The Role and Responsibility of Liberians in Promoting Peace, Unity, and Reconciliation in Liberia
A Keynote Address
By Prof. Nathaniel G. Gbessagee, PhD
President, Faculty Senate, William V. S. Tubman University, Maryland County
At
Programs Marking the 53rd National Unification Day Celebrations
Harper City, Maryland, May 14, 2013
"Hon. Nathaniel Toe, Assistant Superintendent for Development, Maryland County;
Ms. Corinne Vigier, Head of UNMIL Field Office in Harper, Maryland County;
Hon. Alfred T. Thompson, commissioner of Harper District;
Hon. Jacob Sie Brewer, Co-president, KudeNumo Peace Initiative Foundation;
Other Platform Guests;
Students and School administrators of Harper District;
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen:"
"It is with great honor and humility that I stand before you today to deliver the keynote address on the occasion of the 53rd National Unification Day celebrations in Harper City, Maryland County. I just can’t overlook the sheer coincidence of my selection as keynote speaker for an occasion built around the National Unification and Integration Policy of President William V. S. Tubman, a son of Maryland County and a longtime resident of Harper City. I grew up as a child in Liberia during the Tubman era, I graduated from the William V.S. Tubman High School in Monrovia, and I am now a faculty of the William V.S. Tubman University in Tubman Town, near Harper City. So am I greatly influenced by President Tubman and his policies? Well, let me think a little bit more about that one."
"Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I received a telephone call last week from Mr. Thomas Bedell to inform me of my selection as keynote speaker for this occasion. And this week, Mr. Jacob Brewer confirmed my selection in writing. From the letter from Mr. Brewer, I got to know that the organizers of this program, the KudeNumo Peace Initiative Foundation, Incorporated, want me to speak to you on the theme, "Peace, Unity and Reconciliation." I will honor their request, except that I will tweak the theme a bit and speak to you on “The Role and Responsibility of Liberians in Promoting Peace, Unity, and Reconciliation in Liberia.” I believe this modification to the original theme is necessary to help us understand the difference between merely saying we want “peace, unity, and reconciliation” in Liberia and actually working together as a people serious about creating the conditions for peace, unity, reconciliation, and development in our homeland."
"Indeed, there are not many persons in this hall who have not heard of the words, “peace, unity, and reconciliation” before? These words have been used over and over by our politicians, educators, national policymakers, community leaders, and ordinary people for a very long time. And these words were in use long before and after the 14-year civil war. And the proof is that the National Unification Day we are celebrating today started way back in the 1960s. In 1960 the National Legislature of Liberia passed an act declaring May 14 of each year as a public holiday intended to remind every Liberian about the need for promoting peace and unity amongst ourselves. So the need for peace and unity existed long before the civil war, and the need for peace, national unity, reconciliation, and development is still with us today."
"Since the end of the civil war in 2003 we have continued to hear such slogans as “We Want No More War,” “No More Country and Congau but One People with One Destiny,” and “We Want Peace and National Reconciliation for All.” And to show that we are serious, we even set up a National Truth and Reconciliation Commission around 2003 to help us find our way to the burning bush of lasting peace, national unity, reconciliation, and development. But, tell me, are we at peace with ourselves and our neighbors today than we did 5, 10, 20, or 50 years ago? Is the work of the TRC not still in limbo after the fact? Are the people of Big Town (Nyemonweh Chiefdom) and Rock Town (Kremonweh Chiefdom) near Harper now ready to smoke the peace pipe after living side by side for so long? I asked these questions because somehow the slogans about peace, unity, and reconciliation have done little to help us to make peace with ourselves and our neighbors."
"During this presentation, we will talk about three pillars of peace, unity, and reconciliation in Liberia. But we will do this by attempting to answer these three basic questions: 1) Why peace, unity, and reconciliation continued to be slogans rather than reality in Liberia; 2) Why is education important for creating the conditions for lasting peace and reconciliation in Liberia; and 3) Why is Creating Trust and Goodwill the Way Forward for Lasting Peace in Liberia? I see peace to be an all-inclusive term. It is used most often to rekindle hope and cooperation between two or more feuding parties—individuals, nation-states, political parties, religious, cultural, or civil institutions—through negotiations. Peace can also mean a condition of societal or individual harmony or quietude. And along with peace comes unity and reconciliation. And I don’t think we can promote unity and reconciliation among people belonging to a family, household, or nation in the absence of peace. So peace is and must be the first step toward unity, reconciliation, integration, and development in Liberian society. For any other order will be a matter of false start and false hope. Let us attempt to answer the three questions raised earlier."
