KEYNOTE
ADDRESS DELIVERED BY
H.E. AUGUSTINE KPEHE
NGAFUAN,
MINISTER OF FOREIGN
AFFAIRS, REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA
AT THE 39TH GENERAL
ASSEMBLY OF THE UNION OF LIBERIAN ASSOCIATIONS IN THE AMERICAS (ULAA)
HELD IN COLUMBUS, OHIO, USA
SEPTEMBER
20, 2013
 |
| H.E. AUSUSTINE KPEHE NGAFUAN, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS RL |
THEME:
“ERECTING THE BULWARKS OF MANY MORE DECADES OF PEACE AND PROGRESS IN LIBERIA:
THE ROLE OF THE LIBERIAN DIASPORA.”
Mr. Gaye D. Sleh, Jr., President of ULAA and
other Members of the Executive Leadership of ULAA;
Mr. Wilmot Kunney, Chairman of the National Board
of Directors, Union of Liberian Associations in the Americas (ULAA);
Mr. Anthony V. Kesselly, Former President of
ULAA and other Former Leaders of ULAA;
Mr. David Kudel, President, Liberians in
Columbus, Inc (LICI).,
Senator Charleta Tavares and other members of
the Legislature of the State of Ohio;
Hon. William Twehway, Representative of
District No. 3, Montserrado County, Republic of Liberia;
Dr. Leroy Boikai, Chairman of the 39th
General Assembly Planning Committee;
Heads and Members of Liberian Associations in
the Americas;
Fellow Compatriots,
Friends
of Liberia:
When
the Liberian Institute for Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS)
released the results of Liberia’s housing and population census conducted in
2008, it estimated the population of Liberia at 3.4 million with a projected
annual growth rate of 2.1%. Therefore it is safe to assume that the Liberian
population in 2013 is approximately 3.88 million. As useful as these figures are for planning
and other purposes, they have a very serious limitation – they do not account
for Liberians in the Diaspora, Liberians in the Americas included. Although accurate statistics are hard to come
by in terms of the number of Liberians in the Diaspora, we may be safe to say
that the number is in the hundreds of thousands. Liberians are dispersed in vast numbers all
across the globe – in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas and elsewhere.
Liberians
in the Diaspora often group themselves in associations or organizations as a
means of seeking their common interest and impacting on the socio-economic and
political life of our common patrimony, Liberia as well as on the life of their
host nations. Among the many Liberian
organizations across the world, it is an incontrovertible fact that none of
them has had a more profound impact on the life of Liberia than the Union of
Liberian Organizations in the Americas (ULAA).
Founded in 1974 during a period of great political ferment in Liberia,
ULAA has never relinquished its position as the premier Liberian organization
in the Diaspora.
Therefore,
Mr. President and Officers of ULAA, fellow compatriots, friends of Liberia, I
consider it an honor of no mean magnitude to have been selected as the Keynote
Speaker at the 39th Assembly of this premier body of Liberians away
from home. I also extend tons of thanks
to all of you for the warm Liberian welcome and hospitality you have accorded
me and my delegation since our arrival in Columbus, Ohio. I am happy to be in
Ohio, the “Buckeye State,” because of its longstanding links with Liberia. History tells us that Edward J. Roye, the 5th
President of Liberia and first Standard Bearer of the True Whig Party, a party
that ruled Liberia for over a century, was an African American born in Newark, Ohio.
In fact, the capital city of Liberia, Monrovia, and the city of Dayton in Ohio
have enjoyed sister-city relationship since 1972. I am particularly grateful to be here at this
august Assembly also because it has given me the opportunity to meet and
interact with many good friends, some of whom I have not seen for over a
decade.
Mr.
President, fellow Liberians:
A little
over a month ago, we observed the tenth anniversary of uninterrupted peace in
Liberia. As many of you may be aware, it was on August 18, 2003 that Liberian
military and political leaders signed the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA)
after spending three painstaking and sometimes very frustrating months in
Accra, Ghana. The signing of the Accord brought an end to nearly fourteen years
of brutal, episodic civil war that occasioned some of the most abominable
demonstrations of man’s inhumanity to man.
The CPA provided for the cessation of hostilities, the formation of a Transitional Government, and the holding of
free, fair, and transparent democratic elections in two years. Unlike previous
peace accords that inspired great hope and elation in Liberians only to be
broken later by one faction or all the factions, the Accra Peace Accord was
respected by all the parties, as all the critical milestones set out in the
Accord were met mostly on schedule.
