LIBERIA, AFRICA OLDEST REPUBLIC has just celebrated her independence, meaning, Sunday, July 26, 1847 made her 179 years as a sovereign nation. Meaning, the country got on her own and can make independent decision as a sovereign nation.
From historical facts, there were reasons that made Liberia to gain early independence, such as encroachment of her territorial confines, refusal for European merchants to pay taxes, proving to defeat Americans perception about the back race, taking advantage of her weakness of self-defense, etc.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE YEARS OF independence is not reflective of our achievement as a nation-state. The question is, what can we do as citizens to match our age with our achievement as a sovereign nation. The simple truth is, we need to change our mentality as Liberians and pick up a garment of progressive actions and thoughts that will make us restore what the locust has eaten over the years.
WE (LIBERIANS) NEED TO IDENTIFY the root cause of our backwardness as a nation and people. We actually need to point to the fact that will help us overcome our situation of under-development as a nation-state, put above us the concept and ideology of patriotism and move Mama Liberia forward.
ANOTHER VIRUS THAT COULD be attributed to our backwardness is the spirit of partisanship. Liberia is too little in size but old in age to be torn apart. We need to raise the flag of Liberia high as we raise our personal interest to defend and uplift the prestige of the motherland.
WE HAVE CHAMPIONED THE freedom of other nations when we could not help ourselves as a nation. We sponsored the freedom fighters or advocates of other nations, when we had our weaknesses, we could not attend to. Some of our leaders have proven to have buried the future of the nation due to greed for power and wealth, while their citizens live in object poverty and destitution.
HELPING OTHERS WHEN YOU could not help yourself is what we call pretense or big show. We pulled Western investors into this country and our economy bloomed to the level where our GDP was next to Japan in the world market. Yet, we could not build roads, provide electricity, safe drinking water, housing units for low-income earners, etc. due to big show or pretense by our leaders.
OUR EARLY INDEPENDENCE HAD blinded us from the reality of life. We need to double up and develop our nation and its people. Let us improve on the illiteracy rate because the literacy rate of Liberia as Africa’s oldest Republic is unbelievable and unmatched.
