Letter from Saclepea

Politics, Truth, and the Mind of the Ordinary Liberian

By Musa Hassan Bility

There is a troubling habit in our politics, one that I have struggled with for many years. It is the habit of abandoning the truth simply because one sits in opposition or seeks power. Too often, our politics demands that you distort reality, attack individuals without restraint, and refuse to acknowledge anything positive done by those you oppose. For some, it has become an unwritten rule that if you want to replace a government, you must never say anything good about it.

I have never been able to live comfortably with that rule.

In fact, I have often paid a high price for rejecting it. Many people who try to enter politics honestly discover very quickly that the path is not easy. Good people are discouraged, attacked, and sometimes destroyed simply because they refuse to lie or exaggerate. For those of us who insist on pushing forward, we do so at great cost to our reputations, to our families, and to the way people are sometimes made to see us.

Yet the pressure to abandon the truth never goes away.

Today I find myself squarely confronting that reality again. I am known as one of the outspoken voices in opposition. I criticize when criticism is necessary. But I also believe that when something good is done, it must be acknowledged. Unfortunately, even that simple act can bring condemnation from fellow opposition members.

I saw this clearly during the presidency of George Weah. At that time, some within the Unity Party worked very hard to destroy my character because I was not prepared to be relentlessly negative about his government. Yes, the government had serious problems. Yes, many things were wrong. But not everything it did was wrong, and I refused to pretend otherwise.

Today the situation has reversed. The Unity Party is now in power, and in my view this government has also lost its way in many respects. It has shown troubling signs of intolerance. It has demonstrated a willingness to trample on the rule of law and to treat disagreement as if it were an enemy to be eliminated. Too often it behaves as though Liberia belongs only to those who agree with it.

But even within this government, there are moments when the right things are done. There are actions that benefit ordinary Liberians. And to say so is not weakness. It is honesty.

Sadly, many politicians in Liberia believe that an opposition figure must never acknowledge anything positive done by a government. Some even believe that telling the truth weakens your political strategy.

For me, the opposite is true.

Every day I meet ordinary Liberians. I visit villages and towns. I listen carefully to the people who live far from the noise of political debates in Monrovia. They tell me what is hurting them, but they also tell me what has helped them.

If a politician cannot distinguish between those two realities, then that politician begins to lose the trust of the people. When the ordinary citizen hears you deny what they can see with their own eyes, they begin to doubt your honesty and your capacity to lead.

Nothing damages our politics more than that loss of trust.

We must learn to tell the truth in full. There may be ten thousand reasons why a government should not be re elected. But that should never prevent us from acknowledging the ten things it has done right. Sometimes those good things come from individuals within the government, not necessarily from the entire administration. But they still deserve recognition.

I often think of something very simple. Imagine a road in a village that was once almost impossible to travel. Everyone in that community knew how bad it was. Then one day the road is repaired, and life becomes easier for the people who depend on it.

How can I stand on the radio and say the road is still bad?

The people who live there know the truth. If they hear me deny it, they will not trust me again. My concern is not about what other politicians think of me. My concern is about the ordinary Liberian who sees reality and expects honesty from those who seek to lead.

This is part of the reason why our governments often struggle once they come to power. The CDC government faced enormous pressure after taking office. In many ways, that pressure came from the unrealistic expectations created by the opposition before it assumed power. Today the Unity Party government is facing similar pressure because it climbed to power on exaggerated claims and harsh political attacks.

Power built on distortion will always struggle to survive the weight of truth.

As I continue my own political journey, I refuse to walk that path. I continue to visit the people quietly, listening carefully to what they say in small gatherings and private conversations. I try to understand what truly matters in their daily lives. From those conversations come the ideas and policies that I believe can change Liberia for the better.

That is my mission. That is my vision.

I do not wish to be part of a political system that lies in the face of truth. A politician who wins power by abandoning principle will eventually lose that power for the same reason.

For me, the commitment remains simple. I will continue to tell the truth whether it hurts me or benefits my opponent.

Because when truth lives, a country lives.

And when truth lives, our democracy lives.

Have a good weekend.