Since 2003 we have had two successive democratic presidential and
general elections and have taken giant strides on the path of rebuilding the
Liberian State.
The
celebration of ten consecutive years of peace conjured mixed and contradictory
reactions from the Liberian public. As
usual, anti-government critics were quick to lash out that it was pointless to
talk about celebrating ten years of peace when, according to them, “the very
vices that occasioned the war are still rearing their ugly heads in today’s
Liberia”. For them, not much has been
achieved since the end of the war as many people are “still poor” and, to put
it as crudely as the critics sometimes put it, “nothing is happening”. However, there are many other Liberians,
including myself, who do not see the bottle as half empty, but instead see it
as half full. While not dismissing the
concerns of those of our compatriots who are not too upbeat about present-day
realities in Liberia, we feel that no matter the challenges of our recent past
and of today, there is still cause for celebration; if not for anything, but
for the mere fact that Liberians are today not disagreeing on the battlefront
but are instead waging war with their pens, keyboards, cell-phones, microphones,
and the ballot. The mere fact that we have an environment today, unlike in the
past, that gives us the luxury of even debating
whether or not celebrating ten years of peace was necessary, is in itself a
cause for celebration.
For as we
look back to those dark days of war, and as our minds’ eyes capture the ghastly
scenes of massacres across our country from the mosque in Barkedu, Lofa County
to the St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Monrovia; as we capture the scenes of the
countless cold-blooded executions; as we remember the horror of teenage girls
being raped by drunk and drugged fighters, of suckling babes and the elderly
dying of starvation; of private and public infrastructure being put on fire or
bombed in broad day light; yes, as we look back on those days of horror and
recognize that, for ten consecutive years, we have been spared the cassette
replay of such horror, we can only react with one loud chorus, “Thank God for
peace.” We say thank God for ten unbroken years of peace in Liberia because
conflict analysts have long espoused the view that most countries coming out of
civil war relapse into full blown war, or serious political upheaval before
they reach their tenth year of peace.
While this
Government certainly must and can do more in addressing the critical concerns
of Liberians both at home and abroad, we still must agree with the Roman
Politician and Philosopher, Marcus Tullius Cicero that “An imperfect peace is
better than a righteous war”. Peace is so foundational that it is the sine qua
non for the achievement of all the other lofty goals to which we aspire as a
nation and as a people. We cannot deliver better health care, improve the
quality of education in our schools and universities, pave the roads that will link
all the counties, reduce poverty; maintain a vibrant democracy characterized by
regular elections that are free, fair and transparent; enjoy freedom of speech
and of the press, if we do not have peace.
And obviously, we cannot wage an effective war on corruption if we do
not have peace. To put it succinctly,
Liberians must seek firstly the kingdom of peace and all other things will be
added unto them.
Mr.
President, Fellow Compatriots, Friends:
We will be
disingenuous if we do not recognize the existence of certain uncomfortable
realities in the Liberia of today. As
jarring as it may sound to us in Government, we cannot gainsay the fact that
there has been an upsurge in anti-government rhetoric both in Liberia and out
of Liberia in recent times. From one talk-show to another and from one Liberian
blog to another, the number of persons taking positions against the government
on various topical issues has increased not insignificantly. As uncomfortable as it may sound to us, the
number of Liberians who express cynicism and faithlessness in the leaders of
today – whether in the Executive, the Legislature, the Judiciary, or in civil
society and society at large - is not insignificant. As uncomfortable as it may sound, the number
of Liberians who harbor the notion that government is nothing but a huge
cesspool of corruption is not insignificant. And if one were to judge progress
in Liberia merely by following the talk-shows in Liberia and reading Liberian
news websites, one could easily conclude that Liberia, if not already at the
bottom of the bottomless pit, is plummeting fast to the bottom. As uncomfortable as it may sound to us,
negativism, cynicism and pessimism seem to be increasing exponentially in
Liberia.
But
regardless of the caustic criticisms and the vociferousness with which they are
expressed, is it really true that progress is not being made in Liberia? And as uncomfortable as this may sound to
anti-government critics, how can it be true that progress is not being made in
Liberia when the time spent by drivers on the Monrovia-Buchanan highway has now
been reduced by nearly two hours as a result of the paving of the Monrovia – Buchanan
highway by the Government of Liberia?
