that toppled seemingly impregnable regimes. The aftermath was complex and often tragic, but the initial message was crystal clear: a leadership that serves only itself will eventually face the unorganized, furious power of the multitude.
4. The Polish Solidarity Movement & The Revolutions of 1989: Here, the people reacted not with immediate violence, but with sustained, courageous collective action. When the communist government failed to provide basic freedoms, economic viability, or political honesty, the workers, intellectuals, and the Catholic Church forged a solidarity that became a nation. Through strikes, underground publishing, and sheer moral force, they exposed the bankruptcy of a corrupt system. Their peaceful, persistent reaction eventually led to the negotiated end of one-party rule, triggering the fall of the Iron Curtain. It proved that even against overwhelming state power, united people, betrayed by their officials, are an unstoppable force.

Echoes from Liberia: A Nation Haunted by Unheeded Warnings

 The Cycle of Foretold Consequences

Liberia’s modern political history is not merely a sequence of events; it is a haunting chorus of echoed prophetic warnings issued, ignored, and eventually fulfilled with devastating precision. These echoes, emanating from different eras of leadership, diagnose a persistent sickness within the body politic. They reveal a tragic pattern where successive administrations, irrespective of their origin or ideology, have succumbed to the same corrosive vices, thereby perpetuating a cycle of underdevelopment and social fracture. The fundamental issues identified over a century and a half ago remain not only unresolved but have metastasized, compounded by new, even more debilitating moral failings. An examination of these historical warnings, followed by an analysis of the twin evils of greed and envy that now dominate the political sphere, provides a clear lens through which to understand Liberia’s protracted stagnation.

1. Historical Echoes: Unlearned Lessons
2. 1866: President Warner’s Warning on Indigenous Relations

In 1866, President Daniel B. Warner addressed his compatriots in Monrovia with a prescient admonition. He argued that the persistent inequitable treatment of the indigenous population was unsustainable. Warner foresaw that such injustice would inevitably breed resentment and lead to a violent reckoning. His statement, “dishonest honest people will incite them to turn against us,” recognized that grievances, left unaddressed, become fertile ground for destabilization. This echo was tragically ignored. The entrenched system of socio-political and economic exclusion, often framed within the “settler-indigenous” dichotomy, created a powder keg. The explosion came 114 years later, not as a foreign invasion, but as an internal collapse in the coup of 1980. Warner’s warning underscores that injustice is not merely a moral failure but an existential security threat. The fact that tensions over land, identity, and political exclusion persist today indicates that the core of his warning remains unheeded, making social cohesion fragile.

1. 1976: President Tolbert’s War on Abstract Enemies

In 1976, President William R. Tolbert rhetorically declared war on Liberia’s true enemies: Ignorance, Disease, and Poverty. He complemented this declaration with tangible actions, notably the establishment of an Anti-Corruption Agency and investments in health infrastructure, such as improving the renowned referral J.F. Kennedy Medical Center. Tolbert’s approach recognized that national security is fundamentally human security. However, these initiatives were systematically undermined. The legislature, comprised of beneficiaries of the status quo, starved the Anti-Corruption Agency of resources, exposing a critical flaw: asking a corrupt system to police itself. Meanwhile, the war on disease has been lost in the decades since. The decimation of the healthcare system is a stark symbol of national decline. Where JFK was once a regional beacon, it now struggles with basic functionality. This decline is tolerated because the political elite have seceded from their own public systems, opting for medical care abroad at state expense. The war Tolbert declared 48 years ago has been surrendered by neglect, and the enemies now occupy ever greater territory.

1. 1980: The Justifications of the Coup and Their Irony

The military coup of April 12, 1980, was rationalized by the very failures outlined above: “Rampant Corruption, Nepotism, Abuse of human rights and Injustice.” The soldiers claimed to be purging the ills of the True Whig Party oligarchy. The profound irony, observed over the subsequent 44 years, is that each vice cited as justification has not only persisted but has been refined and institutionalized under new guises. Corruption transformed from patronage within an elite to a pervasive tool for survival and accumulation across all levels of government. Nepotism and cronyism remain entrenched, now often dressed as “political loyalty.” The abuse of power and injustice continued through civil war and into peacetime. The coup did not break the cycle; it simply demonstrated that the pathology was not unique to one party or group but was a systemic temptation that any unchecked power structure would replicate.

