By D. Wa Hneh
Over and over again we celebrate Liberia’s independence with honoring programs, national decorations, recognition of personalities – dead and alive, speech making which create national debates, banquet and other activities where the high and mighty are showcased.
After the celebrations, Liberia still remain the faulty Liberia created on July 26, 1847 with profound divisions on who actually owned Liberia.
After the celebrations, the two Liberia philosophy or doctrine still dictate our politics and national direction either consciously or unconsciously.
July 26 has become a tradition, a time for festivity, a time for spending personal and national resources without reflecting on the unbalanced creation of two nations within one geographic space and how to re-cast or rebuild the faulty foundation that would hold the structure of the State and peoples’ together firmly.
If no leader has taken interest in the historic wrongs and the divisive political structures on which Liberia was founded, it is important that President Joseph Nyumah Boakai takes interest as he has already begun a process that could heal the nation permanently.
Our national anthem talks about a “a nation indivisible with liberty and Justice for all”.
The Amendment of the 1847 Constitution which removed the divisive clause “we the People of the Republic of Liberia were originally inhabitants of North America “, and debating the national motto “ the love of liberty brought us here” cannot be the solution to the two nations within a nation scenario that have dominated our politics and social stratum for one hundred and seventy eight years now which became more visible disastrously in 1980 and the 1990s up to the early 2000s.
This year’s celebration of our independence must add national significance and taste that will make us truly one people, one nation, and one destiny.
Through this medium, I am recommending to the President of Liberia a symbolic re-creation of our nation by re-casting and rebuilding our faulty independence foundation by reconciling the descendants of the aborigines and the descendants of the settlers in an elaborate program by discussing the issues, recognizing the wrongs, and exchanging apologies for those historic wrongs done to each other to close once for all the chapters of conspiratorial maneuvers, evil conceptions, revenge and reprisals to be followed by an act of Legislature prohibiting or making it a felony actions, proven attitudes or descriptions of Liberians as Americo-Liberians and Native Liberians.
The President of Liberia must take up the responsibility of sealing the apologies with the signing into law the Act of Legislature uniting both nations as one nation and one people.
A special committee should be set up to work out details to bring together chiefs, elders, and youth through the Traditional Council of Elders and Chiefs as well as Elders, Youths, and Opinion leaders of the Settlers Descendants.
We recalled that such divisions sprung up between the settlers of fair and dark skin pigmentations which led to deep divisions, conspiracies and violence in the politics of Liberia that caused the overthrow of President E. J. Roye on trumped up charges. It took President Arthur Barclay courage and wisdom to reconcile and reunite them during his presidency. Since then, there has been unity and harmony amongst them.
Bringing the natives to the reconciliation table did not fit in his agenda. No Liberian President has taken up the challenge. President William V. S. Tubman initiated the Unification and Integration policies to give the natives a sense of belonging to the nation. President Joseph Nyumah Boakai can take up this challenge to unite both nations in a program symbolic of what should have taken place before the proclamation of independence.
This should be done this July 26 celebration since such glorious opportunity was thrown into the trash bucket during the celebration of the Bi-Millennium which exacerbated the division as the planners clearly admitted that the nation belonged solely to the settlers.
The reconciliation efforts, especially the honors and apologies which followed the reburials of the late Presidents Samuel K. Doe and William R. Tolbert Jr. are preludes to what should happen on July 26, instead of the usual speech making, decorations at the C. Cecil Dennis Hall, recognition of the dead patriots and Social Banquets at the City Hall or the Executive Pavilion.
After all, the late Doe and the late Tolbert represent the two nations that have been at war since 1847.