How can one argue that there is no progress when as a result of a US$50
million dollar bilateral grant attracted by the Government of Liberia from the
Japanese Government, work will soon begin this year for the expansion of the
Somalia Drive (the road that connects the Freeport of Monrovia to the Redlight)
from a two-lane highway to a four lane-highway? How can one argue that there is no progress
when, as a result of another bilateral grant of upwards of US$60 million from
the Chinese Government, ground-breaking ceremonies will soon be held for the
construction of a modern ministerial complex that will house about ten
government ministries, solving once and for all, the shameful, age-old problem
of government renting private buildings for its ministries?
How can one
argue that there is no progress when Liberia currently ranks at the top of all
sub-Saharan countries for the progress it has achieved in the reduction of
infant mortality? How can one argue that there is no progress when during the
recent Independence Day Celebrations, more than 40 projects including the
Bopolu –Belle Yalla Road, a modern market facility in Klay, and two new bridges
on the Bomi-Monrovia highway were dedicated?
I personally dedicated, on behalf of the President, a junior high school
in Cape Mount County in a town called Lattia. How can one argue that there is
no progress when Liberia has jumped significantly on Transparency
International’s Corruption Perception Index from 137 in 2005 to 75 in 2012,
ranking better than most West African countries except for Ghana.
How can we
say that we have made no progress when the culture of democracy, which was
conspicuously absent in the governance of the country for over a century, has
now gained solid roots in Liberia as evidenced by the holding of two
consecutive free, fair and transparent presidential and legislative elections;
and as a result, Liberians have more faith in the ballot today than they have
ever had in all our nation’s 166-year history?
How can we say that there is no progress when freedom of speech and of
the press in the Liberia of today is better than it has been during any other
period of our nation’s 166 year history? To satisfy the doubting Thomases who
can only believe that Jesus resurrected by putting their fingers in his palm, I
could go on delineating many other concrete examples of progress, but that
could amount to an unnecessary employment of our time.
So while it
is fair to advocate for four-lane highways that will connect every county and
every town in Liberia, it is unfair to project the picture that no two-lane
highway has been constructed. While it
is perfectly normal to request for the construction of major hospitals all over
the country, it is unfair to refuse to see the many health facilities including
Tappita Hospital that have already been constructed by the present
government. While it is perfectly normal
to demand that many more things be done, it is unfair to espouse the view that
nothing has been done thus far; and while we may not be at the mountain top of
prosperity, we are certainly not in the valley of human misery and penury.
Mr.
President, Fellow Compatriots, Friends:
The American
psychologist Abraham Maslow in his famous postulation of the human “hierarchy
of needs”, has argued that once a typical person achieves something that is
basic, he/she craves for something better.
So basic as the attainment of peace is, if its attainment is not
followed by socio-economic and political
progress, that “peace” itself becomes overly fragile and may be lost sooner
than later. My diagnosis of the
present-day situation in Liberia is that tremendous progress is being achieved
by the Government in many areas; but for a host of reasons, the reality of progress and the perception
of progress, if not in inverse relation, are certainly not moving in lockstep.
And this apparent public perception of little or no progress has naturally led
to the scanty or virtual lack of appreciation of the progress that has indeed been
made.
As
important as progress is to the sustenance and consolidation of peace, if the
generality of the populace does not perceive and appreciate that indeed
progress is being made, peace will again become fragile because the
non-appreciation of progress will make the citizens to be carefree about the
peace and therefore not jealously guard it as one would guard a prized
possession. In such an environment, citizens may be easily susceptible to the
devious machinations of individuals who may want to subvert the peace, not so
much to achieve a better reality than the present, but to achieve their selfish
agendas. I will therefore put it thus: peace
is good; peace followed by progress is better; but peace followed by progress
undergirded by a positive perception or appreciation of progress is best.
Mr. President
and fellow compatriots:
The past ten
years in Liberia has been peaceful and progressive. The critical question now is, how do we
maintain many more decades of peace and progress? What bulwarks or foundations of
peace and progress should we erect? What
are the roles of significant players in the erection of these bulwarks? Specifically, what should be the roles and
responsibilities of Liberians in the Diaspora? It is in this connection, Mr.
President, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, that I request that you indulge
me as I expand on the theme, “Erecting
the Bulwarks of Many More Decades of Peace and Progress: the Role of Liberians
in the Diaspora.”