1. The Ascendant Vices: Greed and Envy as the Architects of Stagnation

If the historical echoes reveal enduring systemic flaws, the current political climate is dominated by two amplified vices: greed and envy. These are not mere moral failings but the primary operational logic stifling development. They act as twin engines driving a zero-sum political economy where national resources are seen not as a common trust to be cultivated, but as a private spoil to be captured and monopolized.

1. Greed: The Cannibalization of the State

Greed is the insatiable appetite for personal accumulation at the expense of public good. In Liberia’s political circles, it manifests as the systematic conversion of public office into an instrument of private wealth extraction. This goes beyond traditional corruption; it is a governing philosophy.

Distortion of Policy and Law: Greedy leadership is incapable of solving elementary problems—reliable electricity, clean water, passable roads, quality education—because these solutions require long-term investments and transparent contracting, which diminishes opportunities for illicit gain. Instead, laws and budgets are crafted to create avenues for rent-seeking. Large infrastructure contracts are prioritized, not for their developmental impacts, but for the kickbacks they generate. The national budget itself becomes a tool for greed, with line items obscured or inflated to facilitate theft, all under the guise of legal appropriation. This “legalized corruption” is especially pernicious, as it uses the state’s own machinery to legitimize its plunder.

Collapse of Public Systems: As seen in the healthcare sector, greed leads to the deliberate neglect of public institutions. A functional hospital serving the poor does not generate private wealth for the elites; a dilapidated one, however, justifies the draining of state coffers for foreign medical travels for officials. The same logic applies to education, agriculture, and sanitation. Greed creates a vested interest in “failure”, as failure justifies emergency contracts, opaque spending, and the continued siphoning of resources.

Short-Termism: Development requires patience, planning, and sustained investments. Greed operates on a short-term horizon, the electoral cycle or the duration of one’s tenure. It incentivizes stripping assets (like natural resources) as quickly as possible rather than managing them sustainably for future generations. The nation’s future is mortgaged for immediate personal gain.

1. Envy: The Politics of Ressentiment and Sabotage

If greed seeks to possess everything, envy seeks to ensure others possess nothing. In politics, envy is not a mere feeling but a strategy. It is the resentment of another’s success, position, or perceived advantage, which translates into active efforts to undermine, obstruct, and destroy.

Obstruction of Governance: Envy makes collective action impossible. If a political actor from one party or faction proposes a genuinely beneficial policy, envy-driven opponents will sabotage it simply to deny them success or perceived advantage. This leads to legislative gridlock, the blocking of crucial appointments, and the weaponization of audits and investigations. National development agendas are held hostage to petty personal and partisan rivalries.

The Talents Drain: Envy within political and bureaucratic circles often targets competence. Capable individuals who demonstrate integrity or effectiveness become threats to the corrupt system and targets of envy-driven smear campaigns. This drives the best and brightest out of public service, either into the private sector or out of the country entirely, creating a vacuum filled by sycophants and opportunists, further degrading governance.

Zero-Sum Mentality: Envy fosters a worldview where another’s gain is automatically your loss. This kills any spirit of healthy competition or cooperative nation-building. It prevents the formation of stable, policy-oriented coalitions. The focus shifts from “how can we improve Liberia?” to “how can I ensure my rival does not get credit for anything?” This mentality infiltrates the entire bureaucracy, creating fiefdoms where inter-agency collaboration dies because one director envies another’s budget or influence.

 The Impending Reckoning

The echoes from Warner, Tolbert, and the coupists form a clear diagnostic timeline: unaddressed injustice, hypocritical reform, and cyclical violence. Today, greed and envy have taken center stage, acting as the active agents ensuring those historical failures are not remedied. Greed actively dismantles public goods for private profit, while envy ensures no cohesive force can assemble to stop it. Together, they create a political class that is both a predator upon and a parasite within the state.

President Warner’s warning about a reckoning is more urgent now than ever. The vices now at play are accelerating the decay. The material conditions of extreme poverty, a youth bulge with no prospects, and the glaring opulence of an unaccountable elite are combining into a volatile mix. As the text warns, the next corrective action, whether through popular upheaval, systemic collapse, or unforeseen convulsion, will not take 114 years. It may not even take ten. The only hope for a different, peaceful trajectory lies in a radical break from this cycle: the emergence of leadership and citizenry that finally listens to the echoes, rejects the politics of greed and envy, and wages a genuine, uncompromised war for the soul of the nation against its true enemies. The alternative is to wait for the next, and likely more devastating, echo to sound.

