Politics in Liberia: Pumping Up The Volume Again?

In Liberian recent political history, politicians and wannabe leaders always promised the common people a whole lot of "goodies."

Some of them promised “Liberation.” Others promised “Freedom” and “democracy.” All they tell the common people is that all that they promised would come to them (people) in its “purest” sense.

This trend comes with flamboyant speeches. Such speeches are delivered on school campuses and in marketplaces. Well, today, we have "hatai" shops. That's where most young people gather to discuss "burining" issues.

Soon, these wannabe leaders galvanized support inside and outside the country. Experience in recent time teaches that these sort of politicians were able to unleash generalized anarchy of violence on the Nation. And when that happenend, the common people and nation were overcome by violence. Consequently, tens and tens of hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children died. The nation fell apart right at the hinges. Soon, the nation began to crumble.

This bad experience leaves the nation trembling at its knees just like a feverish child.

Motherless children cried out to God and also to their Forbearers! War oozed blood throughout the the streets of the cities, shanty towns and hamlets. Because of the violence, men gnashed their teeth for fourteen years. War engulfed the entire nation and plunged it in pain and agony!

Today, seemingly, we are sliding into the same catastrophic trend. TRC “Draft” or “Final” Report is taking us there slowly but surely. There are those who condemn the Report. And there are others who support it. The "argument" or call it "debate", tears down the walls of common sense. So the participants shout at each other. They resort into violation of good diction against each other during the Hearings. And this becomes a threat to National Security. Strangely, this is all in the name of “democracy.” At least, that's what they tell us! Critics think this is “Stupideocracy.” Because they think it canot be democracy in any sense. Looking at it from a revolutionary standpoint, it all equates to lack of national consciousness and patriotism on the part of the citizenry.

This view places me on the Third line of those speaking on the Report: I call for calm. I call for us to learn a lesson from our most recent history.

In our most recent history, we indicted our leaders. We blamed them for our national quagmire. We held them responsible for everything that went wrong in the country. But we didn’t stop there. We sent some of them to their early graves. The only living one was slapped through the back-door into Nigeria. And then we sent him to White man’s country to be judged by “white justice.”

I am not saying none of our leaders did no wrong. That's not my argument by any measure!

But all things being considered, I think we need to do in-house reconciliation. We can chastise our Brethrens who have offended us. And this can be done in our own way. We need to apply our own solution that will secure our land and children’s future.

Some say we need outsiders to help us. I agree with that proposal! But we cannot allow outsiders to tell us what to do. Their reality is different from ours. So let's apply our own solutions. For African problems, demand African solutions!

We cannot forget that some of those outsiders we are talking about are the ones that contributed highly to our national collapse! Some of htme include, but not limitedt to, Libya, USA, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. I'm convinced they should all pay Institutional Reparation for destroying our country.

AND THAT’S MY OPINION, WHAT'S YOURS?

I am Thomas G. Bedell, working and speaking from on the “ground” in Liberia.