First and
foremost, in order to contribute more effectively to peace and development in
Liberia, Liberians in the Diaspora must endeavor to utilize every opportunity
that their presence in the Diaspora brings to develop themselves academically
and professionally. If being in the
Diaspora offers you the opportunity to acquire the best education and skills,
do not shortchange yourself and your nation by settling for mediocrity and a
tenuous livelihood where you can barely afford to feed yourself. In this
regard, the key question to Liberians in the Diaspora is, “Are you considered
an asset in your host nation or a liability, a scum, flotsam and jetsam that
your host county can easily afford to offload to remain on an even keel? By developing yourselves into solid professionals
in the Diaspora, if the and when you return home, you will be better positioned
to contribute more significantly to the forward march of your motherland in the
public or the private sector.
Better
prepared Liberians in the Diaspora are able to assist their families and
friends in Liberia in significant ways; and by so doing, help a good number of
our people to cope with the many challenges of living in a post-conflict
fragile state. Failure on the part of
Liberians in the Diaspora more often not makes them to sink into social
deviancy and other unwholesome behaviors that may land them in jail. The most
depressing spectacle for many of us back home is to see a relative or friend,
who went abroad to seek greener pastures, climbing down the stairs of a plane
at the Roberts International Airport (RIA) in handcuffs, having being deported
from the host country for being involved in some unwholesome act. A good number of these deportees come back
home terribly frustrated and extremely desperate. Sadly enough, they dump their frustration and
desperation on the country by replicating in Liberia some of the very bad
behaviors that occasioned their deportation.
This helps to undermine the peace and progress of the country. To avert this depressing phenomenon, Liberian
organizations in the Diaspora must initiate programs and policies that assist
or encourage the capacity building efforts of their constituents and discourage
deviancy and crime.
Mr.
President, Distinguished Compatriots, Friends:
Another way
Liberians in the Diaspora can help erect the bulwarks of many more decades of
peace and progress in Liberia is for them to work for peace among Liberians in
the Diaspora, especially peace within Liberian organizations in the
Diaspora. Liberians in the Diaspora have
a tendency, oftentimes justifiably so, of being critical about developments
back home. However, they must endeavor
to be good exemplars. Rift and rancor in
Liberian organizations in the Diaspora is clearly not a good example for
Liberia because, if not managed well, such division and bad blood may
eventually be exported to Liberia, thereby undermining the bulwarks of peace
and progress.
As I said earlier,
though we Liberians do not seem to appreciate and value it fully, one of the
greatest achievements of this epoch is the consolidation of the culture of
democracy in Liberia. All political
disagreements must be submitted regularly to the high court of free, fair and
transparent elections where the supreme judges are the electorates. It is in this connection that I am happy to
note that the age-old leadership crisis that bedeviled ULAA and undermined its
unity some few years ago seems to be behind us; and as a further affirmation of
stability and progress in ULAA, this 39th Assembly will empty into a
free, fair, democratic elections of a new slate of leaders of ULAA for the next
two years.
Mr.
President, Distinguished Compatriots:
The
conversation among Liberians in the Diaspora is often dominated by issues
relating to corruption back home. Bad
news tends to run faster than good news.
The good news of many patriotic Liberians burning their life’s candles
at both ends in the service of their beloved nation without medical insurance,
pension benefits, and job security does not sprint as fast to the front pages
of the newspapers as the bad news of a public official accused of committing an
act of corruption. And what is also troubling is the naïve and
disgusting practice by some critics of labeling everyone in government as corrupt.
Such blanket indictment has actually undermined the war against corruption
because it makes it difficult to separate the fox from the lamb. My caution therefore
to every one of us in public office is that we should never allow the public
torture that public office brings to make us to veer from the path of integrity
and patriotism. Given the practice of
collective damnation now prevailing in our country, the fall of one public
official for acts of corruption affects the good image of all public officials.
Recognizing this challenge, the Government must continue, as it has already
begun, to take robust steps to prevent corruption or the perception of
corruption and punish anyone proven to have violated the public trust. Corruption has had deleterious impact on the
peace and stability of the nation as it has dominated the rhetoric of all of
those who spearheaded the torpedoing of the status quo. From Samuel Doe to Charles Taylor to Damate
Konneh, nearly all the front-liners in the quest for undemocratic political
change in Liberia justified their actions by putting anti-corruption façades on
their missions.
