New Jersey – Former Commissioner of Liberia Maritime Authority, Binyah C. Kesselly, has admonished Liberian communities in the United States to muster the courage and take responsibility and charge of their own country, despite the current challenges.
Report by Augustine T. Tweh, [email protected]
He made the statement recently when he served as the keynote speaker at the 18th Presidential Inaugural and Fundraising Ball of the Liberian Community Association of North New Jersey, USA.
“Liberia is our common patrimony and begs the involvement of all. We must find solutions to our problems. We must lift Liberia up; we must stop denigrating the country, its leaders and its people. We must engage those in authority, we must hold them accountable. We must show them respect, we must support them in those endeavors that build a might nation, and if need be, we must challenge them, when they do not put Liberia first,” he said.
Kesselly said too often people sit from the outside and criticize those at the helm of leadership, however, when given the opportunity to serve; they do little to fix the problems.
“We always seem to find the worst in our country and in each other and with those particular sentiments, tear each other down. We always seem to know what’s wrong, who’s to blame and how to fix it, but fail to own the responsibility ourselves, and generally fail to take a step back for careful self-reflection. Additionally, many of us are experts in talking,” he averred.
Kesselly further added that Liberia as a nation was founded on certain principles, all underscoring the desire to unite for a cause.
He urged Liberians in the diaspora end the culture of relegating their responsibilities and duties towards country to foreigners, noting that Liberians must be patriotic and begin to take initiatives that would move the country forward.