By Sidiki Fofana | Truth In Ink
December is a month the world associates with peace, a season of reflection, goodwill, and gratitude. Christians see it as the birth of Jesus Christ, the coming of hope and renewal. Across cultures, December forces people to look back and ask: What did we gain? What did we lose? Did we progress? Can we genuinely celebrate the season?
And in Liberia this December, we will face this question openly and collectively: Did we move forward, or are we still stuck?
Two groups of Liberians will show up, each shaped by their own reality under the Boakai administration. Their voices will not be a mere show of party banners or the booths of an advocacy group. They will reflect the lived experiences of Liberians based on how the government’s policies have affected their daily lives.
DECEMBER 6: UNITY PARTY -A LIBERIA OF PROSPERITY?
On December 6, the ruling Unity Party will host the Unity Party Homecoming. Supporters describe it as a celebration of progress, hope, and renewal. To them, the first three years under President Boakai have restored dignity, calmness, and order.
Party supporters often say things like: “At least the country is stable. Nobody talking about sanctions or auditors’ deaths again.”
Others argue that while things may not be exactly as desired, they are improving: “Things are not the same. If not perfect, they are at least getting better. Government is serious now.” They highlight the much-promoted arrival of the “yellow machines,” and take pride that the government, midway into its tenure , has achieved a $1 billion national budget, a sign of an expanded economy and more services to the people. They also point to improved electricity in and claim that Liberia is regaining respect in the international community.
However, in the face of this celebration, reports circulating estimate that the event may cost up to six million U.S. dollars, tied to the unveiling of new party headquarters across the country as part of a $10 million nationwide infrastructure plan.
The Unity Party insists that money for this nationwide plan will be raised by ordinary people. Yet in a country where children are sent home for unpaid school fees, where public hospitals struggle to buy drugs, and where civil servants borrow money to survive, the question is: Can ordinary citizens really raise that amount?
A pro-Unity Party pundit recently said on radio: “If the Unity Party can raise ten million dollars from citizens, it proves the economy is working.”
But the committees set up to raise these funds are not led by ordinary citizens. They are chaired by individuals who head state agencies, people with access to public funds that are not subject to transparent accounting.
As one civil society analyst put it: “When people who sign government checks are the same people raising money for the ruling party, the line between state money and party money becomes blurry.”
Yet, on December 6, the Unity Party Liberia of prosperity will celebrate, convinced that the country is moving forward and its future is bright.
DECEMBER 17: STAND -LIBERIA OF CHALLENGES AND SUFFERING
Just eleven days later, on December 17, another Liberia will rise. Not to celebrate, but to demand. To rise up in the streets, cities, towns, marketplaces, slums, universities, and homes.
In protest, yes, but mostly in contrast to everything the December 6 gathering will have celebrated. The STAND movement protest will seek to affirm that the country Is hard and perhaps worse than before? And that the country is in a state of despair and not hope
They will measure it through their own pain and struggle. A market woman in Red Light put it bluntly: “Prosperity? My son, we na get rice money. Every day I am selling just to breathe.”
A university graduate unemployed for months said: “We were told the Rescue Mission would rescue us. Right now, we still drowning.”
A civil servant said: “After transport and one bag of rice, nothing left. We are working, but we are suffering.”
UnderSTAND -Solidarity and Trust for A New Dawn, led by Mulbah Morlu, they will gather not because of politics, but because of survival.
“We are suffering. We demand better.”
Unlike the Unity Party celebration, STAND Liberia of challenges has no millions to spend. No buses to transport participants. No refreshments to feed its marching crowd. What fuels their presence is the hunger and anger of Liberians who feel left out of their country’s wealth. When your stomach is empty, no one needs to explain whether things are getting better or not; you already know.
THE TWO REALITIES OF ONE NATION
On December 6, Liberia will show comfort, progress, and hope. On December 17, Liberia will show pain, abandonment, and despair.
This is not a choice between two events. It is a choice between two futures. In moments like these, crowd size matters, not just as numbers, but as truth. It will reflect which Liberia is real:
Unity Party Liberia of Prosperity, asking for patience and hope, Or STAND Liberia of Challenges, demanding dignity.
This December will be remembered as the month that reveals not just the Liberia the government presents, but the Liberia its people live in.