The Unjust Fate of Good Leaders: How the Misconduct of Appointees Undermines Public Trust and Democracy

History repeatedly demonstrates a tragic political paradox: a leader often falls not due to personal failure or broken promises, but because of the arrogance and corruption of those they appoint to serve. The public rightly holds the leader ultimately accountable for placing individuals in positions of trust who then betray that trust, acting as masters rather than servants of the people. This breach of fiduciary duty becomes a referendum on the leader’s judgment and values.

The Historical Pattern: Punishing the Leader for the Appointee’s Sins

Voters logically reason that a leader who selects spendthrift, ostentatious, or negligent officials endorses their behaviors. When appointed ministers wash cars with champagne while communities lack clean water, or when they jet to European weddings while their constituents lack basic services, they are not merely failing, they are openly mocking the plight of the people they swore to serve. These acts are not private indiscretions; they are public insults and definitive proof of a profound moral disconnect.

The electorate’s reaction is both emotional and rational. They see their taxes and national resources squandered on the luxuries of a privileged few. The leader, however visionary or well-intentioned, is blamed for installing this corrosive class. Consequently, elections transform into protests not against policy, but against perceived systemic contempt. The 2023 election serves as a clear testament to this phenomenon, where the outcry was directed at a culture of impunity and extravagance among appointees.

A Warning for the Present: Repeating the Errors of the Past

Disturbingly, this destructive pattern shows signs of repeating. Recent reports allege that a minister distributed Christmas bonuses of USD 250 while employees in other ministries and agencies have not yet received their December salaries. This is not merely an administrative failure; it is a glaring act of inequity and poor prioritization that fractures civil service morale and public confidence.

This incident demands urgent presidential investigation and clarity:

1. Do ministries have formal budgetary line items for such bonuses?
2. If so, how many ministries have exercised this option, and was it synchronized with the imperative to first ensure all public servants receive their base salaries?

Such actions, even if technically permissible, demonstrate a tone-deafness that political opponents will rightly exploit. They provide a direct, damaging narrative: “While their families struggle through the holidays, their appointees gave themselves extra cash.” Each such episode becomes a weapon that will be wielded in 2029.

An Urgent Call for Accountability and Course Correction

Mr. President, the lesson from history is unambiguous. The greatest threat to your legacy and the prospect of renewal may not be political opposition, but the self-serving actions of a few within your own administration. They are alienating the very population you seek to lead. The people elected you to govern for them, not to preside over a new cohort of masters.

To secure the public’s trust and your own political future, you must act decisively. Demand the highest standards of humility, integrity, and frugality from every appointee. Investigate and address disparities in compensation and spending immediately. Hold those who embarrass your office and insult the citizens to public account.

A good leader is defeated not by the people’s rejection of their vision, but by the people’s justified anger at the leader’s choice of instruments to execute that vision. The mandate is clear: reign in excess, enforce equality of sacrifice and service, and ensure that your government is uniformly and visibly on the side of the people. The  next election will be determined by whether the appointed officials serve the public or themselves.

Question about the 285 Yellow Machines

Mr. President, we must return to the critical issue of the earthmoving equipment procurement. It has now been over six months since the Vice President submitted his report, which dramatically revised the projected cost from 79 million to 22 million US Dollars.

The public rightly awaits action and clarity. A six-month period exceeds reasonable timeline for international shipping, whether sourcing from Europe or Asia. This delay forces us to examine the report itself with serious questions.

Were there substantial errors in the Vice President’s submission? Was the analysis fundamentally flawed, or was it crafted for political advantage rather than fiscal responsibility? Governance requires integrity, not gamesmanship.

The core issue is one of basic arithmetic. Can 285 units of brand-new heavy machinery possibly be secured for a total of 22 million US Dollars? Current market research indicates that a single, brand-new mid-range bulldozer or excavator from major manufacturers in Europe or China has a starting price between USD120,000 to $300,000 USD, depending on size and specifications. Even at the most conservative estimate, 285 units would represent a capital outlay well more than $22 million, suggesting that the submitted figure may not be commercially realistic.

Therefore, Mr. President, we require a full, transparent accounting. The people deserve to know the true status of this procurement and an evidence-based plan to acquire the necessary equipment at a demonstrably fair market value.