Similarly,
when one hears about disquiet and disunity in Liberian organizations, be it in
Liberia or in the Diaspora, oftentimes the trigger of the crisis revolves
around issues related to lack of accountability and transparency in the
management of the affairs of the organization. Therefore, I urge you my
brothers and sisters in the Diaspora to contribute to the peace and progress of
our nation by practicing the culture of transparency and accountability in your
organizations and associations.
Historically, ascending to leadership in Liberian organizations in the
Diaspora has helped catapult many Liberians in the Diaspora to positions of
influence in the Liberian public or private sector. It is not out of order for
the members and leaders of Liberian organizations in the Diaspora to harbor
intentions of returning home and offering leadership in government or the
private sector. However, if such a person had imbibed a tendency in financial
malpractice while in the Diaspora, the probability is high that he/she will
export and replicate such bad tendency if given a position of consequence in
Liberia; for as it is usually said in Liberia “ a leopard cannot change its
spots”. In essence, to wage a frontal
assault on the cancer of corruption in Liberia, a disease that has been cited
or scape-goated as a causal factor in the destabilization of our country, we
have to also wage a frontal assault on corruption in every organization
representing the interest of Liberians
everywhere in the world. Lest I be mistaken, I am not in any way implying that
corruption or mismanagement is an issue in present-day ULAA, but I am only
putting out a general caution to all Liberian organizations in the Diaspora so
that issues of transparency and accountability will be on the front-burner of
their concerns.
Furthermore,
Liberians in the Diaspora can contribute more meaningfully to the peace and
progress of the country by taking deliberate steps to avoid reaching hasty
conclusions and generalizations on issues and characters of individuals from
back home. Liberians in the Diaspora
must be encouraged to learn the facts and reality on the ground in Liberia.
Oftentimes what they know about what is happening in Liberia is mere perception
and over-generalization peddled by people with vested interest. Thanks to the openness we now enjoy, Liberia
now has more than 15 FM radio stations and scores of community radio stations
across the country, more than 20 newspapers, 4 TV stations, and countless
independent news websites. These news
outlets are in fierce competition; consequently, some of them may be more
inclined to using headlines that attract the most readership and sales than headlines
that do not. So whenever you read a story that involves two or more persons,
check whether the story did justice to all the parties in the story by giving
their respective and contrasting perspectives on the issue. To arrive at
conclusions that mirror the reality on the ground, it may be prudent to rely on
multiple news outlets and other independent sources.
Obviously,
the government itself needs to do more to assist Liberians in the Diaspora to get
a fuller and balanced appreciation of what is obtaining on the ground. Sometimes we get so busy doing and doing and
forget to spend time propagating and marketing what we do. What results
therefore is a situation where the public-sphere is suffused with news slanted
more to the perspectives of anti-government critics. But it is heartening to note that the
situation is improving for the better as many government ministries and
agencies have developed websites that are helping to tell the story from the
perspective of the respective ministries and agencies.
Mr.
President, Distinguished Compatriots, Friends,
Ultimately
Liberians in the Diaspora can only help build firmer bulwarks of peace and
progress in Liberia if they do not sever their umbilical cord with the
motherland. It is often said, “East or
west, home is best.” You may today live in Manhattan, but never forget that you
come from West Point; you may today be that big executive in a Fortune 500
company in the United States, but never forget that yesterday you played
‘Freetown ball” in the village in Grand Kru.
You may now be that physician in the hospital in London, but never
forget that you yesterday played “nafo” with other girls in Ganta. No matter who or what you are today, remember
that someone in Liberia calls you son, daughter, mother, father, sister,
brother, uncle, aunt, relative or friend.
Remember that someone in Liberia is wishing that you succeed in the
Diaspora so that you can extend a helping hand to them as they navigate life’s
difficult journey. Looking back to your
family, your friends, your village, your community in Liberia is not a
political obligation but a moral one. And fulfilling this moral obligation does
not have to depend on who is in the Executive Mansion or what you feel about
the quality of their leadership.
In the
Liberia of today and tomorrow, more and more job opportunities both in the
public and private sectors are opening and will open. Through various capacity building programs
such as the Senior Executive Service (SES), the Transfer of Knowledge through
Expatriate Nationals (TOKTEN) or through direct appointment by the President,
an increasing number of Liberians in the Diaspora have already returned home
and are contributing to the forward march of their country. In fact, the
Government has been deliberate in inserting in almost every concession
agreement concluded under this regime explicit clauses obligating concessionaires to
hire a given a percentage of Liberians in top managerial, middle level and
technical positions over a certain period of time. Many government ministries
and agencies as well as international organizations have been recruiting and
will continue to recruit top-notch Liberian professionals to provide valuable
consultancy services in various fields.
