Title: Keep Looking for the Businessman
By Rep. Musa Hassan Bility
I was born in struggle. Raised in Saclepea, where the soil was rich but life was hard. My mother, a humble farmer, broke her back so I could go to school. My father, a generous man, carried not just the weight of his own children, but that of nieces, nephews, and neighbors’ kids. We lived under one roof, many mouths, little to eat, but we had each other.
From those humble beginnings, something stirred inside me. In class, I was the student leader. In the schoolyard, I was a journalist, reading the news from seventh grade through tenth. Then the war came. Like many others, I fled to Monrovia, but I carried my passion with me. I returned to journalism. I became a columnist. I found my voice.
At Zion Academy, I worked my way to becoming Student Council President during the interim period. And during those days, a door opened. Through the late Sheikh Karfumba Konneh and Mr. Clifford Flemister, I met Dr. Amos Sawyer. Through Dr. Sawyer, I met men and women who shaped my values and sharpened my convictions. Dr. Sawyer became a father to me. His wisdom, his belief in justice, his faith in people like me, still lives in me today.
But I soon realized something: in Liberia, if you want to serve your people without compromise, you must be self-reliant. That’s why I entered business, not for profit, but for independence. I knew that if I couldn’t take care of myself, I would be forced to choose between survival and integrity. I chose integrity.
My business became my foundation, not a source of wealth, but a tool for service. I poured more into people than I took out for myself. If I had chased only profit, I would be much richer today. But I chose purpose over profit. And that choice has cost me.
They looked for the businessman in me at CPP. They looked during the speakership saga. They still look today. “Billty is a businessman,” they say. “He’ll make a deal.” And I laugh, not because they’re wrong about my background, but because they misunderstand my soul.
They thought I would trade principle for protection. That I would sell out my beliefs to keep my business afloat. That I would bend when Unity Party tried to break me. They were wrong. I refused to abandon the rule of law Caucus even when it cost me 40% of my revenue. Even when 118 hardworking Liberians were impacted. I stood firm, because some things are worth more than money.
If I had bowed to pressure, I would still have a business—but I would have lost myself. And the very same people spreading whispers about me would have said, “We knew it. He made a deal.” But I didn’t. And I won’t.
Yes, I am a businessman by trade. But politics is my calling. Service is my passion. Justice is my compass. And belief, deep, burning belief, is my fuel.
So keep searching. Keep looking for the businessman. You’ll find a father, a fighter, a servant, a survivor. But you’ll never find a man for sale.
I’ve been through fire. I’ve walked through storms. I’ve known loss. And I am still here, not because I made deals, but because I made sacrifices. I believe. I still believe. And in the end, belief always outlives ambition.
So search all you want. You’ll give up eventually.
Because the businessman you’re looking for?
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