An opinion by Bishop Prof. Rudolph Q. Kwanue, Sr.
I love the Government of President Joseph M. Boakai, but it’s very unfair to see the entire government and the country celebrating because President Boakai was opportune to have a telephone conversation with Elon Musk, if not the richest man on the planet, but one of the world’s wealthiest businessmen on Sunday, July 21, 2024.
Why should the government and its officials choose to stoop this low? Is this mediocrity or gratification of trivialities?
I have been very angry since the news broke out yesterday and went viral on social media.
I know that Mr. Musk is a multi-billionaire, but he’s not Jesus Christ to be celebrated by our President and the entire country on such a scale, just on the basis of a mere phone conversation with our leader.
President Boakai, a common telephone communication with a private individual or an investor should not trouble you and your government so much or move you to be overly happy as if to say that the person in question is more important than Liberia or he is going to bring glory from Heaven to Liberia.
The way I see Liberians celebrating the President’s speaking with a private individual on phone got me feel very sad about the people in this nation.Do you know what it means to be a President? Do you know what it takes to be an independent nation?
Oh no!
My Liberian people, let us recognize our importance as a nation and a people for once and stop this endorsement of mediocrity.
I’m not against investors, we need more investors in the country so that our people can get jobs and improve our country, but my concern is why should a President be too much surprised to have had just an opportunity to speak with one white man from another sovereign nation on phone or with a private individual from different country?
It’s just simple for the Foreign Minister or Ministry to do all necessary communications, connections and submit same to the Office of the President for further actions.
If our Liberian people will be jumping in the air in celebration because the President of Liberia was opportune to speak with a private individual, then it means that we don’t understand ourselves or know ourselves or cherish the Value of the Presidency. I am sorry to say this, but I must say it.
I think it was a privilege for this businessman to have spoken with the President of a country that has over 5 million people depending on him for leadership, than being an opportunity for the President to have spoken with this guy.
Yes, I think our President wasn’t actually expecting that something like that could happen. You can even see the excitement in the President by the way he’s carefully holding his phone so it can’t drop for him to miss a single line of the conversation between him and the business tycoon.
I think the day our President will speak with the USA President directly awe, it will be like Jesus is bringing technology from Heaven to Liberia. Hahaha!
I’m not totally against the idea of the President speaking with this Elon Musk guy, and that he is exerting a lot of effort to get things done for the betterment of the country and our people, but my little dissatisfaction is that he’s not to be overly happy about such a little thing to the extent that he sanctioned the publication of the conversation on the Executive Mansion website and its official Facebook page, as if the President has been longing to speak with this guy.
I know that you are trying to let the opposition community to know that you are not a boy but a man, but this should not be done in a way that it reduces the Liberian Presidency to the lowest ewe. Anyways, it is okay for some of our people in many quarters, especially for supporters of the “Rescue Mission”.
It’s okay.
Father, as a leader, there are some great news you can hear, but choose to manage your feelings until arrangements reach fruition.
My simple questions to the Office of the President are as follows:
Is this businessman more important than Liberia?
Is he too important than President Boakai? Of course no!
If no, then why should he be celebrated just as to say that current US President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump has accepted an invitation to visit Liberia?
Even if the USA President accepted such an invitation, there are many ways to make such an announcement to the public so that it will not give too much of pride to that USA President to think that oh! Liberia is really dying for me o.
And to you my Foreign Minister Ambassador Beyslow-Nyanti, you are doing well, my mother and I am supporting your vision strongly for the country, but the celebration of things that should be considered as trivialities has started too early.
This gives room for complacency.
Why if this guy disappointed you or the President by not coming to Liberia to invest, even after he had agreed to do so?
Will that phone call celebration not turn into sadness or mourning?
My candid advice is that you people should please take time to run our country and govern us well.
Happiness is good, but we have to sometimes control it as leaders so that it is not expressed prematurely in vain.
As a matter of fact, some joy can lead you to trouble.
I have lived and seen that the joy of so many people had landed them into trouble.
Some joyous occasions like birthday celebrations, graduations, weddings, celebrations of new born babies, etc. can turn into sadness.
Take for an example: Being overly joyful can even lead you to an accident or incident that may take your life.
In conclusion, I am grateful for your open heartiness and determination to lead our country to higher heights, but please Mr. President, next time, don’t celebrate just a common telephone call; as doing so may create the impression that that individual is higher than your High Office, Your Excellency.
