By: George S. Tengbeh| Labour and Environmental Justice Advocates.
What a speech, Mr. Dunn.
Your oration was rich with references to sustainability and national development, and there were certainly some noteworthy highlights. However, there were also many moments where your delivery felt more like an attempt to chase applause than to confront hard truths.
In several parts of your speech, you came across as someone detached from the everyday realities of Liberians, as if you’ve been living far from the country and are out of touch with the bread-and-butter issues our people face daily.
That said, it is only fair and prudent that we take a closer look at some of the polished sustainable development ideas and contradictions you presented under the guise of inspiration.
What you called progress in some lines of your speech often sounded like beautifully crafted hypocrisy dressed as hope. Even the President of Liberia reportedly disagreed with some of the claims you made.
Video to the President July 26 message in the comment below section
𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐫. 𝐃𝐮𝐧𝐧 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐲𝐩𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.
In his July 26, 2025 Independence Day address, Mr. Emmett L. Dunn presented several thoughtful ideas rooted in sustainable development, national identity, and inclusive growth.
He emphasized the importance of reclaiming education as a public good, advocating for investments in teacher training, early childhood education, vocational programs, and curriculum reform to prepare youth for a global economy. His call to strengthen local agriculture, so that Liberia can feed itself, was another highlight, promoting food security and economic resilience from the grassroots.
Additionally, he proposed enforcing the Liberianization Policy and mandating equity participation for Liberians in foreign concessions as strategies to build indigenous wealth and reduce dependency on foreign interests, which aligns directly with principles of sustainable, locally-driven development.
Furthermore, Mr. Dunn’s speech promoted values of equity and inclusion by urging the empowerment of women, enforcement of domestic support laws, and protection of Liberians from gender-based violence.
His proposal to establish a National Commission on Reconciliation, engage the Liberian diaspora strategically, and redefine national identity through a more inclusive motto were forward-thinking and necessary for long-term social cohesion.
His encouragement to youth, to innovate, lead, and build enterprises, demonstrated a belief in human capital as a pillar of sustainable growth.
While not without flaws, these segments of Mr. Dunn’s speech reflected a genuine vision for a more self-reliant, equitable, and forward-moving Liberia.
𝐃𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐥𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐲𝐩𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡
As a citizen and advocate for labour and environmental justice, I must express my disappointment with the speech delivered by Emmett L. Dunn on July 26, 2025.
While the oration was poetic and filled with high-minded ideals, it grossly misrepresented the realities faced by ordinary Liberians under president Joseph Boakai’s administration.
The speech offered grand narratives of unity, prosperity, and national healing, but conveniently ignored the glaring contradictions and ongoing injustices experienced by the Liberian people since the start of this government. I was expecting a call to conscience, not a whitewashing of the current suffering and corruption that plague the Boakai’s regime.
Mr. Dunn showered praises on President Boakai’s leadership, suggesting that the administration has restored Liberia’s global standing and begun a transformation under the ARREST Agenda.
This is not only misleading but insulting to the intelligence of Liberians who endure worsening economic hardship, joblessness, and lawlessness daily.
The orator glorified symbolic gestures such as apologies for past atrocities, yet failed to acknowledge the present-day systemic betrayal, including the unfair treatment of Liberian-owned businesses and the suspicious deals with foreign companies like LTMI.
The reality is, this administration has prioritized political allies and foreign interests over indigenous Liberian entrepreneurs, workers, and vulnerable communities.
He lauded the government’s efforts in education, yet failed to mention the striking university lecturers who remain unpaid, the dilapidated school structures with no desks, and the broken promises of affordable internet and digital infrastructure for students.
As someone who visits rural communities and speaks with teachers who walk miles without pay or materials, I find this level of praise disingenuous.
Mr. Dunn mentions teacher training programs and school funding, but many of those programs are either donor-driven or yet to begin. Instead of confronting these truths, he turned a blind eye, choosing national theater over national accountability.
When Mr. Dunn praised anti-corruption efforts and reforms under Boakai, I could only reflect on how selectively that “fight” is being waged.
Take for an example, the ASSETS RECOVERY TEAM had a serious setback when two of its staunch members resigned their positions given the many cases of corruption and mismanagement emanating from their boss to other members. The Assets Recovery Team is paid hugely. An amount from the taxes of Liberians yet, they have not concluded a single case in favor of the government. All we have seen is missed -priorities and wrongful proceedings.
I reviewed the recent case file involving LTMI and MDMC, and I can confirm that justice was compromised in favor of Lebanese business interests over a struggling Liberian company. The orchestrated injustice involved top officials, including Police Inspector General Gregory Coleman, whose office has repeatedly failed to protect Liberian lives and property.
This same government that claims to fight corruption reinstates public officials suspended for misconduct and awards contracts without transparency. Dunn’s speech did not challenge this; instead, it celebrated illusionary reforms.
Moreover, while the orator eloquently spoke about economic disparity and Liberianization policies, his tone was hypocritical.
If Mr. Dunn genuinely believed in empowering Liberians economically, he would have condemned just ended 10k Youths Digital Transformation Program by the president of Liberia through the LTA and the recent attempts by the Ministry of Transport to hand over the printing of driver’s licenses and plates to a foreign company, an act in direct violation of existing Liberian laws.
He failed to call out the creeping recolonization of Liberian commerce, where foreign companies dominate major sectors while Liberians sell petrol in jars and suffer eviction from their own markets. He refused to mentioned the selling of Liberians Jobs to foreigners by a compromised Labour minister. His silence on these matters renders his economic justice sermon hollow.
One of the most disturbing omissions was the continued militarization of civilian spaces and unlawful evictions across the country. This administration has turned state security into private security for foreign investors, violently displacing Liberians without due process.
From Ganta to West Point, citizens are evicted under the guise of “development” without compensation or alternatives. Dunn’s passionate rhetoric on human dignity and healing becomes hypocritical in the face of such state-sponsored cruelty. If this is how the government builds the future, then we are laying bricks of injustice on a foundation of impunity.
𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲. 𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐛𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬.
𝐈𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐮𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 “𝐰𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐬” 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐝𝐥𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐲 𝐫𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
Finally, Mr. Dunn’s call for unity and reconciliation, while noble on the surface, was tainted by selective memory and political convenience.
He praised the reburial of President Doe and apology for past atrocities, yet ignored the recent marginalization of political opponents, the exclusion of civil society voices in national decision-making, and the rising intolerance for dissent.
How can we heal as a people when the government uses state resources to silence critics and reward loyalists, regardless of competence or character?
Let me conclude by saying, Mr. Emmett L. Dunn’s oration was a masterclass in polished hypocrisy. It was a speech tailored for applause, not truth; for prestige, not purpose.
As a citizen who believes in justice, equity, and sustainable development, I must reject the misrepresentation of Liberia’s condition. The nation is not rising under Boakai’s leadership, it is suffocating under the weight of recycled politics, systemic neglect, and elite-driven policymaking. Real nation-building starts with truth-telling, not praise-singing.
The Liberian people deserve more than lofty speeches; we demand justice, opportunity, and transparency. Anything less is betrayal.
Thank you!
By George S. Tengbeh
Labour and Environmental Justice Advocate
E: gstengbeh@gmail.com
