His Excellency Joseph N. Boakai, Sr.
President of the Republic of Liberia
Elder Statesman
Dear Mr. President,
My name is Lekpele M. Nyamalon, a Liberian born in 1983, three years after the military coup of 1980 and I was only six when the civil war began in 1989. I lived through the war, felt the brunt of war, often walked long distances on foot from one end of Liberia to another, fleeing the conflict, got traumatized as a child, saw dead bodies and my childhood was not ordinary.
My world view and experiences have been shaped by the civil war and I see Liberia, my beloved country, through the prism of where it came from. I have written dozens of articles about the civil war and have led numerous book sessions about the history of the Liberian civil war. Many Liberians, like me, born during the same period, experienced a childhood robbed by conflict. Some were not so lucky, ended up as child soldiers and are currently doomed by drugs.
So, Mr. President, I have a stake in seeing a better Liberia thrive, hence this open letter.
Mr. President, I have followed your life, especially your public life and thanks to your authorized biography by the professor Dr. Sakui Malakpa, I have seen a glimpse of your private journey of life.
I have also seen how exemplary you have served as a public servant in a highly compromised public sector bureaucracy, yet, without any evidence of corruption.
Mr. President, not many people in life have had stints at second chances and glorious second comings, but you have. Let me refresh your memory a bit: In 2005 you were called by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to serve as her running mate in the Presidential elections. I remember the both of you had come to the auditorium of the College of West Africa (CWA) on your campaign trail where I was an undergraduate student at the United Methodist University. I shook hands with the both of you and I still remember your words spoken clearly: "This team will be the best for Liberia" I still remember.
All this was happening after you had led an exemplary public sector life from the LPMC days, coupled with other senior positions across government, until you served the YMCA as Board Chair.
During the regime of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, you were a dutiful vice President, often choosing your words carefully and soberly. One of your most contentious quotes, which I believe was unfairly interpreted by many, was your allegory of the race car. When you said, you cannot know the strength of a race car when it is parked in the garage but if you want to know the strength, put the car on the road. In my understanding, you simply meant, only when a person is fully in charge can you measure their level of impact.
Mr. President, the car is now on the road! You are now in charge. Everyone who remembers your statement is watching. Power and governance can be daunting, so please take some time off, alone and reflect soberly on these few points of reflections/suggestions:
- "Why was I elected now?"
On the day you were elected, I was in Monrovia and here is what I witnessed: there was a whirlwind, a small sand storm, some rain and a roar of cars and jubilations everywhere. The jubilations, I believe, came from people who supported your campaign. There were perhaps many silent cheers. The question to reflect on from that moment is: "Why did I get elected now?'
Mr. President, I believe a good percentage of Liberians were not happy with the governance from 2018 to 2023 and decided a change of regime, this is reflected in the elections results.
Mr. President, what do you think these same people are thinking right now?
- Why was I rejected in 2017?
Many Liberians believed they wanted a new regime in 2017 and overwhelmingly voted a regime they believed was best suited for the time. These are the same Liberians that voted you in 2023, Mr. President. There is something they're looking for, and I believe it is beyond a particular political party. So, Mr. President, you were not elected only because of a political party. Step outside the lines and look around.
Mr. President, do you think the people have found what they're seeking in you?
- What are the expectations of the people?
Mr. President, the list is endless, it is like taking a child to a toy store; they would want everything. But, Mr. President, hungry children cannot play with toys, so focus on the basics. It's been a long journey from Wasunga to the Capitol. We are here now, and what do you want to leave here for tomorrow? Take a pen and paper, alone, reflect and write them down.
What did you see wrong with Liberia during the six years from 2018 to 2023 while in opposition that you want to change? What were your childhood expectations from Wasunga to the Capitol that you dreamt about and you now have the chance to change? Remember, you cannot change everything but don't leave it undone.
Mr. President, what do you want to change?
- What are the challenges of the 21st century and what skillsets do you need to fill them? This is a VERY important question. Liberia will only move forward, at least a few steps further when we begin to put the right people to the right positions. Seek out Liberians everywhere to help, not just the politically active ones. They're everywhere, just ask.
Your appointment of a youth advisory council is laudable. Please do more of that with other demographics in different thematic areas. Have an advisory council of retired professionals for example. It's a highly resourced group you will need.
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- Be a football coach. The car is on the road and you're in charge. The best coach with the most brilliant squad can get horrible results with the wrong strategy and wrong placement of players. The coach of the team seeks the best interest of the team and not just the individual players. Look at your team and make adjustments where necessary. Remember the car is now on the road and you have nothing to lose.
- What are five major things you want to solve while in office? With 5 years left, take each year to look at one. Stick to the basics, not the very big ones. I will not list the problems because they're everywhere and you know most of them. For example, choose electricity and lay a solid foundation towards solving the electricity challenge.
- I'm not going to list the problems, they're everywhere but, Mr. President, the problems you grew up knowing from Wasunga to CWA, from CWA to government and Vice President and six years in opposition and on the day the crowd danced in front of your house after elections, please make sure you don't leave office without solving the ones you could. Otherwise, you could lose everything you gathered in the path of your enviable journey and the young man that walked from Wasunga to the Capitol will leave here gravely unfulfilled at heart.
Mr. President, you have nothing to lose but everything. The car is now on the road and you're the driver.
Lekpele M. Nyamalon
Liberian writer and citizen
