A Patriot’s Diary with Ekena Wesley
When the American Ambassador chose to symbolically do what former Indian Counsel General, Jetty has preoccupied himself with on a daily basis, Liberians voiced mixed feelings. Ambassador Michael McCarthy quite recently was seen feeding the hungry at a slum community in the Liberian capital, Monrovia. Remarked a Liberian with revolutionary inclination: “My patriotism becomes questionable when I see foreigners doing what Liberians ought to be doing for their people.” When we set our country in flames, we did not call into question our Liberians.
We failed to reckon our patriotism. What did Liberians and West Africans do? They turned to the United States of America for answers to problems they created for themselves. In their unkempt patriotism, they marveled why was it taking the Americans so long to intervene in the self-destructive carnage we had brought unto ourselves. The rise of quasi-patriotism is just untenable. Liberians should be demanding love for the country from are the folks on Capitol Hill. They were elected to represent their interest. Do they care? Of course not!
Rather they are preoccupied with ensuing fat paychecks for themselves. When a Gambian female parliamentarian opened up recently to reckon how selfish Members of The Gambian Parliament are, she spoke to the hearts of all Africans. She spoke as a mother, a Gambian, and a patriot who felt the masses sent all and sundry to parliament to seek their welfare and not theirs. She thought it was absolutely unfair to the Gambian people that amid a determination or decision on the national budget, all seem to favor the ego and selfish pursuit of Gambian parliamentarians. She indeed was speaking to the entire African continent. That’s precisely what our lawmakers do. It is all about themselves. They deliberately ignore the concerns and interests of those who elected them.
When former Margibi Senator, Oscar Cooper sought to rally his comrades on Capitol Hill to lower their salaries in favor of increasing budgetary allocation to schools and hospitals, he won a losing battle. Senator Abe Darius Dillon took solace in the unsuccessful fight led by the former Margibi Senator. Amid Senator Dillon’s increased advocacy, his colleagues have opted to lend him deaf ears. No wonder the people would change their lawmakers like soccer stars change jerseys.
In his much-heralded Op-Ed, U.S. Ambassador, Michael McCarthy began by reminding Liberians about his controversial – “What J.J. Roberts would say about Liberia today?” But more importantly, Ambassador McCarthy turned into a critical moment in the history of the small West African nation. Despite a rocky start with electoral preparations, Liberians are bracing themselves for crucial elections in 2023. The 2023 polls are essentially significant for the country because it is set to either make or break a country beleaguered nation. After 12 years of relative peace and stability, that occasioned a nation fraught with devastation, transitioned to emergency, recovery, and the path to reconstruction; Liberia has dismally receded across all fronts under footballer-turned-politician, George Manneh Weah.
Ambassador Michael McCarthy did not mince his words. He said: “As the Global Magnitsky sanctions of three Liberian officials in August demonstrated, the U.S. government can and will employ sanctions as needed on an ongoing basis, in support of our shared development, democracy, and security goals, guided by the U.S. Strategy on Countering Corruption. The all-important goal of transparent, free, credible, and peaceful elections in October will be one important factor in decisions about additional sanctions in the months leading up to the vote.”
The American Envoy is correct! If our past cannot or does not guide us, we are doomed. In 1985, we witnessed widely rigged general and presidential elections, which among other things accentuated the resorted to violent civil unrest. While there could be contrasting arguments about the conflict, it was an unnecessary evil after all. Repeating 1985 must be resisted! The ongoing never-ending saga at the National Elections Commission (NEC) is indicative of a bad omen. Arresting such human uncertainty is imperative.
Amid the huge investment, the Americans continue to make in strengthening democratic governance in the small West African nation, they are not prepared to become spectators for another round of madness that could become even more costly than the wars of the 90s. The Americans are warning the government. They are warning the Commissioners at the National Elections Commission; they are cautioning our Courts and warning would-be troublemakers that they risk punitive U.S. sanctions if they interfere with the conduct of transparent, free, credible, and peaceful elections in October 2023.
NOBODY IS STUPID HERE!!!
There are inherent risks to the unorthodoxcity of the American ambassador’s domestic interference- Liberia could persue the special friendship discontinuance!
There are several inciteful breaches of the ambassador!
Clearly, any regime change unconstitutionally , say, coup detat or an interim government, will inspire chaos and more depravities!
American agents should become focus on tackling the inequality that has chronicled their involvement with Liberia.