Monrovia – The family of the late slain former President William R. Tolbert announced Sunday, April 12, the day he was gruesomely murdered 40 years ago, that they have forgiven all those who assassinated him on that fateful night.
By J.H. Webster Clayeh (0886729972)[email protected]
The slain President’s relatives braved the storm despite the ravaging deadly global Coronavirus pandemic to come out and commemorate the 40th death anniversary of their loved one.
The late President served as the 19th President of Liberia. He was assassinated at the Executive Mansion on April 12, 1980, by 17 non-commissioned Armed Forces of Liberia soldiers, who it is reported, were led by Master Sergeant Samuel K. Doe, who became President following the coup.
It has been 40 years since the demised of Pres. Tolbert; his relatives, including Dr. Richard Tolbert, daughter-in-law Mrs. Henrietta Tolbert, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture Rev. Dr. Charles McClain and former Commissioner of the then Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization, Mr. John H. Smythe, came out, on the third day of President George Manneh Weah’s State of Emergency, to lay wreath on the grave that former President Tolbert’s remains are buried. Along with Pres. Tolbert are 17 senior government officials, who were murdered, too, during the period of the coup.
The 40th anniversary could have been celebrated in a more better way than what it was, but because of the global Covid-19 pandemic. However, the four family members, who gathered to commemorate the passing of their relatives, being fully aware of the present health crisis, were dressed in COVID-19 preventive gears on Sunday, April 12, at the Palm Grove Cemetery on Center Street in Monrovia. They sang quietly and gave praises to God for “the triumphs and achievements of former President Tolbert’s magnificent life.”
“But on this day, which this year happens to coincide with our Savior’s glorious resurrection, we must not merely mourn and reminisce but must also remember and rejoice for a life well lived as surely as we rejoice for our Savior’s ultimate sacrifice for the salvation of mankind,” Dr. Richard Tolbert, nephew of the former President, said.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Dr. Tolbert said the coup was followed by sectionalism, economic stagnation, national disintegration, tribalism, cultural breakdown, educational backwardness and so many societal ills that are hampering the forward march of Liberia. According to him, his uncle had worked assiduously to raid the nation of all those vices.
He added: “The disastrous consequences of that bloody night are not hidden. They are still living with us today.
“We know who the executioners of that dastardly act were but the real hidden hands behind that dark night is still to some extent a mystery.
“On this occasion on behalf of the Tolbert family, I say that we have forgiven all those who wronged or harmed us in any way. We pray nothing but peace, unity and prosperity for all the people of this our beloved homeland,” Dr. Tolbert said.
According to Dr. Tolbert, the society over which former President Tolbert presided before the coup was an ideal one.
Some Achievements of Pres. Tolbert
In his nine years as President of Liberia, Pres. Tolbert created AGRIMECO, the Liberian government’s first agricultural company. It spearheaded land clearance for agricultural cooperatives.
Former President Tolbert also established the National Housing Bank, the Agricultural Bank, and the Liberia Bank for Development and Investment (LBDI).
He constructed major infrastructure like the Hotel Africa, Roberts International Airport Terminal and many more.
He became President following the death of President William V. S. Tubman in the early 1970s.
