As we all warm up to witness another history making in our country come 2017, the Honorable Vice President Joseph N. Boakai is becoming a political darling-boy of our nation, take it or leave it. Momentums are steadily growing.
It is the fact! From Cape Mount, Cape Mesurrado, to Cape Palmas, citizens are coming to grip, that the Vice President holds the best records in our country as a Government official among all the Political Aspirants for the highest office.
The soft-spoken, mild-manner, but highly disciplined and steadfast or resolute and a canny politician with tremendous courage and patience, has seen the good, the bad and the ugly.
Even as fans of his political rivals and some political-pundits continue to attempt to get under his skin, they are finding out that he is a man of firm courage, and he is not troubled nor deterred by their efforts to derail his ambition to obtain the highest office of our country in 2017, through genuine, transparent but free and fair procedures through the ballot boxes in all 15 counties.
On Wednesday, Nov. 30th, Liberians both young and old expressed their support for Hon. Boakai’s candidacy again in Monrovia and other parts of the country for the office of President of the republic of Liberia.
The crowd in Monrovia and other parts of the country seemed to have elevated the momentums for the Vice President’s candidacy. There is a fever for VP Boakai’s come 2017. If he can maintains the growing momentums, I think the odds of his ascension to our country’s highest office is very good.
Big Uncle! as he is affectionately but admirably call by the Gbandis, Mendes, Mandingos Kpelles and Lormas of Liberia, has a quiet charm that could change the political stratosphere come 2017.
He is a man with tremendous wit for patience. Per the instruction of his boss; President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, he has taken strategic initiatives in open and quiet diplomacy on behalf of our country over the years.
As I keenly observe his political demeanor, I often hear him advocate for a discipline society. I believe that this is not a coded message, but one of firm will to exercise a more aggressive approach toward, if not ending, but drastically reducing endemic-corruption and the don’t care and the extreme liberal-attitudes in our society today.
I believe that a Social Contract is in the making which should be a premise for economic integration of our populace. One of the best ways to do this, will be to introduce a stock market. The stock market will enable our people invest in shares of companies and corporations of their choice.
This can be done after some research to determine our economic viability and growth potential to enhance the process. Stock market is about capital investments.
Capital investments enhance the accumulation of wealth by savvy investors and novices who are often assisted by bookers either technically, when they are taught to do so.
Born in the village of Worsonga in the Foya District, unto a poor farming parents, Hon. Boakai’s parents instilled in him at an early age, a sense of responsibility, hard work and discipline. He grew up to become a very humble man.
As history teaches us; many of those who are born without silver-spoons in their mouths, often learn the value of life at early ages; that hard work, perseverance, diligence, patience and virtue often yield fruitful results. VP Boakai graduated from one of Liberia’s top high schools-CWA, the College of West Africa, in the late 60s.
Per historical accounts, he led the LPMC-Liberia Produce Marketing Corporation and the Liberia Petroleum Refinery Corporation to their peak of highest profit margins in our country. He also served distinctively at the Ministry of Agriculture.
Now, what distinguishes and makes him a very competitive and a viable candidate among the aspirants, is that: his records are not tainted. Yes! he has never been a lawyer-not even a crooked man, neither the head of Maritime, but where ever he has worked or served, he’s done so, with distinction.
He has good grasps and an insight about investments, especially what works and what doesn’t. He has deep-insights about our local commodities trading activities, skills that he acquired when he served as under man and later, as the boss while at LPMC.
He has detail grasps of the political-persona of petty traders, traditional-retailers and he is very cognizant of the needs and interest of our Country and that of our international partners and friends. He will pick up from where our President stops.
Over several decades now, he has horned his skills in quiet diplomacy through tactical negotiations for ‘win-win’ results. I believe that these are some of the qualities that our registered voters should be looking for in our various Presidential aspirants.
Hence, come 2017, as we enter a new political-chapter in the history of our Country, we will need a conservative minded leader to take charge of our economy. I am quite certain that; the don’t care, loose-liberals or some of the thieves in our mists today, will have a serious cause to worry.
