‘Yesterday’s Men of Today’, Here’s Mail from Saclepea -Bility Exposes Paradox of Self-Seeking Politicians

MONROVIA – Here is a thought-provoking piece from Nimba County’s District #7 Representative Musa Hassan Bility. He runs a column, “Letter from Saclepea” on general themes, mainly politics, and in today’s edition, Bility draws attention to a somewhat familiar subject: how Liberian politicians, in their activist style, do often mesmerize the impoverished majority of Liberians with rhetoric, spirited orations and shenanigans, to buy public support, but when the masses of the people see them as the newfound messiah, and elect them to power, they turn out to do just exactly as those they criticized or do the worst, leaving the people bewildered, struck in poverty. See full text of Bility’s article BELOW:

LETTER FROM SACLEPEA – Title: Yesterday’s Men of Today

By Musa Hassan Bility

This weekend, I find myself once again in solitary reflection, quiet, withdrawn, just thinking.

There are no crowds around me, no flashing lights, no microphones, only the sound of my conscience, echoing in a room filled with memories and questions.

And today, I want to talk to you. Yes, you, the yesterday’s men of today.

Yesterday, you were the voice of the people. You mobilized them. You marched with them. You cried with them. You stood on radios and in the streets and gave fire to a movement. You were bold. You were fierce. You were uncompromising. You gave the struggling masses a voice, a reason to hope and believe that the sun would rise again.

You told them to rise, and they did. You told them to speak out, and they shouted your truth.

You told them the future could be better, and they trusted you. You championed their pain. You became their hope. You painted pictures of a new Liberia, a better one. And because of your words and courage, they patiently endured their suffering, believing in your promise of tomorrow.

I remember how you fought to elect a senator in Montserrado County. You did the unimaginable.

You changed the story. And across the country, hope was reborn. They saw you, not just as politicians, but as redeemers. You made them forget their hunger. You helped them survive one more day. They gave you power, not because you were perfect, but because you made them believe in something greater than their pain.

But now, you have come.

You have arrived with power. And with it, you are repeating everything you once condemned.

The same arrests you opposed, you now justify. The same arrogance you rejected, you now wear like a badge. You now mimic the same corruption you screamed against in whispers and excuses.

Your only defense now is the sins of those before you. You say, “They did it too.”

But that is not why you were chosen.

You were not elected to avenge the past. You were elected to correct it. The power you now wield was not meant for retaliation. It was meant for redemption.

Have you forgotten the hungry mother who danced at your rally, hoping food would come tomorrow? Have you forgotten the child who wore your T-shirt to school, believing that the Liberia you promised would meet him at graduation? Have you forgotten the old man who sold his only chicken to pay his way to your rally because you gave him one last dream?

Have you sat, even for a moment, and thought about them?

This is not just politics. This is betrayal.

You are wounding the very people who carried you. You are mocking the very hope that lifted you. In doing so, you are not just repeating history but killing it.

But it is not too late.

Sit, reflect, reconnect.

Remember your purpose. Remember why you started. And more importantly, remember who you began for.

The people of this country will find their voice. And they have shown, again and again, that they will punish betrayal at the polls. That they will not allow lies to masquerade as leadership.

So I leave you with this:

Do not be the justification for our cynicism. Be the correction of our history.

Focus on your mission. Focus on your purpose. Focus on Liberia.

Have a thoughtful week.