There is plenty talk about change without pointing out the kind of change. There is the change in form and the change in substance. So, there is change in form going on, giving the impression that there is change in substance. Therefore, many people think that change in substance is going on, when they hear about change.
By Togba-Nah Tipoteh, [email protected], Contributing Writer
This Commentary points out that what matters is change in substance because change in form does not solve any societal problem This incorrectness about change explains why societal problems keep going on and on without any solutions. The plenty talk about change gives people the impression that the change that they are crying for is finally coming. But business as usual continues and there is no walk the talk. When there is no walk the talk, there is no rescue and there is no fixing. When there is no walk the talk, business as usual goes on.
Business as usual goes on. This situation explains the access that lawmakers have to at least LD200,000 a day and their foreign partners’ access to at least LD300,000,000 a day while nearly all of the people of Liberia have access to at most less than LD300 a day (Annual Reports of the CBL, LISGIS, MFDP, MCI, WB, IMF, ADB and IMF). The non-sense of business as usual prevails even from the day of Inauguration 2024 when death and near death took place, not forgetting the mal-organization of the Inauguration in the ninety plus degrees fahrenheit heat.
Most fortunately, the solution to the societal problems has been found in the midst of the life-threatening heat. The solution is the provision of knowledge in ways that the people can be motivated to take actions within the Rule of Law. The solution can be seen in the minimization of violence, the minimization of corruption in the electoral system and the maximization of participation in the election of October 10, 2023, at the world record setting level of 76.86 per cent of the voting age population in Liberia.
In the case of Liberia, what is the form and what is the substance? The form is the prevailing poverty generation that stems from the system of the production of raw materials for export. The substance is the production of raw materials through local ownership for poverty alleviation with local ownership and manufacturing. With the change in substance, Liberians become engaged in education and training for local production and its attendant income generation. With local employment and income generation. the cost of living comes down and poverty alleviation goes up.
Furthermore, the solution can be seen in the non-re-election of the Legislators from the 52nd, 53rd and 54th Legislatures who wanted to be re-elected. The only way to do any transformation that means the change of substance rather form is the transformation of the electoral system in Liberia so that persons with good records can get elected to bring in the system of Justice, the indispensable ingredient for Peace and Progress in Liberia and in any other country.