And for
those of you Liberians in the Diaspora who are Certified Public Accountants
(CPAs), I encourage you to return home, join the Liberia Institute of Certified
Public Accountants (LICPA) in order to seize some of the many tantalizing
opportunities that are opening up as a result of the repeal of the Act of the
LICPA in 2011 restricting the practice of public accounting to only individuals
and firms licensed by the LICPA. Essentially, this means no profit or
not-for-profit entity operating in Liberia can directly hire the services of a
foreign-owned auditing firm to perform audit in Liberia. This has tremendously brought lots of
business to Liberian CPAs and their firms. This positive development coupled
with the fact that there is an acute shortage of CPAs in Liberia, works
immensely in the favor of any one of you Liberian CPAs in the Diaspora. I urge you to consider returning home now and
setting up your firms and begin winning some big money contracts.
But I can
already hear some Liberian in this crowd saying, “Minister, well said. But how can I maintain my umbilical cord with
the motherland or leverage the many opportunities that are opening up in
Liberia when, according to the many harsh provisions of the Alien and Nationality Law of Liberia, I
lost my Liberian citizenship immediately when I assumed American citizenship,
because the law does not countenance dual citizenship?
Therefore, Mr.
President and Fellow Compatriots, for the remaining few minutes of this
address, I will endeavor to proffer my candid views on this hot-button issue
that is among the top concerns of many Liberians in the Diaspora. The dual
citizenship debate both in Liberia and in the Diaspora has been heavily charged
as both the proponents and the opponents of dual citizenship advance their
various perspectives with deep passion and sentiments. Trying not to swing to either end of this
emotional pendulum, I shall set forth my views as honestly and as frankly as I can
and take full responsibility for what I say.
It
is well known fact that before the Liberian Civil War, Liberians did not have a
huge appetite for leaving their homeland and settling permanently abroad.
However, the 14 years of war uprooted the whole society and triggered the
massive exodus of Liberians to foreign parts including the United States and
Europe. At the time, the overarching
pre-occupation of Liberians in the Diaspora was to seek better opportunities
for themselves so that they could assist their struggling relations scattered
in displaced and refugee camps in Liberia and other parts of West Africa. Climbing to the height of the professional
ladder was seen by many Liberians as a way of empowering themselves so that
they could stabilize their own livelihoods in the Diaspora, while continuing to
remit higher sums of money to relatives in Liberia or in a refugee camps.
Additionally, as the Liberian civil war protracted, many Liberians who were
holed up in refugee camps in West Africa did not view returning to Liberia as a
wise option; they instead longed to be resettled abroad, more preferably in
America or Europe. Accordingly,
Liberians in the US, for example, viewed the acquisition of American
citizenship as one effective means of accessing equal opportunities in America
, and also filing for a family member to relocate to the US and to taste the
American dream. Those who graduated from the refugee camp at Buduburam in Ghana
can bear us witness. We concede that
there were many and various motivations behind the acquisition by Liberians of
the citizenship of a foreign country, but the predominant motivation has
arguably been the intrinsic desire to be of better help to oneself, one’s
family, friends, and country.
I still
remember vividly the sight of Liberians during the Civil War in long queues
waiting their turn to enter Western Union or Money Gram branches across
Monrovia for the much needed remittances that helped in procuring food,
settling rental expenses and paying the tuition of their children. The individuals who sent their hard-earned
resources back home to provide succor for their families were then considered
true Liberian heroes and heroines. But as our brothers and sisters abroad
became consumed with leveraging all the opportunities citizenship of a host
nation could bring including the much desired possibility of filing for the
relocation of a family member, many of them did not stop to research whether
there was something called “The Alien and
Nationality Law of Liberia” that stipulate that they automatically lose
Liberian citizenship when they become citizens of another country or Article 28 of the Liberian Constitution which
effectively shuts the door to dual citizenship.
