Monrovia — Liberian legal luminary Cllr. Tiawan S. Gongloe and Kenyan Law Professor Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba point to a new revolution hitting the African Continent.
-Kenyan lawyer and pan-Africanist Prof. Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba and Liberian integrity icon and Human Rights Lawyer Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe have shared a unanimous perspective on African governance and statesmanship.
Both pan-Africanists outlined corruption, lawlessness, and lack of integrity as the new revolution on the Continent instead of the usual fight against imperialism and colonialism.
The Liberian People Party (LPP) political leader and Kenyan former Anti-corruption Commission head shared these perspectives during a dinner in Monrovia after attending the International Association of Judges Conference.
During their discussion, Cllr. Gongloe noted that Africa can only experience true leadership and liberation if leaders across the Continent demonstrate integrity and understand that leadership is the place to serve, not to steal.
According to him, Africa has all it takes to make the Continent and its people great and powerful, but leadership is the problem because those allowed to serve don't see it as service to the country but rather as a place to acquire illegal wealth.
The one-time Presidential candidate and former president of the Liberian National Bar Association said the African new revolution has nothing to do with imperialism, colonialism, and independence.
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He believes that Africa has passed these dispensations, but what is needed now is a revolution against corruption, lawlessness, and the lack of integrity that continue to plunge the Continent into extreme poverty.
"Africa's new revolution is not the fight against imperialism and colonialism. I truly believe that those eras and dispensations are over. The new revolution in Africa currently is the fight against corruption, lawlessness, and lack of integrity. We now have our governance, but how can we govern ourselves with a sense of judicial respect and non-interference which should be guided by self-integrity?" Cllr. Gongloe underscored.
For his part, Prof. Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba said he can't agree with Cllr. Gongloe any better or speak more than what he has said, adding that it's the real and actual problem facing Africa.
According to Prof. Lumumba, Africa's problem is leadership, as almost all those elected don't know why they are elected and lack integrity and a sense of leadership.
"My brother, in Africa, we celebrate thieves more than those people who earn their living earnestly. Africa's problem is leadership. Because our people are unable to provide leadership direction due to their lack of integrity, lawlessness is all over the Continent because judicial independence is a problem," the Kenyan lawyer expressed.
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He provides recommendations to improve governance and integrity in Africa. He suggests that those in public office should demonstrate integrity and refrain from pleasing people.
He stressed that leaders should have a sense and pity of humanity but they should not commit to it because sometimes "you will have to take the hard decision and so committing makes it difficult to implement."
The exchanges between the two renowned legal luminaries and activists were on the sidelines of the International Conference of Lawyers held in Monrovia last week at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex. Editing by Jonathan Browne
