KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Delivered on the Occasion of the Inauguration of the Administration of the Liberian Community Association of North Jersey and the Celebration of the 159th Independence Anniversary of the Republic of Liberia on July 29, 2006 at Newark, New Jersey.
By Mydea Louise Reeves-Karpeh
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Indeed, it is an honor and a pleasure to be your speaker of the day--an honor because of the long and distinguished list of noted Independence Day orators who have preceded me; and a pleasure because the head of those to be installed tonight is a female president who is beginning her second term in office. I am always proud to see Liberian ladies take on the leadership mantle and I pledge my support to ensure they are successful. But, above all, I would like to express my gratitude to the officers and members of the Liberian Community Association of North Jersey (LCANJ) for their individual contributions and collective commitment to the mission and interests of LCANJ in furtherance of positive community development, which President Menseh Jones has ably articulated and represented.
My heartfelt felicitations to President Jones and her corps of administrative officers. Congratulations and I wish you well-deserved happiness upon assuming your sacred oaths of office. Please remember that leadership is service and you are servants of your people. You will have the satisfaction and the memories of a job that you have done outstandingly well when your term of office ends.
We congratulate all assembled here, in general and the Government and people of Liberia, in particular on the occasion of our nation’s 159th Independence anniversary. To our friends in the international community, we say thank you for standing by us. We implore you to keep faith with us as we continue to play our role as a responsible nation and people within the comity of nations.
An old Chinese curse says that “may you live in interesting times. “ We are living in interesting times. If you do not know your past, you can never plan your future. Today as it has been customary of speakers on this historic day to link their thoughts across the years to certain classic ideals befitting the Liberian tradition, I shall do the same today by speaking briefly on the topic,” A Roadmap to Independence”. I wish to discuss Liberia within the context of our national values and challenges, coupled with the opportunities we face and the benefits we stand to achieve as one nation, one people with a common destiny. My focus is essentially on certain elements of the founding of the Liberian nation which have made our lives difficult, our times challenging, and our needs astounding. Please keep in mind that it is not easy to recall and analyze all that has taken place in the 159 years of our national existence in this one speech, but we can safely say that those years been marked by freedom and sacrifices, yet filled with betrayals and broken promises. Since today is a day of recollection and of hope, I conceive that the time has come to have a paradigm shift if we are to become architects of the new Liberia.
When our forefathers proclaimed to the world on July 26, 1847 that Liberia had become Africa’s first independent republic, it implied that Liberians would be responsible for themselves-both for the actions we take and the actions we do not take to improve our society. Over these years what has become evident is that Liberia did not begin with the notion of popular sovereignty. According to Dr. D. Elwood Dunn,Liberia did not begin our nation-hood being an inclusive political community. Therefore, from the birth of the nation we seem doomed in our inability to blend what was brought from the West with the indigenous socio-political values. As early as 1865, the great Pan Africanist Edward Wilmot Blyden called for the need for political reform and warned us of the challenges of creating a national identity, national purpose and national mindset.
Much has changed-for better or worse- but the struggle for constitutional democracy, national identity, national mindset, purpose and improved quality of life continued to live on in our hearts and minds, in the books, on memory lanes, and on the tombstones of our valiant martyrs-both heroes and heroines. It is obvious that some of our political leaders did not have a great picture of this country in view when they embarked on the road of independence, democracy, unification, development, or political change. Therefore when things began to change in the ‘70’s followed by the 1980 coup; Liberia was unable to adjust to the changing times. The Liberian Civil War which followed showed violent hatred and deep hurt, and the inhumanity of some Liberians against the majority of Liberians. Sadly, Liberia became a pariah state, and our government was run as a criminal enterprise. Again, we failed to look at the foundational problems which haunted us and continues to this day.
This 2006 Independence Day is special for it marks a period of unqualified joy given our recent national elections and the inauguration of the first female elected President in Liberia and Africa, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. Our nation is moving forward to its rebirth with greater anticipation. But, we must remain vigilant that the policies and tendencies of our ugly past should not creep upon us and derail our renewed national aspirations. We cannot assume that our struggle is now ended. It is never-ending. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. It was the price yesterday; it is the price today, and it will be the price tomorrow.
In celebration of July 26, 2006, Liberia needs one of those “up the river” revivals and renewal to overcome our haunted past, unify our people and reconcile our differences. Each year, as we celebrate our independence, we are reminded of the wellsprings of our democratic birth, but also of how the harsh realities of class, ethnicity and politics stifled our welfare and well-being over the years past. We must learn to balance our history and pay tribute to our great forebears, whether they are named King Sao Boso, Suahvened, Bob Gray or Joseph Jenkins Roberts. It is worthwhile and intellectually honest also to recall the significant roles played by our gallant traditional leaders, farmers and the youth in the march towards peace, reconciliation and unity.