"1) Why Peace, Unity, and Reconciliation Continued to be Slogans Rather Than Reality in Liberia?"
"The big talk around town these days after the end of the civil war is “Let bygone be bygone.” But the question we have yet to answer is, “let bygone be bygone for what?” And by extension, “We need peace, unity, and reconciliation in Liberia for what?” I think we all know the answers to these questions but we don’t want to face our past mistakes and misdeeds. Our problems in Liberia today are the direct results of the greed, disrespect, distrust, false pride, and false hopes with which we created the nation-state called Liberia. We chose greed and self-pride over everything else. And even where we had opportunities to correct our mistakes we chose to look the other way and act as if nothing has happened."
"Between 1822 and 1847 we had a great opportunity to create the conditions for lasting peace and unity amongst ourselves but we didn’t. Between the times of the declaration of independence in 1847 and the granting of Liberian citizenship to the natives (i.e., the country people or traditional people) in 1904 we had the chance to plant the seeds of peace and unity amongst ourselves but we didn’t. And even after President Tubman perfected the National Unification and Integration Policy by creating four new counties in 1964 in an attempt to decentralize national leadership and generate broad base citizen participation in national governance, we still did not seize the opportunity to promote peace and unity amongst ourselves. Yet we want to sing “let bygone be bygone” as if one is capable of making peace, unity, and reconciliation without investigation, admissions, remorse, and forgiveness."
"We cannot gross over our misdeeds and refuse to correct our mistakes and still think peace, unity, and reconciliation can be possible in Liberia. The spirit of National Unification Day should remind us of the need for us to coexist as brothers, sisters, and people of a common patrimony, working hand-in-hand to uplift ourselves and our country from abject poverty, disunity, underdevelopment, and backwardness. A proclamation issued this week by the Office of the President of Liberia to mark the 53rd anniversary of National Unification Day, says “The Government of Liberia adheres to the principle of justice, equality, fair play and equal opportunities for all regardless of tribe, clan, section creed or economic status so that Liberians might be united in a consolidated whole.” These are noble goals for which peace, unity, reconciliation and development are key to implementation."
"But can we really speak of justice, equality, fair play, and equal opportunities for all regardless of tribe, clan, section creed or economic status in the absence of respect for traditional practices in Liberia? Why did Article 5 (b) of the 1986 Constitution prescribe that the Republic of Liberia shall act to “preserve, protect and promote positive Liberian culture, ensuring that traditional values which are compatible with public policy and national progress are adopted and developed as an integral part of the growing needs of the Liberian society,” if we are not ready to learn the various indigenous languages and respect traditional cultural practices? Are we really promoting peace, unity, and reconciliation amongst ourselves if one segment of society gets to decide the fate of another without any prior consultation? If we really want peace and unity, then the first step is the responsibility to respect each other and one another, along with our beliefs and practices as part and parcel of our common destiny as people of Liberia."
"2) Why is Education Important for Creating the Conditions for Lasting Peace and Reconciliation in Liberia?"
"These days our primary focus as a nation and people is on education--at least quality education. The government has proclaimed free primary education for children of school-going age, and every parent, guardian, social worker, or cleric will say that education is the key to the future. And education, indeed, is the key to success in our modern world. But what kind of education do we seek in Liberia? Do we want to provide the kind of education to our children that will make them become the great future leaders they ought to be, or do we want the kind of education that will deprive our children of their identities and leave them hopeless in the world? I asked because in the Liberia I grew up in people went to school to either major in or study, for example, math or English, and took an entrance or placement exam. But today I hear students say that they write rather than take the placement exams, and that they read rather than study ormajor in math or English. I think this is a dangerous path to education where our students are made to fight to be anything but that of their own identities and ways of life."
"There must be a purpose to education so that students can learn to acquire knowledge without losing their identities in the process. The American civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King once said that education in every society must have a purpose that ties directly to the function of education. He argued that“education has a two-fold function to perform in the life of man and in society: the one is utility and the other is culture. Education must enable a man to become more efficient, to achieve with increasing facility the legitimate goals of his life. “For Dr. King, education must not only “train one for quick, resolute and effective thinking,” but also it must empower a person not to permit his or her “mental life [to] become invaded by legions of half-truths, prejudices, and propaganda”(King, “The Purpose of Education,”1948)."
