MONROVIA – The political leader of the Citizens Movement for Change (CMC) and Nimba County District #7 Representative Musa Hassan Bility has lamented over the drastic change in community spirit over individualism, a change that has brought a drawback to community development.
Voicing his concerns in one of his regular “Letter from Saclepea” social media musings, Representative Bility said Saclepea, like many towns across Liberia, thrives not because of grand policies or government interventions, but because of something far more powerful—its people.
According to Mr. Bility, the strength of a community is not measured by the wealth of its leaders or the size of its buildings, but by the unity of those who live within it. In the villages and towns of Liberia, life is built on the simple but unshakable truth that no man stands alone.
“From the moment a child is born, he is not just raised by his parents but by the entire village. The neighbor who lends a helping hand, the elder who offers guidance, the farmer who shares his harvest with those in need—these are the real foundations of society. When tragedy strikes, the burden is not carried by one person alone. When there is joy, it is shared by all. It is this sense of togetherness that has kept our people strong, even in the hardest of times,” Bility said.
But to the contrary, something has changed, Bility said, noting that the spirit of community that once defined Liberians, especially Saclepeans, is slowly being replaced by individualism wherein the nation has reached to a point where people think only of themselves, where a man watches his neighbor struggle and turns the other way; where once the community built together, now everyone is waiting for someone else to fix what is broken.
“We see it in our villages, in our towns, in our politics—every man for himself, and God for us all. But that is not how our ancestors survived. That is not how Liberia will move forward.
“There was a time when men worked together to build homes, when women gathered to support each other, when elders ensured that no child went hungry. Now, too many have become dependent on the goodwill of outsiders while forgetting the strength that lies within. We cannot wait for others to come and do for us what we must do for ourselves. A community is only as strong as its willingness to stand together.
“Development is not just about government action. Yes, leadership plays a role, but no leader can replace the power of a united people. Roads, schools, hospitals—these things matter, but they are meaningless without a strong community that values and protects them. A well-built school will crumble if no one cares enough to maintain it. A road will fall into disrepair if the people who use it daily do not take ownership of it. A market will not grow if traders do not work together to make it thrive.
“We must return to the values that once made us strong. We must remember that when one person rises, we all rise. That when we support each other, we create opportunities greater than any government promise can provide. The progress of Saclepea, of Liberia, does not begin in the hands of a president or a minister—it begins in the hearts and actions of the people.
“So I ask: When was the last time you looked out for your neighbor? When was the last time you contributed to the betterment of your own community? What are we, as a people, doing to build the Liberia we dream of?
“A nation is only as strong as the communities that make it up. And if we are to move forward, we must do it together,” the CMC political leader advised.
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