Dear Presidential Candidates,
Legacy-driven leader: The Liberian people are looking for a “fighting President.” The fighting President is the one that is willing to fight to give all Liberians “equal fighting chance” for better livelihoods.
He or She is the one who is willing to summon a new dawn to mark a renewed beginning for Liberia by ending the “semi-godly presidency” and the “oligarchy governance structure”, which is now in place.
He or She is the one who will use the veto power in favor of ordinary Liberians.
He or She is the one that will go to the counties and communities to campaign against legislation and other specific forms of corrupt practices, such as taking public resources for personal use.
He or She is the one who will have the Liberian people as his or her partners in making the government reliable and productive service-delivery oriented.
He or She is the one who will tell the Liberian people the value of the resources and how much the citizens will directly benefit from such resources when exploited by investors.
He or She is the one who will fight to create training and other empowerment opportunities for Liberians to acquire the necessary skills that will allow them to make some of the natural resources into finished products for human consumption.
He or She is the one that will fight to bring the voice of the people at the decision-making table.
He or She will truly fight to make representatives, senators and all elected and appointed government officials to be accountable to the people.
He or She will fight to make everyone in position of power to recognize the fact that the Liberian people are the boss of the government.
He or She will fight for everyone in position of power to recognize that the purpose of government is to serve the people and the power belongs to the Liberian people.
Which of you is the one?
Our purpose: Our founding purpose is clear, which was and still is building a country of strong institutions not of strong men or women.
You will agree, that all our bad experiences is the result of turning our backs on the founding purpose, “the Love of Liberty Brought US Here.”
If the reason for Liberia is freedom, which the name of the country manifest, how then do we justify the situation of “gravy-train” governance for nearly 170 years at the expense of the majority.
Yes, this country was designated as a symbol to mark the end of slavery and to create equal opportunities for the happiness and prosperity for all citizens.
Creating equal learning and empowerment opportunities has nothing to do with religion, traditional belief, ethnicity, disability, ascribed status, gender, and country of origin.
Because citizenship is being loyal to one’s country… putting the country’s interest above self-interest and having fellow country-men and women at heart.
Recognizing the human’s dignity of everyone and treating every individual equally by the loyalty oath of “Liberian identity” that binds us all.
That is being a true patriot—one who is legacy-driven… whose desire is to leave a mark that his or her country is proud of or celebrates.
Celebrating such achievement, which is distinctive from others, is the demonstration of nationalism.
For this reason, we need a fighting President that will summon a renewed patriotic spirit that will lead to Liberian invention(s), which we can all eventually celebrate nationalistically.
For now, we have no production out of the demonstration of patriotism that we can claim uniquely as our making; to celebrate as a country that is why we need a “fighting President.”
Slavery: Slavery does not necessarily mean the legal buying and owing of individuals as property.
When majority in the society are surviving at the mercy of nature because of failings in governance is the evidence of slavery.
Depriving people of their alienable and constitutional rights are forms of slavery.
Oligarchy governance structure, which we now have in Liberia is the form of slavery.
When majority of the population has no guarantee of equal protection of the law and has no access to state resources is the form of slavery.
When people are taking advantage of others because of their positions in government that is a form of slavery.
When entire country like ours has no single public library is the form of slavery. When majority of the population has no road network for vehicles that is the form of slavery.
When majority of the population has no electricity that is a form of slavery.
When majority of the population has no access to pipe borne water that is the form of slavery.
Why this is possible: The fact is development does not fall from the Heavens…. development comes about from government priorities.
So my question is, what will be priority number one when you win the presidency?
Moreover, no evidence of any country including the United States that ever emerges industrialized on the face of the Earth.
Recent discoveries, such as cell phones, Facebook are examples of what can happen when everyone in a country has a fighting chance. Creating such “fighting chance” for everyone to discover his or her God’s given potentials is the role of the government.
For example, how are your fixes going to ensure separation of power between the three separate branches of government? How are your fixes going to ensure equal protection of rule of law for all Liberians?
Please tell us how you are going take on corruption in concrete terms. Corruption has no color. It is not red, white, blue….
So for example, what will you do to prevent your government from taking bribes or kickbacks? What will you do if one is caught…..?
We need to know specific situations and not just talking about corruption in abstract terms. For example, what are your going to do to remove children from the street to the classrooms?
The “fighting President” is the one who will take on these burning issues pro-actively without hiding behind the usual artificial barriers of “self-pride” and the worshipping titles of “honorable” and “excellency.”
Which of you (Presidential candidates) will step to the plate in this ensuing October 10, 2017 general and Presidential elections will be that “fighting President” the Liberian people are looking for?
Jarwinken Wiah, North Dakota, USA
Former Chief Reporter of the Inquirer Newspaper
774-253-4472