We stood the test of time and made resilience our greatest gift as a nation. Engraved in our history is the thirst for change, which we have never failed to uphold to the utmost of our being over the last 168 years of our sovereignty.
A few weeks ago, when there were murmurs in several corners across the country, Liberians resolved never to give in to the temptation of where we came from: the dark past that most of us fear and spent most of our childhood fleeing. It was a period where the political class could deceive us into believing that they were the only ones with the requisite ability to transform the nation.
Despite our history of conflict, we have proven that the past was but a mistake that we collectively take responsibility for, but refuse to be defined by. As a people, we have kept on the torch of history from the martyrs of our nation who refused to be cowed into submission to the British encroaching our land by declaring independence with little or no support in 1847.
They made history by building a nation which in Africa carries the history of never giving in to colonial rule. Today, we make yet another history by conducting a peaceful election and we are poised to make a rare transition of power which was only an illusion decades ago. From the slums of Clara Town, our nation made a president, what was once a mirage.
As a people determined to move into the future with a slogan of change and hope for the ordinary men and women across Liberia, we have demonstrated our resilience for change. The Liberian people voted with their conscience with their love for the country over the arrogance of knowledge, and to stab the status quo in the back.
We did it. We know we have a rich history, which for 14 years became lost in the dust from the bullets of guns, and headlines of newspapers as a people against each other for no justifiable reason.
Despite our history of conflict, we ceased fire after 14 years and settled on building a nation from the bottom in 2003. Together, we boosted our economic growth rate to 8.7 percent in 2013, a boom in Africa at the time.
Over the last 12 years of our national reconstruction, we managed to live by the tenets of democracy, and despite everything that ensued, we refused to take to the bush as a way of resolving our dissatisfaction in the state.
Under the supervision of Africa’s first female president, we’ve managed to create an open marketplace for the exchange of ideas. Today, we boast of untrampled democracy and the freedom of speech. Unlike in the 1970’s – an era of a one-party state led by the True Whig party – Liberians are more politically engaged and have a say in the affairs of their country.
When our country received attacks on various fronts in 2014 – the drop in the price of our primary export commodities and the deadly Ebola virus that brought our nation to its knees – we never lost sight of building a prosperous future, as one people eager for change and imbued with hope.
We as a people united by a common purpose battled the Ebola virus with help from our friends and rose from a depression to 2.6 percent this year.
A few days ago, we went to the polls, and out of the ordinary, we exhibited our sovereign rights to decide a course of history for the next six years. A country which in the history of Africa was a beacon of inspiration to many remains so.
During colonial times, we stood on our heels and advocated for the liberation of our brothers on the continent. In the formation of the Organization of African Unity, we served as pioneers in the ideas that set the ground for continental unity. From fear of intimidation in South Africa, we provided Nelson Mandela with a Liberian passport to advance his struggle for liberation.
Our contribution to the continent is enormous, and as we approach another chapter of existence as a nation, we must not forget to continue that trend. The new government also not only has a responsibility to raise our people out of poverty, but it should also invest in youth empowerment programs across the country and deliver to the expectations the Liberian people had when they voted on December 26.
Congratulations to President-elect George M. Weah and the Liberian people, who out of firm determination, went to the polls against all the odds to make this possible. The priorities of the new government must not be in making new promises, but to build on old legacies in delivering for the Liberian people.
All the Liberian people need right now as signified by their votes in change and hope, is transformation and application of the promises made. A future for their children in becoming nation builders and worthy citizens. President-elect Weah must continue from where President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf stopped and work on the promises of change she made in 2005 and 2011.
This is no sign of cowardice, but heroism in ensuring that incomplete tasks are completed. Let’s focus on providing the 20,000 jobs, completing the electrification of the entire country, completing road construction, and focus on youth empowerment programs through national dialogues etc. We still have a broken health sector that needs attention. The priorities of the Weah government must also focus on education and cater to the basic social needs of our people.
President-elect Weah, the Liberian people voted for change and believed that you could make a difference. As you take on the presidency, the change we voted for must never be forgotten. All hail, Liberia hail.
Featured photo by Zeze Ballah