Regarding the Procurement and Maintenance of Heavy Equipment in Liberian Counties

Over the past two decades, numerous counties in Liberia from Nimba and Bong to Grand Bassa, Margibi, and Gbarpolu have invested in heavy equipment (“yellow machines”) to support road construction, road maintenance, and agricultural land clearing. The collective experience has unfortunately been negative. Typically, within six months of acquisition, the equipment became inoperable due to a lack of operational funding, an absence of spare parts for repairs, or insufficient funds to compensate field crews.

This history raises serious concerns regarding the sustainability of new equipment programs. We seek clarity on the operational and maintenance plans for the forthcoming allocations. Specifically, will counties be responsible for covering these costs from their own budgets? It is reported that each county will receive 19 pieces of equipment. Given that counties have struggled to maintain even one or two machines for a six-month period, how will they manage a fleet of 19? This is the critical question requiring a detailed and credible response.

Furthermore, to ensure transparency and value for public expenditure, we request the public disclosure of the technical specifications for the two major procurements under discussion: the equipment selected by the Office of the Vice President, valued at USD 22 million, and the equipment associated with Honorable Mamaka Bility, valued at USD 77 million. A comparative analysis of these specifications is in the public’s interest.

Additionally, it is essential to know whether these procurement packages include a one-year supply of critical spare parts to ensure initial operational viability.

The Liberian people are not predisposed to condemn any initiative or individual without due consideration. However, these legitimate concerns must be addressed comprehensively, and all relevant facts must be provided before any further financial commitment is made. Public accountability demands clear answers to these questions prior to the disbursement of funds for this equipment.

Mr. President, the idea of acquiring 285 pieces of yellow machines is good but have you considered the operational, maintenance, and spare parts costs and the manpower needed to operate them? Can we find even 75 heavy duty operators or maintenance crew teams? Think about this. Now the project in Foyia (Government Villas) building them is one thing but maintaining them is another. The government finds it difficult to maintain government buildings in Monrovia. Is this not additional burden for the government? How often will the facilitiesit be used? These are not LEGACY PROJECTS Mr. President. These projects will drain government resources needed for health care, teachers’ salaries, Science Laboratories, Textbooks, internet for schools, Technical and vocational schools, water systems, and Modern medical Facility in Lofa not presidential Vallas.

Critical Considerations Regarding the Proposed Acquisition of 285 Yellow Machines and the Foyia Villas Project

While the interest behind acquiring 285 pieces of heavy-duty machines and developing the Government Villas in Foyia is understood, a thorough assessment of the long-term operational and fiscal implications is essential. These projects represent significant, recurring financial commitments that warrant scrutiny against our national priorities.

 Operational and Fiscal Sustainability of the Equipment Fleet:

The acquisition cost is only the initial outlay. The enduring burden includes:

Manpower: Sourcing training and retaining 75+ certified operators and maintenance crews will be challenging and costly, competing with the same technical sectors we seek to build.

Maintenance & Spare Parts: A fleet of that size requires a constant, expensive stream of parts, lubricants, and dedicated maintenance facilities. Budget overruns are highly probable.

Utilization Rate: A clear, costed operational plan must justify this scale. Will these machines be consistently deployed on revenue-generating or critical infrastructure projects, or will they remain underutilized, depreciating as a fiscal drain?

2. The Distinction: Legacy Projects vs. Burdensome Assets

A true “Legacy Project” creates permanent, broad-based value for the citizenry, enabling future growth. It is an investment with a high socio-economic return.

Examples: Modern medical facilities (like the one needed in Lofa), national water systems, quality schools with laboratories and internet service, and vocational training centers. These build human capital, improve public health, and support productivity.

The 285 Yellow Machines and the Foyia Villas, as currently conceived, risk becoming the opposite:

Machines: Without a credible funded operational plan, they transform from assets into liabilities, sinking funds into maintenance rather than into direct services.

The Foyia Villas: The government’s well-documented struggle to maintain existing buildings in Monrovia raises serious concerns. These villas introduce a new, permanent line item in the budget for security, upkeep, utilities, and staffing, diverting resources from public goods.

3. The Opportunity Cost: Prioritizing National Needs

The substantial capital and recurrent costs for these projects could instead directly address pressing national priorities:

*   Healthcare: Building and equipping the modern medical facility in Lofa.

