MEMO TO THE PRESIDENT – Latest

Ref.: Talk to the People! Be Media Friendly

Your Excellency!

We are delighted to once again transmit this memo to your honorable office as our continued engagement and advisement to you, as you navigate the Liberian Ship of State for the next six years. As you are aware, since your ascendency to this coveted position of President of Liberia, we have intermittently if not regularly called your attention to vexing matters of state importance, seeking your action and intervention. As we did with your predecessors, from Chairman Charles Gyude Bryant to President George Manneh Weah through Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, this is our contribution to the nation-building process. Besides gathering and disseminating news and information to the public, we also take it a national duty to alert the high office to exigent national problems—problems which are sometimes murmurings amongst ordinary people on painful neglect and political failures they hardly express; sometimes problems that are known national concerns that are overly hyped in the media and the presidency appears wanting to act, thus making the impression that the people are grossly ignored or that presidency is yet to hear about those problems due to attempts by inner-circle people to raise to attention.

In this instant memo, we bring one of such burning issue to your hearing and attention for possible consideration. It is all about your failure, someone may say inability, to address the Liberian people as regularly as possible. Six months going.

Why is this necessary amid the huge national duties that you are confronted with? Why should you leave all the pressing national issues and spend your time in the media, talking to Liberians on radio, newspaper or the social media?

Your Excellency, it is quite important that you do. Firstly, this is a democracy. And because we have democracy as our system of governance, leaders of this country are obliged to be accessible, transparent, accountable and people-oriented. All these are values of democracy that must be underpinned by openness, embracement and humility. Regular engagement with the public by a sitting president, which is often done through town-hall meetings, press briefings and media takeouts, are routines good leaders, and they serve a key purpose: it indicates that the nature and deportment of the sitting president are aligned with the values of the system of governance we aspire as a people and country. Doing otherwise, gives the impression that the sitting president is abhorrent, allergic and repulsive to democracy and its cardinal values.

Secondly, Mr. President, is it not true that you and your Unity Party Alliance cruised yourselves to political power on the mantra of change? Didn’t you say over and over that the Weah administration had failed in all respects of governance and that you were ready to better everything you considered failure, negative, detestable and vile during that administration? Did you and your Alliance criticize your immediate past predecessor for being media-reserved, for fearing the public microphone, for running away and hiding from interacting with the people of Liberia, from directly regularly updating the nation on his stewardship?

You did. Your Unity Party hardliners venomously did. You all criticized Weah, rather spitefully and sustainedly, that besides his lieutenants, it was only on key national events and campaign rallies, that he took up time to hold town hall meetings or special presidential briefings where he would report on his stewardship and at times take question directly from ordinary people. You said Weah had closed the door on, and “keeping speech from”, the people who elected him; that he was playing aristocracy.

When you were making those critical points, you were hailed as “speaking truth to power”, serving as credible mouthpiece of the people. But while you were doing that, thinking you were making an opponent ugly as to pave your way to power, some of those who were agreeing with your position were only interested and celebrating because they believed you were speaking from the standpoint good governance, democracy, accountability and transparency. They knew if Weah had accepted the criticism and turned it into positive action, Liberia would be a better place; Liberian would have had the democracy they espouse as a system of governance.

Unfortunately, Mr. President, it seems the chicks have come home to roost. Nothing better yet on that particular front. You, too, despite your open criticism against Weah’s failure to speak to Liberians regularly through the media or through other ways, you seemed not different from the one you vehemently denounced. Like Weah, your speeches and interactions are limited to formal national events and to the aristocrats of country. Never have you convened a special media event to speak to Liberians nor taken to national radio or other platforms to interact with the “masses of the people” as you and other progressives fondly call the impoverished majority of our people. Never. Not in the last six months of your presidency. And many and asking, “Why?”

Have you, like the one you criticized, also closed the door on the masses of the people? Are you also “keeping speech” from the people of Liberia? Are you denying the Liberian people direct interaction with you, their president, and progress you have made so far?

We think you should pause and reflect. Sober up, Your Excellency, and remember the “first love”, as the Book Revelation puts it. Remember where you came from. The “masses of Liberians” need your handshake, they want to ask you some questions directly; they crave to hear from voice on something like “Talk to Your President” or through a town hall format. Be the adherent of democracy and the practitioner of transparency and accountability you promised you would be. That’s our advice. That’s the issue for this Memo.

Or is that difficult—at this time? Hope not!

Thanks for your understanding.