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A Commentary on the 21st Anniversary of Rivercess County status by
Fellow River Cestians: It is a privilage and a great
honour for me to address you on the 21st Anniversary
of our county status. Constitutionally, this status
was signed into law by the Late President of
Liberia,Samuel K. Doe's Adminstration, April 18, 1986
respectively.We own gratitude to the Almighty God for
protecting and preserving us as a county to witness
this moment historically.Let us thank God for the
fulfilment and achievement of many of our wishes and
let us pray to him to give us strenght to preserve in
our efforts to overcome our weaknesses especially as
pretaining to those areas where we have suffered
setbacks and success has so far eluded us.In this
respect, I will not use this time to dwell on River
Cess County current Government Adminstration's plan or
extol its achievements as a Government or as a Ruling
Party. There are risks of doing some of these
things.But,I thought we should all treat this time as
sober reflections.The Twentieth First Anniversary, as
River Cess CELEBRATES, compell us to turn a new page
in a unique and symbolically moment to reflect on our
journey so far and to articulate and affirm an
animating, elevating and enduring vision and ideas for
River Cess UNVAVERING COMMITMENT TO THE ACTUAALIZATION
OF A VITAL COUNTY. In our society, the twentieth first
birthday is a significant landmark in a person's life
to be truely mature. At twenty one:it is time to part
with youthful pursuits and settle to a life of
reasonableness, decency,good citizenship and
leadership; IT IS ALSO TIME TO HENCEFORTH ENJOIN THE
GOOD AND ESCHEW THE EVIL, AND IT IS THE AGE TO BE
REALISTIC CANDID AND TO ABONDON DECEIVING ONESELF AND
OTHERS, BUT, WE HAVE MORE REASONS TO FEEL AND ACT
MATURE, Because River Cess is a matter of fact much
older than twenty one.River Cess - the name - may have
been stamped on our land by its colonial designers,
but River Cess the people and society did not commence
existance with political independence from any so to
call Bassa County.River Cess did not even begin in
1847, or even with the arrival of the pioneers on the
shores of West Africa.Our people , the River Cess
today,have been living together as neighbours and
mixing our lives accordingly. We have been visiting
each other , we have graded among ourselves, have
organized our cultures and traditional systems. And,
yes, we have quarrelled, fought, and reconciled with
each other.We are not strangers to one another, we
shared the joy of harvest and growth as well as sorrow
of human and natural disasters.The long distance trade
in cattle, kolanuts and fish has, for example, been
going on for centuries. What's about the empires of
King Sawa of Nigba that once existed at the banks of
the Cestor River, the Voienyee Gbessagee of Yarni
District, The Tekpeh of the fearless Zeetarrs from
Kploh in Central Sea District, The traditional Timbo
from the muddy banks of the Timbo River, The Bo Geesay
and Bolo Weah from the farm land of Morweh, The
Geesuas from the thick rain forest of the Boe Tarrs in
Toboe and The Nationalist Tarpue Zor from the castle
of the Geevon Zor Budu in Boiey Wheen the Land of the
Zoes? The name and political boundary may be
relatively resent, but, our people have been together
from time immemorial.
We have been around for a very long time and by the
Grace of God we will be here in perpatual succession.
River Cess was set to be a proud homeland where young
people should have their career expectations of
raising, instead River Cess became a county of
stagnation, retarding economic growth and
unemployment.
River Cess professionals and academics found ready
successor in brain drain, resulting in a large pool of
Liberian talents in the diaspora and solving other
people's problems.
Those left at home became idle and frustrated, steeped
in real poverty and disruption of social relations.
A young graduate could not look forward to a job, a
house, a car, not to talk of the self respect and joy
of marrying and raising a family.Everyone of us has
been disappointed to a greater or less degree by
developments that shaped our county in the last two
decades.
Some of the disappointments we can share, others we
cannot, but all of them have been our own acts of
omission or comission over the period.
Maybe these are some of the reasons which make some of
us feel that we have no cause of celebration.
I, PERRY GEEVON SMITH strongly disagree,even if things
were much worse, River Cess County the 13th County in
Liberian History worth celebrating, because all of
these wrongs are within our powers and abilities to
correct.
All we need to do is resolve to put things right. We
will of course need God's guidians and support, but,
as it is known, and believed in all faiths, the
almighty will only help us to change if we ourselves
demonstrate the will to do so.
We can right the wrongs because we still have the
county and freedom to take our decisions.We can right
the wrongs because we have lived together all this
while and know oueselves still. We know our strengths
and weaknesses.
