MONROVIA: The Political Leader of the Liberian National Union (LINU), Dr. Clarence K. Moniba, has aroused the thoughts of the leadership of the Senior Class of the Cuttington University Graduate School and Professional Studies to have a positive mindset and set good standards that will enhance their individual development and the growth of the society.
The Liberian politician, who contested the Liberian presidency during the 2023 general and presidential elections, said that the prospective graduates of the school should consider themselves agents of change and must realize that leadership value determines development.
The LINU flagbearer made the remarks when he spoke as keynote speaker at the inaugural dinner and fundraising program of the Cuttington Graduate and Professional school recently in Monrovia.
Dr. Moniba pointed out that the development of the nation depends on the mindset of the leadership of the country which they are bound to take over as the next generation of leaders.
Dr. Moniba recalled that he travelled to 261 towns and villages in Liberia during the electioneering period in 2023 and discovered that Liberians were lingering in abject poverty characterized by lack of good school, viable healthcare delivery system, agricultural production, amongst others.
He said the problems Liberia is faced with are a result of the mindset of successive national leaderships.
He noted that if the paradigm of societal leadership should positively change, the generation of leaders that are being molded must stand up and set good personal and leadership standards that will make a difference.
The tough talking politician, who spoke extemporaneously, indicated that the mindset at every sectoral leadership such as health, education and agriculture, etc. determines the output of the sector.
He challenged the senior class leadership of the Cuttington Graduate School to begin to find workable solutions to the many problems of the country as prospective leaders.
The LINU political leader started his speech with a story of two brothers who, he said, lived in a home with a bad father who exhibited every negative attribute.
“When he woke up every day, he went about drinking and smoking; beating on his wife and children amongst other things,” Dr. Moniba narrated.
According to him, when the two brothers grew up to be men on their own, one followed the lifestyle of drunkenness, smoking, and subjected his family to a hostile domestic environment as their bad father did.
“When people asked him why he was that way, his justification was that ‘it is the way I grew up,’ meaning that was how he saw his father lived.
But to the contrary, the other brother grew up to be a loving family man, keeping himself a loving and caring person, educating his children. He loved his children and wife, telling those who asked him in surprise why he was different from his brother.
Giving meaning to his proverbial story, Dr. Moniba simply said both brothers lived their respective standards they set for themselves.
“So, the message in this story is very simple –that you are judged by the standards that you set for yourself. What, then, is your standard? For every one of you what is your standard?” he asked of the graduating seniors of the Cuttington Graduate and professional school.
He said his inquiry was bordered on the fact that Liberia “right now is not good enough for anybody. I entered more than 261 towns and villages. Any town I entered I asked: is there any school here? What they would say is, NO! Can you go to the hospital? No! Do you have good roads? No!”
Considering the lack of these basic necessities, he beseeched the graduating seniors to see it as their responsibility as agents of change for their generation to fix this country.
“I don’t want anybody to see this responsibility to be assigned to this representative or that senator, etc.”
Instead, he implored the students: “Go home and look in the mirror; the person you see is the person responsible for the development of the country. This is why I started by asking what standard you have for yourself. Because the standard you have for yourself is the standard you have for the country.”
The highly educated orator went colloquial, when he said: “Ehn you’ll know Liberia ehn? And some say they are in school even though they score so-so “Ds”, but pass – they did well. The minister was supposed to build the road from here all the way to Kakata, but he stopped it halfway – anyway he did well.”
He maintained that “did well” is not a good standard that should be set by ambitious people who have ambition to succeed, reemphasizing his question, “What standard do you want to set as a young and new generational leader of Liberia? What standard are you setting for yourself individually?”
He then gave a historical highlight of his education when he mentioned that at the Harvard University which he attended in the United States, he scored no grade less than “A” to acquire his two Masters Degrees and his PhD.
“I got my doctorate degree in talking a lot. And so, one of the things we were always told is that if you gave a speech everybody can give (had given), that means you failed. So let me talk a bit about myself,” he digressed.
“I did live in America for 20 years, 1991-2011; and up until 2004, I was playing American professional football–giant ball, and I was in movies. So, my life was very good in America. I was very comfortable,” he explained.
According to him, “2004 is the year my entire life changed, because it is the year my father, Dr. Harry Moniba died. I have to come back to Liberia to bury him. It was then I started to see Liberia, and I understood how everybody is living.”
“If I can sit in class, that means I did well; because, all I knew I was playing football and on TV. I was very comfortable.”
Notwithstanding enjoying the comfort he referred to, he said since 2004, he started to be serious and develop a positive mindset toward his school.
“I have made nothing less than “A” in school in acquiring my two masters and my PhD. Acquiring two Masters and a PhD. in Harvard University without scoring a single “B” is a mindset,” he told the graduate, advising them that even as they go to school, their mindset will give them the grades they deserve.
He then informed them that the country will depend on their generation to succeed, adding: “If you do not believe that you are the change agents for Liberia, it will not happen. So please. If you succeed, Liberia succeeds; if you don’t succeed, Liberia does not succeed.”
In a related development, the leadership of the senior class was inducted. They included Barmon Jallah, President; Mariatu F.G Yekee, Vice-President; David K. Owen, Secretary General; Deanna Seakor, Assistant Secretary General; Ericnetta Moore, Treasurer; Masoline Sloan, Assistant Treasurer; Joshua Badio, Financial Secretary; Mentee Tee Gbeimie, Assistant Financial secretary, and Jennebah Smith, chaplain.
Upon the turning over of the gavel of authority from the leadership of 61st Graduating class to the President of the 62nd Graduating Class, the new President, Barmon Jallah averred his Class was coming to the leadership of the senior class with transparency and accountability.
The program which was climaxed by a fundraiser was attended by dignitaries from both the private and public sectors of Liberia.