Because they will have no place to run, as VP Boakai watches them with his occasional grim smiles. They have reasons to be concerned. You know! the VP has that occasional grim-look that can send chills up the spine of a would be threat.
Now, because many of our colleagues are deeply concerned as to whether our country would get any help from President Trump’s administration, I will say this: please calm down, and worry not, my dear brethren! Note that the United States Democratic Presidents have not always been our best friends, with the exception of John F Kennedy as far as I know.
Remember! it was George Bush who ordered Taylor out of Liberia, not Bill Clinton, despite the occasional nostalgia for his administration, Bill Clinton failed to intervene in Rwanda and our own homeland, Liberia.
It was Colin Powel, Condi Rice followed by the Rev. Jesse Jackson who asked President Bush to intervene in the carnage in Liberia. Hence, let us not worry about President Trump’s outlook on Liberia. There is something in diplomacy that is also popular in economics and even in jurisprudence: it is called; ‘mutual interest’.
Every country, be it little or large, developed or underdeveloped, has one or more in consensus with others. Maybe one or many. But no country thrives without one.
So, as little as Liberia is, our diplomatic objective should focus on our common interests that make us economically competitive to bargain with developed countries like the United States and the industrialized world. Liberia has an edge when it comes to bargaining for our ecology and natural resources.
There are still huge numbers of mountains in Liberia that have not been explored, in order to determine the kinds of minerals that they contain.
If President Trump delivered on his promises and make America great again by devising policies that will return American manufacturers to the US and create jobs, jobs and jobs; he will surely be re-elected for a second term.
But, if he fails on his promises, you all can be rest assured that he will have to go back to his real-estate business. Supreme-military power, the economy and the maintenance of friendships with trusted ally, remain key components of United States’ foreign policy.
Any President that fails to devise a policy that creates jobs for the US labor market, does so at his own detriment. George H.W. Bush Sr, learned that lesson in 1992 when he was defeated by Bill Clinton, on the premise of bad or poor economy and joblessness for many Americans.
As times gain hold on Mr. Trump’s presidency, his harsh rhetoric will be polished or take a much lenient course for most of the US law-abiding immigrants. His worldviews of US foreign Policy are quickly being formulated under a Republican style, as he appoints some mean and hard-balls retired Generals like General Mathis (Mad-Dog )to aid his administration.
His policy on Africa will take on a more positive course because Africa is a joint-partner in the fight against terrorism. He will become more stern about ‘Smart Warfare’ and US military might and the growth of the US economy.
The US will not back-down from North Korea or any other Country that threatened its interests national security. It is hoped that history will not repeat itself like the Iraqi’s era. If US interests and national Security are threatened by a Noise making North Korea, that country is doomed.
Make no mistakes about that. Unless its people are prepared to smell and taste the foul-air of United States’ military might under Donald Trump, North Koreans have no cause for concern if its leader is not moving in the wrong direction.
I like to draw the attention of all our political aspirants to take note of the Republic of Guinea, whose citizens are encroaching on our borders in the Ziggida Forests in Lofa County.
They are planting soak/sole-trees and marking the lands while conducting illegal farming where they are planting tree-crops without the authorization of our people or local government. I suggest that our current Government takes the initiative to begin thorough investigations. Let firm diplomacy initiatives reign, but if that fails, illegal occupants must be removed and our land must be redeemed by any means necessary.
That is why I strongly support a trained and disciplined military with ‘Special Operation Forces’ who can quickly neutralize any threat(s) from the Guineans. I support an increase in our defense spending to upgrade our military might to deter any threat(s) or imminent danger to our country.
The Guineans must withdraw from our borders without conditions; they must stop illegal farming and the planting of tree-crops and reeds without permission from our national-government or local people to do so.
In the 19th century, we lost lands to Guinea, Sierra Leone and the Republic of Cote’d’Ivoire, because we were weak militarily, and we did not show-up when demarcations were being made by the French and British Governments. Until then, I rest my pen, and let God bless us all.
Samuel T.M. Dunbar, Contributing Writer
0880702909 or 0770015785 – [email protected]