Some could
argue that innocence of the law is no excuse and that these individuals should
have known better. But be that as it may, the reality is that the strict
interpretation and application of the Law would mean that many persons who call
themselves Liberians are in reality aliens, or to put it more crudely,
impostors. In fact, if we were to do an
honest accounting for the number of persons in this room who call themselves
Liberians but have assumed American citizenship, I will not be surprised that
the number of “aliens or impostors” is very huge. However, as legal as it may
be, it is terribly unfair to look somebody in the eye, someone born and bred in
Buzzi Quarters but once upon a time traveled to the US and assumed American
citizenship, a foreigner. What has
compounded this problem is that many of these Liberians by identity and
non-Liberians by law have
parented thousands of children in foreign land, children who, flowing from the
premise that their parents are considered “non-Liberians”, have themselves lost
any claim to Liberian citizenship.
Unfortunately, this group of persons in the Diaspora is getting
increasingly large. Many of these persons possess valuable skills that could be
harnessed in reducing the huge skills deficit in post-conflict Liberia, but the
country may not have the opportunity of benefitting from their skills merely
because they are considered foreigners. Tons of other illustrations could be
proffered to demonstrate the unfairness of our mono-citizenship legal regime.
No wonder why Liberians in the Diaspora have combined forces in pushing for the
repeal of our laws in order to provide for dual citizenship.
But as
uncomfortable as it may sound, the number of Liberians both at home and abroad
who vehemently oppose dual citizenship is also very huge. They too cling passionately
to an interesting strand of the debate.
As naively as it may sound, some Liberians who did not flee the country
during the height of the Civil War espouse the view that those who fled did not
fully pay their dues in terms of experiencing first-hand the agonizing pain
that Liberians at home were subjected to.
Now that the War is over and job opportunities are opening in
Government, the opponents of dual citizenship opine that it is unfair to “give
our jobs to the very people who chickened out in search of greener pastures
when we remained on the ground during hell or high water.”
In fact,
the present Government headed by Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has come under
tremendous criticism for giving government jobs to Liberians from the Diaspora
who some critics have disparagingly labeled as “repatriated bureaucrats”. The performance of these relocated Liberians has
been a mixed bag of good news and bad news.
While some have brought home much needed expertise and contacts and have
diligently and honestly worked for the forward movement of our dear country,
others have behaved arrogantly and engaged in unsavory and unwholesome
practices that have only compounded the local antipathy towards dual
citizenship. Sadly, the number of Liberians recruited from the Diaspora who are
entangled in corruption accusations is not insignificant. Some Liberians back
home put it in these simple terms, “They learned their book abroad to come to
steal our money.”
Various
reasons have been cited to explain why some Liberians recruited from the
Diaspora engage in graft, but one of the most prominent causal factors is what
I will call “the dual family challenge”. Many Liberians in the Diaspora who take up
positions back home leave their spouses and children behind, who they must
continue to support financially through regular remittances from Liberia to the
Diaspora. But being away from ones
family too long opens the door to a host of temptations. With the passage of time, some relocated
professionals and officials find themselves in social relationships in Liberia
that also put tremendous financial pressure on their pockets. In their quest to find resources to cater to the
new realities of two families – the dejure
family abroad and the defacto
family in Liberia – some relocated Liberians have unfortunately yielded to the
temptation of cutting corners, which eventually land them into trouble and
disgrace, and as a result, give fuel to the argument against dual citizenship.
Furthermore, the complications that may arise in prosecuting an
official/professional who allegedly embezzles government money and flees to the
sanctuary of the country where he/she has citizenship, has been cited by
opponents of dual citizenship as another solid reason why Liberia should not
recognize dual citizenship. One other argument frequently used by opponents of
dual citizenship is that it causes divided loyalty and conflict of interest. On
whose side will an official of the Liberian government, who is a citizen of
another country, lean when the strategic national interest of Liberia and
Liberians clash with that of the other country?
Indeed, whether we agree or not, the opponents
of dual citizenship could produce many arguments that cannot easily be
dismissed as shallow and unrealistic. For instance, in spite of our sympathy
for dual citizenship, the conflict of interest concern and that about the
difficulty that may arise in the prosecution of a government official who is a
dual citizen are two concerns that cannot easily be dismissed. However, these concerns are relevant mainly
in situations involving top level political appointees and elected
officials. But let’s face the fact: How many
top levels appointed or elected positions do we have as compared to the
thousands of persons whose Liberian citizenship have been taken away or will be
taken away as a result of what evidently is our anachronistic and draconian Alien and Nationality Law? The top level positions are just a handful. So
should we continue to deprive our people of their status as Liberian citizens
on account of concerns about what could happen if they occupy these very few
positions, when many of them only want to be legally covered as Liberians and
do not care about occupying top positions in the public sector in the first
place ?
