We need to develop the courage and character to admit that our country has made some progress over the last 12 years lest we lose the credibility for our criticisms to be accepted by the mass of the Liberian people.
It’s that time in Liberian politics where the opposition is seemingly unable to make a reasonable case to why the voters should elect them into office and so they revert to old political tactics of trashing everything that the incumbent has done. I am not sure if these tactics will work in Liberia because similar tactics deployed in 2011 did not yield the desired outcome. And that the French elections results are in, we can say that the ridiculous argument of the Trump effect in global politics is inconclusive.
The political school of thought that have taught the political professionals to trash everything as bad has not served our colleagues well. It seems to me that our professional politicians who were schooled several decades ago are not paying attention to the dynamics of Liberian politics. They think that the only way to attain state power is to try to deceive the voting public that nothing good had happened in the country over the last 12 years and so the incumbent should be voted out. What these colleagues are forgetting is that the Liberian people have been deceived too many times and are resolved not to fall for such deception anymore.
The Liberian people were made to believe that if only they got rid of Tolbert and the TWP things would get better for them. It turned out that 1980 came and went by with nothing much to show for it. Then the Liberian people witnessed the “1989 revolution” that promised everything and then they experienced the 1991 to 1996 era again with nothing much to show. Off course the argument was made again that if only the “god father of the revolution” was given the chance to lead then the suffering of the Liberian people would come to an end. Today there is no evidence to prove that.
Off course we saw the carnage and mayhem that visited our country over the period of 1997 to 2003. Our people lived not only in poverty but in fear. They were so scared of losing their lives or that of relatives and friends that nothing on the economic front could move them. Besides they didn’t even have the space and audacity to question any wrong. Imagine the agony they endured in a system that intimidated and frightened them to the core. They worked for months without pay. They usually took pay 2 times a year if they were lucky but dare say anything. In today’s Liberia that would be unacceptable and rightly so and would attract public protest with no one been afraid of losing their lives. The Liberian people were subjects of the regime and could not voice their concerns and trepidation.
With all these experiences and lessons, the Liberian people know not to trust those who come and promise them the entire world. Besides, the Liberian people are sophisticated enough to know what they have experienced over the last 12 years. They know that challenges remain but for someone to tell them that nothing has been accomplished over the last 12 years and that they are worse off today than they were 12 years ago, the Liberian people know that those making those claims and assertions are lairs. The Liberian people are the best judge of their current situation and when they look back and see where this country has come from they understand that some level of progress have been made. What they want to know is who will continue the progress that they have witnessed over the last few years? The Liberian people have, too fresh, in their minds the promises of the past (1980, 1989, 1991-1996 & 1997 – 2003) and will refuse to be deceive again by loud talking, good-for-nothing political activists who lack the decency to admit the conspicuous progress which the Liberian people have witnessed over the last few years though they yearn for more.
So to those political actors who think they can deceive our people by trashing the progress we have made together over the last 12 years, I say you are terribly mistaken and the Liberian people see you as liars, masquerading as prophets who will not be able to do anything for them but would rather take all the time blaming others for what you will not be able to do. That you lack the common decency to admit that this country is a lot better off today than it was 12 years ago is a clear demonstration that you cannot be trusted. The first thing the Liberian people want is an admission that the country is heading in the right direction and then you can tell us what you will do accelerate the progress.
But the notion that the only way to get to state power is to denigrate everything this country has achieved over the last 12 years is PREPOSTEROUS and will be rejected.
James F. Kollie, Jr. 