....It is a great sacrifice to leave a job paying more in a month than what one will be expected to make in a year in Liberia, that is if it is paid at all; it is a great sacrifice to leave the benefits of 401k, profit sharing, life, health, dental, vision and retirement plans; to leave the expensive homes in suburban cities that it has taken years of honest labor to acquire; to leave the luxury of driving across a country without the worries of potholes; or to leave just getting up in the morning and not having to worry about water to take a shower. … It is a tough and selfless decision…..so they wait.
One year from now Liberia might perhaps be presented with the single opportunity in the history of the nation to chart a new course and direction. Whether that opportunity is seized upon and whether we, as Liberians, make the choices necessary to revert the continuous decline of our country will eventually be told.
The stakes are high. The choices that we make might provide the opportunity to rebuild a nation torn by war and carnage, create a new nation with respect for law and order, and provide economic opportunities for all Liberians. Wrong choices can also be the basis of returning the nation to another round of civil and political unrest.
The magnitude of the challenge is clear to most Liberians, evidenced by the numerous articles clearly expressing the frustration of Liberians on what the nation has become and the dashed hopes of the Liberian people.
The challenge is even more understood by the countless Liberian intellectuals who continue to dissect the failures of past governments and can keep pointing out the failings of the present one. Yet they wait, while contributing their expertise in western economies.
No fault of theirs perhaps. They would willingly return home to serve their nation if the nation was a secure place to live and raise a family; if the Liberian school systems were equip to train their children as leaders of tomorrow; if they could operate a business without the expectation of bribery; if only Liberia had basic social services; IF ….
..So the good, decent, hardworking, educated, honest Liberians wait…. They waited in the comfort of western lifestyles, for Charles Ghangay Taylor to risk his life in years of warlordism, seize power and turn it over to them to bring about the transformation that the nation needed........... they waited….for the armed bandits of LURD and MODEL to drive Charles Taylor out of the country with the expectation that even they would, out of love for their country, agree to the installation of an interim government which will not be bent on the ‘spoils of war’…..and yet they wait……..still
The constitutional lawyers, have written about curtailing presidential powers, clearly and brilliantly articulating the need for check and balances among the branches of government. But one year from elections, they have not positioned themselves to seek the congressional seats that will bring about this real separation; the economists and accountants have also written about the need for fiscal discipline, tax policies, budgetary adherance and transperencies in government fiscal affairs; but they too are not seeking congressional seats to ensure that such policies are part of a new government; so have the educators, the doctors, public administrators, engineers…and the list goes on…
No fault of theirs perhaps. It is a great sacrifice to leave a job paying more in a month than what one will be expected to make in a year in Liberia, that is if it is paid at all; it is a great sacrifice to leave the benefits of 401k, profit sharing, life, health, dental, vision and retirement plans; to leave the expensive homes in suburban cities that it has taken years of honest labor to acquire; to leave the luxury of driving across a country without the worries of potholes; or to leave just getting up in the morning and not having to worry about water to take a shower.
… It is a tough and selfless decision…..so they wait.
A strong and balanced government comes from having educated and strong leaders in all branches of government. Where will these leaders come from? They wait….still to criticize the wrongs of the pass and exploitations of the present. They wait…..
Perhaps the time has come to get the debate out of the pages of Liberian newspapers and off the Liberian internet sites where there are now Rejoinders to Rejoinders among the ‘technocrats’ always pointing the finger at someone else, always telling what should be done, always telling how government needs to run....
They wait….still ...For someone else to make the sacrifices that will make the nation a better place to live.
Forgetting, that LEADING THE NATION WILL BE DONE BY THOSE WHO ARE LEFT TO LEAD…..FOR BETTER OR FOR WORST…..ARE YOU WAITING?