*   Education: Constructing Vocational Center, furnishing science labs, providing textbooks, and connecting schools to the internet.

*   Public Infrastructure: Constructing water systems in Foyia, Zorzor, and Kolahun and supporting technical vocational schools.

These are the investments that meet the immediate needs of our people and lay a genuine foundation for the future.

 Path Forward:

1. Commission a Detailed Cost-Benefit Analysis: This must include “Total Cost of Ownership for the machine fleet (5–10-year projection) and a Lifecycle Cost Analysis for the Foyia Villas.
2. Pilot and Phase: Consider a drastically smaller pilot acquisition of machines tied to a specific, high-priority infrastructure project to build operational capacity. For Foyia, assess if existing facilities can be refurbished to serve the purpose at a fraction of the cost.
3. Redirect Focus: Prioritize the allocation of resources to the sectors that constitute undeniable legacy investments: healthcare, education, water, and energy.

Mr. President, sustainable governance requires that we invest not just in projects, but in the lasting well-being of our nation. The proposed ventures, in their current scale, threaten to divert crucial resources from the very sectors that would secure your administration’s legacy of development and progress.

Mr. President, the constitution of our nation invests in you not only authority, but a profound responsibility to steward the country toward a better future. Central to this duty is veto power, a critical tool granted not as a passive right, but as an active instrument for principled leadership.

Many past administrations have allowed this power to lie dormant, permitting legislation and budgets that did not serve the public good to become law. This reluctance has, in part, shaped the challenges we face today. However, by strategically and courageously exercising the veto, you can fundamentally change this trajectory and reshape negative patterns in our governance.

A principled veto can:

1. Raise Governance Standards: By rejecting poorly crafted or wasteful legislation, you set a higher bar for congressional work, demanding rigor, clarity, and fiscal responsibility.
2. Protect the Public Treasury: Vetoing budgets or acts laden with partisan patronage or unsustainable expenditure safeguards our nation’s resources and prioritizes the people’s long-term economic security over short-term political gains.
3. Defend Rights and Equity: It serves as a final bulwark against laws that could undermine civil liberties, marginalize vulnerable communities, or perpetuate injustice.
4. Foster Transparency and Accountability: When the president veto, he has a powerful platform to communicate directly with the nation. By publicly detailing your reasons explaining how a measure fails the test of being people-friendly you elevate public debate, educate citizens, and hold legislators accountable to the promises they have made.
5. Break Political Stalemates: A veto can disrupt entrenched cycles of special-interest politics, forcing a return to the negotiating table to craft genuinely compromise solutions that center the common good.

The power of the veto lies not in obstruction, but in correction and direction. It is a tool to halt what is harmful and to demand what is better. When used with clear justification, it does not diminish the people’s will but defends it, earning their understanding and, ultimately, their support.

By wielding this constitutional authority with conviction, you can transform it from a historical footnote into a dynamic force for integrity, progress, and truly people-friendly governance. The moment to restore its purpose is now.

The Liberian Crossroads

Liberia is not France of the 18th century, nor the Arab world of 2011. Our context, our history, and our path are unique. Yet, the human principles of cause and effect are universal. We have felt our own versions of these pains; our recent past is a scary tissue that testifies to the catastrophic cost of failed leadership, of peace shattered, reconciliation denied, and progress stolen. The people have known the reality of war as a desperate, destructive, and self-immolating tragedy from which we are still recovering.

You now stand at the most critical junction. You have the historic chance to be the generational leader who definitively broke the cycle. The call you hear is twofold: it is the inspiring call of our past resilience, our founders’ dreams, and our ancestors’ prayers. It is also the prophetic call of a future that is entirely in your hands to shape.

Will you be the steward who heeded the warning of history? Will you be the keeper who built institutions so strong, delivered progress so tangible, and fostered reconciliation so genuine that the very idea of violent reaction becomes obsolete? Or will you, by omission or commission, plant the seeds of the next crisis?

The room you occupy is in the house of Liberia. The people are waiting outside the door, not with pitchforks, but with hope, a hope that is still, but not forever, patient. Make your return on their trust. Build them a better Liberia free of corruption, nepotism, abuse of power and justice, and home for all people of Negro Descent and it was originally planned. For securing their future, you secure your own legacy, and more importantly, you secure the peace, reconciliation, and progress of a nation reborn. The time to decid