It is in
light of this reality and taking cognizance of the current local resistance
against dual citizenship that I propose that we move in a stepwise, pragmatic
manner in our approach? Let us immediately pass what is palatable
and less controversial; and if in the future resistance reduces and
appetite improves, take on the most difficult provisions in the dual
citizenship package and pass them. This approach will entail doing as was done
in Ghana and many other African countries that have dual citizenship regimes: provide
for dual citizenship in the statutes but explicitly state that, for certain
positions, no one with dual citizenship is eligible. In Ghana, for example,
positions such as Chief Justice and Justices of the Supreme Court, Ambassadors,
Chief of Defense Staff of the Armed Forces, Inspector General of Police,
Director of Immigration, Chief Director of a Ministry, and many others cannot
be occupied by anyone who possesses dual citizenship.
Given my
experience in the public sector from Budget Director to Minister of Finance and
now Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Liberia, I too espouse the
view that people in certain top government positions should not have divided
loyalties and should be primarily pre-occupied with the strategic national
interest of Liberia and Liberians in any and all situations. Persons occupying
certain top level positions should not have to worry about the potential
negative consequences that may befall them personally if, while pushing the
interest of Liberia, they undermine the interest of another country whose
citizenship they also possess.
Secondly, I
do believe that top level officials should bear the full consequences of their
actions and/or inactions. If the actions
and/or inactions of any official will lead to a situation where our people will
have to go to the American compound at Greystone for refuge, I think it is
grossly unfair for the woman from Clara Town to be directed to an open square
while the official is ushered onto a helicopter sent in by the American
Government to repatriate American citizens back to the comfort and safety of
the United States. In such a situation, the dual citizenship status of the
official actually works as an insurance against his/her bad behavior in
Liberia.
As to which
specific positions to set aside in such an “except for” clause, extensive
consultations involving all relevant stakeholders in the dual citizenship
debate can sort that out. In the
meanwhile, the prudent course of action is for Liberians in the Diaspora to
continue to relate to the country in positive ways so as to gain the increasing
goodwill of their brothers and sisters at home for the repeal of our Alien and Nationality Law. Continuing to contribute to the country by
constructing houses back home or remitting money regularly to pay school fees
of a brother or cater to the health needs of a mother or ensure that a family
eats three meals a day only helps, in no small measure, to consolidate the
positive image of Liberians in the Diaspora. Given the depth and breadth of the destruction
visited upon our country during our civil conflict, it is an incontestable fact
that no government would have had the resources to adequately cater to the
multifarious needs and wants of the citizenry.
You, my brothers and sisters in the Diaspora, have helped to fill the
void, and do not back pedal from doing so, especially at a time when you intend
to up the tempo in the advocacy for dual citizenship.
Additionally,
ULAA and other Diaspora organizations need to adopt a policy of sponsoring
vacation trips to Liberia of some of their members with expertise in areas
critical to our growth and development.
These vacationing Diasporans can render pro-bono services for a month or so at the University of Liberia or
at a local health facility or perform some other valuable services in their areas
of expertise. In this regard, we need to
laud many Liberians in the Diaspora who have been visiting Liberia regularly to
contribute their quota to the forward march of the country. Mention is worthy of Doctor James Adama
Sirleaf, a Liberian Physician based in the US and son of President Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf who comes regularly to Liberia with his professional colleagues
mobilized by his HEARTT Foundation to render pro-bono health services at John F. Kennedy Medical Center and other
health centers across the country. Mention is also worthy of a young Liberian
lady, Saya Doe Sio of North Carolina, who through the Annie T. Doe Memorial
Foundation, a foundation she set up in honor of her late mother, is currently
constructing a school and a health center in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, the
place where she grew up as a kid. To the many other Liberians in the Diaspora who
are making similar contributions, I salute you for your patriotism and urge you
to continue.
Mr. President, Fellow Compatriots:
Let me conclude by again expressing thanks to
you for the opportunity to share my humble thoughts with you at this august
Assembly. We at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs look forward to working closely
with ULAA and its constituent organizations in advancing the cause of Liberians
in the Americas. As we commemorate a decade of unbroken peace, let us all,
Liberians at home and Liberians abroad, Liberians in high places and Liberians
in low places, renew our love for and dedication to our country by executing
individual covenants with Mama Liberia, committing that our actions and inactions
will always solidify, not weaken, the bulwark of peace and progress in our
nation for many more decades.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.