| by Edith Gongloe-Weh ~ (October 29th 2005)
"...It is clear that the conglomeration of the country’s most notorious political pests in one camp is a cause to sober up. These individuals’ questionable public and private records have dearly cost the Liberian people a decent live and they must be isolated and shunned in their continual deadly struggle for political significance at the expense of the ordinary Liberian people...." |
Liberia’s political landscape is again fearfully gearing for self-destruction in spite of the current deplorable condition of the country and the polarization of tribal groups, if it is true that Mr. Weah, with the advice of his political strategists, has promised to “wipe the tears of Grand Gedeans”.
It is dangerous for an aspiring national leader, especially in the case of Liberia , to make attempts that tend to favor a segment of the country over the rest. If this information is true, then Weah’s political philosophy is divisive and must be opposed by every Liberian.
With the country’s most recent history pointing to the use of ethnicity by successive regimes as a political tool to sustain their firm grip on power, it is important to watch out for semblance of such practice, which has only replaced nationalism with tribalism to the destruction of the country’s political and social institutions.
Therefore, prudence dictates that, at this point in the history of our country, would-be leaders and self-acclaimed statesmen would guide against repeating the ominous mistakes of the past and strive to institute a national mantra of progressive unity and healing of the Liberian soul. Thus, in this runoff election, Liberians must choose unity over divisive politicking, reality over sheer fantasy.
It is imperative that Liberians begin active discussions of these emerging dangers and triggers for national paralysis in order to generate the kind of understanding that produces a viable national consciousness for the recovery of post-war Liberia . In the face of naked destitution pervading the country and its people in these modern times, Liberians need to look beyond their tribal lenses and resist any political ideology that pit one tribe against the other.
Against this backdrop, it is important for Liberians to consider competence over stardom, education over illiteracy, democracy and devolution of power over despotism and paranoid as we prepare to elect Liberia ’s post-war president in the runoff between George Oppong Weah and Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. It is now time to look beyond illusionary screen of stardom and see the onerous weaknesses of an Oppong leadership should the CDC win the anticipated run-off election.
An old adage which says, “Show me your friends and let me tell you who you are”, is a viable common sense yardstick Liberia‘s voting population could use to choose the best fit candidate for leading the Liberian nation.
In this case, education or the lack thereof, cannot or should not suffice as a tangible excuse for electing an inept and ill-prepared figure to lead Liberia at a time when the country needs the sharpest and brightest to transform its entrenched degradation and calamitous state.
One would wonder, perhaps aimlessly and in anguish, how long can a group of people allow their tribal identity and diversity to be manipulated by a few individuals for selfish political interests.
It is clear that the conglomeration of the country’s most notorious political pests in one camp is a cause to sober up. These individuals’ questionable public and private records have dearly cost the Liberian people a decent live and they must be isolated and shunned in their continual deadly struggle for political significance at the expense of the ordinary Liberian people.
At this time, one cannot stop short of appealing to the consciousness of Liberians, especially the youth of the country, to oppose this ugly trend of divisive politics, which only result is destruction as seen everywhere in today’s Liberia . If Weah is truly scouting the Grand Gedeh votes by making statements like the one earlier mentioned, then it is mind boggling when Weah is dubbed a “unifier and a healer”.
Pitching tribes against tribes does not unify or heal a traumatized people as we have all witnessed over the years. Ethnic bigotry or ethnocentrism did not work to our advantage in the past and it would even be worse today with the high tribal sentiments and unhealthy tribal paranoia, which is so pervasive in Liberia as a result of the war. Tribal division is deadly and it cannot work for the good and development of any country and must therefore be denounced.
As the whistle is blown, we must act in unison to stop those political vampires whose records point to nothing, but destructive political maneuvering that has sucked out the lifeblood of the country. Liberians need not be told that power is like a two-edged sword: when placed in the wrong hands, it can be wrongly used to the detriment of the people. The scars are still fresh and the debris from the lethal use of power is visible in every part of the country and affects every child of the land. For too long the country has watched the theatrical misuse of power by successive dictatorial regimes and the circle has to break, if Liberia must thrive as hoped for by every Liberian.
Experience being the best of all teachers, we must use our national and continental experience to thwart the scheme of political bigots, whose history points to nothing more than laying the destructive and selfish foundation that has resulted to Liberia’s present condition.
Let the events of the Eighties and Nineties be our guiding tool as Liberians go to the polls to elect Liberia ’s post-war president. Mr. Weah is clearly a cocooned dictator waiting to unleash his venom on the innocents and those who refuse to surrender their conscience for a few dollars as evidenced by his personality trait of absolute authority and abhorrence of dissent in views
The warning signs are everywhere in their campaign slogans, and tactics. Even by the dictates of their alliances, one does not have to look too far to see the true emerging picture of the worst government ever. Weah is simply not fit for leading post-war Liberia, this is the bottom line. His arrogance and blind ambition is destructive and must be denounced and stopped by Liberians on November eighth.
This is the time for a generational call to action. To the youth whose future and education hang in the balance, the time to act is now and that action is to look beyond Weah’s soccer skills and rebuke his blind and fearful ambition by voting in the best candidate to lead Liberia at this time.
While it is good to make history, it is even better to make exemplary history that puts one on the map for others to follow. Liberians cannot continue to make deadly mistakes only because they fail to use their God-given intellect to see the reality. The lack of knowledge is truly the cause of failure and destruction, therefore, we hope that Liberians have adequately learned the dismal lessons of our contemporary history, especially the mistakes of the Eighties and Nineties and will not allow the mistakes of history to be repeated this time around.
|