"With respect to peace, unity, and reconciliation in Liberia, our teachers and students have the responsibility to dig into history and discuss openly the many mistakes and misdeeds of the past and compare them with the present in order to decide how best to use the results of their studies and discussions for the good of future generation. We cannot pretend that all is well with us when we know that some of us can barely find food to eat each day while others have sufficient food and drink to waste. We cannot pretend that all is well when others die from common diseases for lack of better hospitals, while others care fly around the globe at will to seek medical treatment. We must educate ourselves on what peace, unity, and reconciliation really mean, and how and under what conditions we can achieve our goals of peace, unity, and reconciliation in Liberia society beyond the current lip service."
"3) Why Is Creating Trust and Goodwill the Way Forward for Lasting Peace in Liberia?"
"Because peace is an all-inclusive term, it resides in concrete actions and not lip-service. For instance, I cannot seize your land or occupy your house by force and after some time I tell you for the sake of peace “let bygone be bygone” while I still occupy your land and house. This sort of pathway to peace is not tenable because it is buried in lip-service. In terms of concrete actions, I will have to return the land and house to the original owner, apologize for my wrongdoing, and pay some reparations for the length of time I occupied the land and house, and then ask for “bygone to be bygone.”Otherwise, I have failed to acknowledge my wrongdoing and to repent for it even as I say I desire peace, unity, and reconciliation with my neighbor. It is this kind of pathway to peace, unity, and reconciliation that borders on the issues of lack of trust and goodwill."
"Peace is an all-encompassing word that is filled with political, cultural, social, educational, and economic implications. We live in a Liberian society wherein peace, unity, and reconciliation have not only become mere slogans, but also a Liberian society wherein individual hope and the will to survive are being tested daily as a result of high unemployment, high incidence of crime, high incidence of malaria and related diseases, poor sanitary conditions, housing and transportation shortages, and the like. The elusive nature of peace, unity, and reconciliation yesterday, today, and maybe tomorrow is tied directly to how we have chosen to govern ourselves and interact with one another in Liberia. And former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Walter Kansteiner was not off-target when he observed in a 2002 speech that "Greed and lack of good governance are the root causes of Liberia’s descent into its present deplorable state of affairs...." I think we can all bear witness to the deplorable state of affairs and the state of peace, unity, and national reconciliation in Liberia, so there is not much to argue about here."
"Egotistical bickering amongst us Liberians since independence in 1847 has led to our repeatedly closing the door to peace, national unity, reconciliation. On this National Unification Day, we should resolve to re-open to the door to peace, unity, and national reconciliation in Liberia. We need to dig deeper into ourselves to assess what we have done or not done to contribute to peace, unity, reconciliation, and development in Liberia. We need to seek peace and reconciliation with our neighbors, especially those we have wronged. We need to act and act now before it is too late."
"Conclusion"
"Ladies and gentlemen, before I take my seat, let me remind you that the only way forward for meaningful dialogue and collaborations amongst ourselves in Liberia is to foster a national-development agenda that promotes peace, national reconciliation, and unity. I believe there is no adult in this hall who was never a youth. In youth we are full of grandeur ideas without the capacity to deliver. Hence, we need to put aside our youthful indiscretion and work toward a new national development-agenda whose central goal is to promote peace, national reconciliation, and unity in Liberia."
"In essence, I believe in concrete peace and not cosmetic peace. I see concrete peace as legal initiatives and public-policy changes that unite, recognize, and encourage every Liberian to put forth his or best efforts in building national institutions that open up opportunities to all Liberians regardless of social status and economic, political, cultural, and religious backgrounds. I see cosmetic peace as mere political rhetoric embedded in then cliché, “let bygone be bygone,” which usually opposes any meaningful changes in the status quo legally, politically, economically, culturally, or socially. I would prefer concrete peace to cosmetic peace under the current circumstances in Liberia where we have all suffered from a 14-year, brutal civil war, and we are still trying to pick up the pieces and rebuild our shattered lives and homeland."
"I believe we cannot create peace in a vacuum outside society. Peace is not a fluid element that can be bottled up at any time at our choosing. Peace is concrete action, it must be real, and it must be expressed and felt through concrete actions, and it must be an integral part of the upward mobility of society. For no society can sustain itself and its people in existence without peace. Let this 53rd National Unification Day remind us of the need for concrete peace and not cosmetic peace; genuine national unity and reconciliation, and not national unity and reconciliation based on lip service. I thank you. "
Nat Galarea Gbessagee
Hint-1: "I want to embolden Liberians to learn not only to evaluate a public message, but also to learn to evaluate the sincerity and truthfulness of the messenger"--Nat Galarea Gbessagee, 2003
Hint-2: "Truth is born into this world only with pangs and tribulations, and every fresh truth is received unwillingly. To expect the world to receive a new truth, or even an old truth, without challenging it, is to look for one of those miracles which do not occur." --Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913
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