Abdoulaye W. Dukulé
21 January 2003
(Page 2 of 2)
What is your vision for Liberia?
It is not about seeking a position or looking for a job. I do not have a platform that I am taking to Liberia for people to adopt, but I have some ideas that I am strongly attached to. My hope is that my party would see the wisdom in those ideas, make them part of whatever common agenda we all agree on and move the country forward. There is a need for renewal. There was a dream at the foundation of Liberia a dream of freedom and liberty for all that never took place. In 1980, we awoke one day to a new hope but that hope too was short lived - a hope for a new day but the euphoria was short-lived.
Now we find ourselves in an era where might makes right and it seems that we have gone back 200 years. This is the first time in our history that parents are more educated than children. We are in the midst of degradation and we need to move forward. Water, housing, primary sanitation need to be tackled.
I hope that we all go out and look for the best Liberian minds and put them to work. There was lot of mistakes made in our history. Who put us in this mess?
One of the underlying problems we have is that of two societies, one of customary laws and another part of society that lives by Western-style laws. Under the customary law, the president is chief executive and the last resort in the judiciary. This must change to bring everyone under one law and this would also put an end to that ethnic division we spoke of earlier.
Finally, do you have any apprehension as you head for Liberia? Do you fear for your security?
Yes, I have apprehensions about my security, but even more so for my partisans who have been harassed and beaten up by security people.
But as I said earlier, this is our country and it belongs to all of us. No amount of intimidation should keep us away from our own country. We cannot develop Liberia without being there. We cannot offer alternatives to Liberians without being in Liberia.
I want to be part of the reconstruction of Liberia, I want to work with my fellow Liberians to attain peace and reconcile our people. I can only do so by going home and no amount of harassment and intimidation will keep me away.
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