It’s too early to go out of Business”

As Little I was in the late nineties, I still remember the joyful life I had and the great benefits that came with being a kid in a relatively peaceful nation.

My parents were not all that wealthy, but I attended some great nursery schools where we were taught how to sing, act and do wonderful things...

My mom took me to church services and I enjoyed the wonderful stories that our Sunday school teachers taught us...I can't forget the Easter festival celebration, how we were made to look for eggs that were hidden and how sometimes I cheated my friends cause I stayed not too far from our Bible Study Teacher’s house...I spied while she hid the eggs....I can't forget how all these wonderful ladies at my mom's work place offered me soft drinks, and fought over me as their husband every time I was at my mom’s office ...I still have luxuries of memory of the wonderful time I had as a kid in a peaceful Liberia...But, it didn't last long and everything changed...The next thing I remember was my dad,myself and few other people traveling to a place I knew nothing about..The joy that my childhood brought didn't last long and another page was turned...

A different life altogether, new country, new family, single dad, new home and new society... I started to come to terms with facts that we left home because of safety and like many people, we were given a particular name ; ”Refugees”....

Even though the challenges that came with being a refugee helped shape my life, I can't forget the tragic and sad memories of those that remained home, in the midst of one of Africa’s most deadly atrocities...I can't forget how thousands loss their lives and how thousands were victimized by the grave consequences of the actions of a ”Manipulated few”, because of their lust for power and political dominance...

I learnt through reading and asking elderly people at that time, that it was all because of a simple revolution, a purposeful but misguided revolution ; which brought the people back to the same place it took them from....It degenerated into other revolutions and gave birth to new set of oppressors...The people continued to struggle...

I learnt that we have a political culture, influenced by other external factors and that's unwilling to accept a ”Native Man” or ”Son of the Soil” rule..

Through out our history, the economic and political performance of post revolutionary regimes looks particularly unconvincing...Only because 80% of those revolutions were motivated by power struggle and greed, and not to actually deliver the people from their oppressors...There were negative outcomes, some of which we still suffer today...Thousands loss their lives, thousands lost their loved ones, thousands fled for safety and some can't come back home due to the trauma of recording such terrible events...Many were left in destitute, young men were turned into monsters and made to destroy their own families and society...

The people’s hope for economic prosperity and social advancement , their dream of a majority rule, equal access to national wealth and prosperity, their quest for real independence and not a ”Micky Mouse kind of indendence”, all became nothing than mere illusions pursued but never attained....They were made to believe those revolutions sort their interest whiles they were mainly centered around the political interest of a ” Privileged few”...

After so many years, we have moved on and through our collective efforts and that of international partners, we are enjoying a peaceful and democratic society....

But as Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Mrs. Kamara said, ”. Peace will not last without sustained development, and development gains will be at risks without sustained peace and respect for human rights”. Unquote.

Our major focus must be on maintaining the peace we currrently enjoy, thereby disregarding or resisting any plans by enemies of the state ,that can take us back to our tragic past...Why will Diaspora Liberians raised thousands for a revolution instead of donating to health, education and other pressing needs of our society? Is President Trump harshness on illegal immigrants (that Many Liberians are) a reason to instigate instabilities and justify your stay in the US or avoid deportation???

Some take our desire for a peaceful Liberia and a sustained democracy as a subservience to a flawed regime...Can’t blame them and its not my fault that their judgements have been clouded by political sentiments...

It will be unrealistic and totally biased to deny the dark realities of our time, even more unpatriotic to deny the flaws that exist in our current system and the governance of our beloved nation, Liberia...Our Leaders, most especially our President, who is a custodian of the people’s complete trust and believe, must take some drastic steps to ensure the economic, social and political survival of the state...

But as a Pragmatist, It will be treasonous to deny that these flaws existed years back, and that the economic hardships we suffered today is not only due to the lack of a solid micro-economic governance and ill public decisions and mismanagement of both the current and past regimes, but also a result of the global economic constraints that is in existence...There is a collapse in primary commodity export, on which many countries like Liberia are dependent...

The power-greed revolutionaries will take advantage of our current situation and get many of us perceiving ourselves as as been extensively disadvantaged, and hence we become heedless of the potential consequences of a misguided revolution.

A misguided revolution; one that focuses on on personalities over realities, power struggle over national struggle, individual interest over national interest et all, will result in the economic and social destruction of our society.

Our democratic gains will be eroded, economic growth will be stalled, foreign relations will become acrimonious and many kids like myself, will not enjoy the benefits of being a kid in a peaceful society...Many will end up as refugees...

The objective of the Business of UNMIL in Liberia was”Peace ”, and less than two years since UNMIL turned everything over us, its too early to go out of Business..

By: Abu Sekou Feika