Calls for Cultural Shift In Corruption Fight -Youth Advocate Makes Strong Case at Inter’l Anti-Corruption Day Program

MONROVIA – Liberia’s struggle with corruption requires a fundamental change in societal values, rather than just institutional reforms. As marked by International Anti-Corruption Day, the country’s battle against corruption is hindered by a culture that often tolerates dishonesty and rewards shortcuts. This is why, speaking at a commemoration event, youth leader Alphia Faith Kemokai pointed out that corruption is a cultural problem, perpetuated by individuals and institutions, and that a shift towards integrity is necessary for Liberia’s future. She made a call to action that highlights the need for Liberians to take ownership of their role in perpetuating or combating corruption. She strongly recommended a shift in culture, as The Analyst reports.

“Corruption is a silent enemy of peace, feeding inequality, deepening frustration, and weakening the legitimacy that stable societies require. We cannot expect young people to reject corruption if the only leadership model they see in society is one where corruption is rewarded.”

Those were the words Ms. Alphia Faith Kemokai, Youth Development Practitioner and Youth Advisor, serving as keynote speaker at the International Anti-Corruption Day, December 9, 2025.

Kemokai shared a personal experience of reporting a teacher’s misconduct, highlighting the challenges of making tough decisions in the face of corruption.

She narrated: Let me begin with a small story, one that reflects the youth side of our national life. Imagine a student who is brilliant but impatient. The exam is tomorrow, the notes are plenty, the brain is tired, and the motivation has traveled to Wonderland. Then a friend whispers the most dangerous sentence in school history: ‘Don’t worry, I have the questions.’ At that moment, the student is not choosing between success and failure. The student is choosing between two futures: ‘I will earn my victory,’ or ‘I will rent my victory.’ And honestly, many of us have been tempted by the rental option. Some of us even considered a payment plan.

“My most recent lesson about integrity, however, did not come from student temptation. It came from something heavier. Less than a year ago, I reported a teacher’s behavior because I knew it was wrong and harmful, especially because he taught one of the major courses in the program. That report led to his expulsion. I will not pretend it was easy. I was scared. People whispered. Some even acted as though I had committed the offense simply because I refused to remain silent. And if I am being honest, I am still not sure that the teacher will ever forgive me. He even sent me a disturbing message afterward, and I had to involve a lawyer who guided me on what to do.”

She added: I reported him because I wanted safety. I reported him because I wanted fairness. And because I knew that if he remained, many students would graduate with little or no knowledge in a cardinal course.”

The youth leader stressed that integrity is not always comfortable, but it is essential for Liberia’s future.

“Integrity is not always comfortable. Sometimes it costs you popularity. Sometimes it costs you peace. But integrity protects the future,” Kemokai said—a call to action that highlights the need for Liberians to take ownership of their role in perpetuating or combating corruption.

“We must normalize honest living today if we want clean leadership tomorrow,” she said. “Corruption is like dirt in a community; if left unchecked, it will spread and make the community unlivable.”

The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission’s initiatives, such as national anti-corruption textbooks and a whistleblower hotline, are steps in the right direction, she said, but added that sustained effort is needed to create lasting change.

Kemokai urged Liberians, especially young people, to make integrity a daily decision and demand transparency from their leaders.

“You are not too young to be principled. You are not too young to demand transparency. You are not too young to lead differently,” she said.

The event served as a reminder that corruption is a societal problem that requires a collective effort to solve.

As Kemokai noted, “Corruption is not only a government problem; it is a cultural problem. And culture begins long before anyone enters public office. It begins in our homes, our schools, our markets, our places of worship, and our youth spaces.”

She emphasized that corruption, in all its forms, threatens that future, and its impact is so devastating that struggling mothers sit for hours in hospitals because drugs meant for patients disappear without trace.

“And we cannot expect young people to reject corruption if the only leadership model they see in society is one where corruption is rewarded,” she said, noting that this is why “we need institutions like the LACC. It is why we need strong and impartial enforcement that does not consider social status or political alignment.”

She recommended key things that must be done in the fight against corruption, including political will, youth programs, civic education, and community engagement.

“Because beyond prosecution, fighting corruption is about preventing it. It is about changing culture,” she said, noting this personal experience is exactly why this day matters.

“International Anti-Corruption Day is not just a global event on a calendar. It is a reminder that societies cannot thrive when dishonesty becomes normal and when silence becomes the price of belonging.”

He asserted that for Liberia, the commemoration is also a national mirror because corruption is not only a government problem; it is a cultural problem.

“And culture begins long before anyone enters public office. It begins in our homes, our schools, our markets, our places of worship, and our youth spaces,” she said and added: “We cannot discuss integrity without remembering our national history. Liberia has lived through seasons where the breakdown of trust and abuse of power carried painful consequences. I am not saying corruption alone caused our civil conflict, but corruption is a silent enemy of peace. It feeds inequality, deepens frustration, and weakens the legitimacy that stable societies require.”

She lamented that corruption shows up in everyday spaces such as in the home, where it appears as a quiet philosophy—teaching children that connection is stronger than competence, celebrating wealth without asking how it was earned, and raising children to believe that bypassing the rules is intelligence. And when children learn that shortcuts are smarter than honesty, corruption becomes a family inheritance.

Another place it surfaces, according to her, is the n the marketplace, where corruption hides behind the hustle; where it shows up in dishonest measurements, unfair advantage, and price manipulation.

“Trust is an economic asset. When trust dies, everyone pays.”