The Liberian Civil War represents a turning point in our history; we emerge from this horrific period with the mindset and tenacity to face some of the current national realities. Liberians in the Diaspora, for example, are experiencing a disconnect with those on the ground, those who stayed home during the War feel they love their country more than some of us who left, people who left are not entitled to engaged in the conduct of our national affairs and the myriad of examples go on. Additionally, elements of social stratification creep up each day and continue to affect our mindset. As active national actors, we must demonstrate credibility, political will and commitment to putting Liberia first, which will represent a paradigm shift. This task of nation building requires the commitment and collective talents of Liberians here and at home to join hands and be tolerant of our diversity. And as we undertake this task we must begin to develop a road map to our independence. Let me share with you some ideas this evening as we develop this roadmap:
We must begin a national dialogue among all Liberians at home and abroad in the Diaspora. Last April in Columbia, Maryland, the All Liberia National Conference set the stage for the formulation of a national consensus for major reforms leading to the building of sustainable peace, democracy, and national economic development as well as post elections governance of Liberia. The Conference provided an opportunity for stocktaking, reaffirmed our sense of shared national identity, agreed on minimal conditions for holding of free and fair elections in Liberia and established the basis for a national reform agenda as defined by conference participants. Consensus reached at this Conference was to form the basis for a follow up National Conference in Monrovia later last year. Unfortunately, the follow-up conference has never materialized. However, more than ever, there is the need to establish a tripartite relationship among Liberians, the international community and the government to ensure participatory politics and reform of the governance structure. It was agreed that elections created the minimum conditions for peace and security, but elections by themselves were not a panacea for genuine reconciliation, political stability, and economic development. This is why Liberians should meet and consult among themselves regarding the future of our country, and we seek your support in this endeavor. A collaboration between Diaspora Liberian leadership and those on the ground is necessary to ensure that this National Conference/Forum is held. We need to figure out where we came from, what has happened, why it happened and where we want to go. The results from the Conference could form a basis of defining our national values, institutions and leadership style.
There is the need to create a new political movement which attempts to initiate, advance, promote and influence in an organized manner political issues and targeted interventions through the political or legislative process. The task here is to strengthen civil society as well as to forge a partnership with an array of organizations or political parties to ensure that we do not return to the status quo of complacency but chart the course for the future. This political movement will force the elected Government to build an inclusive society, develop the necessary institutions and prevent the triggers of conflict in our society. Opposition politics must be programmed,focused and structured to facilitate balance and sustain democracy.
One hard lesson we have learned during this cycle of civil conflicts is that democracy thrives on the rule of law. In democratic dispensation, we all should agree to put our faith and fates in the hands of the law and those mandated to interpret the law. So it should not matter how strong or influential one is, it is the law that must prevail. One’s ability to submit to the law is a mark of good citizenship and his/her democratic credentials. Let us use this occasion to commit ourselves to fighting indiscipline in our society. There is a longstanding clarion call for all Liberians to join in the war against the monster called ‘corruption”. We must all ensure that those who serve in government must serve our people with dignity and pride. No one should be above the law.
The resurgence of our national pride, which I prefer to call "new patriotism”, is refreshing. This national feeling is good, but it won't count for much, and it won't last for long unless it's grounded in thoughtfulness and backed by consistent action. An informed patriotism is what we want and we must do individually and collectively. It begins with teaching our children and youth about what Liberia was, is and can be. I am a school teacher. In the morning when the kids stand to say the American Pledge of Allegiance, they show their love of country with dignity and reverence. Many of us here grew up in a different Liberia where we were taught, very directly, what it means to be a ‘Liberian”. Back then, we were absorbed, almost in the air, a love of country. We learned to be patriots from our parents, relatives, neighbors and older folks in our villages, and school teachers. Therefore we propose that this patriotism is not left to chance but is taught and incorporated in our educational curricula.
Liberia will not be any different from what it was and is unless there is a paradigm shift. We will need to govern ourselves in accordance with laws, provide real incentives to all our citizens and friends to invest in our nation’s future do what is right to inspire a healthy competitive spirit within each of us. We will need to have attitudinal changes and change our mindsets that have been conditioned by decades of division, suspicion and terrible work ethics. While living abroad we go to work on time, work very hard every day, make the time for appointments, and adhere to workplace policies; but when we go to Liberia we have no respect for time, want to be masters of our people, abuse power, and misuse public resources for our personal greed . Similarly, our mindset must change to stop our reliance on the international community for relief aid or foreign assistance-we should do for ourselves. We cannot clamor to the false sense of belonging that national unity will be attained through our ethnic or religious or fraternal or class or political affiliation. We will be united only by our common vision, aspiration and dedication to working hard together for a better Liberia.
In spite of our two-decade civil strife, our spirit is back, but we haven't re-institutionalized. We've got to do a better job of getting the message across that Liberia means the land of the free. It is about freedom – freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of enterprise. And freedom is special and rare. It's fragile; it needs protection, and that is why our constitution must be protected, defended and upheld all the time. Enlightened citizens lead national development efforts, and contribute to a peaceful Liberia.
In conclusion, Fellow citizens and friends of Liberia, my hope is that we will all join hands and rise up to the challenges of national identity, inclusiveness, national purpose and development of a national mindset. Liberians can attain peace and prosperity for present and future generations if we develop the requisite institutions for accountability, tolerance and critical inquiry. Let us use our roadmap to independence to enlist the support of Liberians here in the Diaspora and at home to truly begin this crusade for national reform in our country. Let us always remember that Free is not Free, Democracy is not a Gift, and Development requires sacrifices!
May God bless Liberia, and the works of Liberians to help build a better nation we can all be proud of today and years ahead! Again congratulations to President Jones of LCANJ and her officers.