If one could ask these questions, what will our
answers be at 21 years in political existance as a
county with this great county status:
May I call on the peolpe of Rivercess TO ENCOURAGE
THE DEPARTMENT OF CARTOGRAPHY FOR THE ACTUAL MAP
MAKING OF RIVER CESS COUNTY IN THE NEW LIBERIA.
Fellow River Cestians, I believed that we can right
the wrongs of River Cess County because, we have our
people, the men, women, the children, these are our
greatest treasurers.The poeple are not only an
unsurpassed asset, it is also our people who give us
our intangible blessings, our history as well as our
rich cultures and traditions and value systems.
Who are the policy makers of River Cess County? We the
people of River Cess County in this new Liberia will
like to have asset to basic informations of
developmental packages for our county as citizens to
contribute to its upliftments.
I pledged full loyality to my county.We have to purge
and strengthen River Cess County and above all, by
making a difference for the better for all River
Cestians, everyone, everwhere.
I have always believed in the great potential of our
people. Every man, woman, or child has or will have
much to offer, given a contributing chance.
I entertain great hope in, and much respect for our
youth.
I do not disdain the youth or youthfulness. Like
everyone else, I also grew up and do have my children,
futhermore, I know that the young must have a voice
and the young shall grow, which keeps the world going.
We are currently in the process of formulating a youth
policy which I believed will provide a suitable
formual, for looking after our youth.
I have always believed that the education we received
and the positions we hold are mere tools and
opportunities for greater services to our fellow
beings,especially our fellow country men and women. We
are not colonialist, and have not been put here to
replace the colonialist masters.We are supposed to be
better than they were. That is the whole point of
COUNTY STATUS.
We certainly have no rigth to act even worse than the
colonialist did. The Liberian Nation owes us
citizenship, liberity, justice and equal opportunity.
It does not owe us a living, let alone callous
aristocracy over our own people.Futhermore, the fact
that others misbehave, even if they get away with it,
is no reason or excuse for any of us to also knowing
do so.
For the immediate future the task in hand must
include: fight against corruption, enthronement of
equity and justice, need for moral rearmament and
spritual regeneration, move away from recourse to
ethnicity and religious sentiments to sustain
evil,greed, corruption, oppression of others.
It is a sin against HUMANITY AND GOD to
condone,actively or passively, man's evil against
other people because the perpetrator is related to you
in any way or you hope to benefit from the misdeed.
We are determine to move away from the past practices
where corruption, crime, injustice, indolence and
preversion were seen by many as legitimate avenues for
wealth and advancement initiatives, industry decency
and good performance will be commended and rewarded
while corruption, crime and poor performance will be
punished. We must enhance moral tone and bring about
spiritual regeneration in our national life.
We are fully committed to make every River Cestians
feel secure, where security implies freedom from fear,
not just interms but more in protecting our people and
providing for their basic and essential needs.
We all have our respectful tasks clearly defined
infront of us. The task is to take care of our
beloveth county,for every men and women at the age of
eighteen and above to built a house in his or her
village.We shall also demonstrate compassion and
appreciation in all we do.This is an appropriate point
to thank all of us who have been working for our
county.
I thank the leaders, our teachers and students, our
doctors and nurses, all of our good people, men and
women. The going may be hard, but we are determine
and, by the grace of God success lies ahead.
At the age of twenty one we managed to captured the
LIBERIAN NATIONAL SPORTS TROPHIES OF KICKBALL AND
SOCCER.
The formation of the River Cess Association of America
( RCAA). These are the clear message that we are now
on the stage to massive developments.
Those who need compassion will find it. It is in
accordiance with this and in celebrating our 21st
Anniversary of County Status that I have taken this
time to salute and Congratulate The People of River
Cess County.
Even as I thank you much for your attentions and wish
us all a very Happy 21st Anniversary of county status,
surely goodness and mercy shall fellow River Cess
County throughout the days of our lives.
GOD BLESS YARNI DISTRICT, GOD BLESS CENTRAL SEA
DISTRICT, GOD BLESS TIMBO DISTRICT AND GOD BLESS
MORWEH STATUTORY DISTRICT.
LONG LIVE RIVER CESS COUNTY.
WE SHOULD NOT BE WEAK, IF WE ARE WEAK, WE WILL BE
CHEATED AND DEFEATED.
Perry Geevon Smith
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RIVER CESS COUNTY TWENTY ONE YEARS OF COUNTY STATUS: