Corruption is Somehow Bearable than Gun and  Oppression 

Wednesday, February, 18, 2009egends            

T. Daoda Carlon

Please permit me space on your much-read website to commend our National Mother: Her Excellency Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, for the immense progress she has made so far in our country.

I am writing this article not to seek political favors from anybody; instead, I write to make a passionate commendation to my government and president, Madam Sirleaf.

You know when I was a little boy, my mother had a familiar saying: “my son, if you want to ride the best of cars, go to school; if you want to marry a beautiful and lovely wife, go to school,” and lastly she will say: “if you want to build me a decent house and buy me a car, go to school. Education is the best of all blessings I have to give you, good luck in your quest for academic excellence.”

Unfortunately in 1990, all of a sudden, I saw a red alligator coming from the swamp of Boutou to launch the bloodiest revolution ever in the history of Liberia and one of Africa’s bloodiest, which perverted the atmosphere of scholasticism to the atmosphere of militarism. This moment of degree twisted my view from what my mother said; when all of our beautiful houses were taken away by armed men, all of our modern cars were driven by armed men, job opportunities were based on one’s guerrilla talent, and all of our beautiful women and mothers were married and raped by thoughtless armed men. As a result of this, unborn generations were the chief recipients of bitterness and hatred. You know ex-President Taylor didn’t know history but he knew a kind of physics that was different from the ordinary physics we know; it was the kind of physics that could put up oppressive fire that no water could cut off. 

Now, what does this mean in this great period of history? It means, we must face the tragic fact that fourteen years of war and the life of a Liberian is as temporary as the morning newspaper. That has passed away now; it is no longer the choice between survival and oppression; it is the choice of ‘changing minds and changing attitudes’ to build a long-lasting nation for all of God’s children. All we see today is gradual developments, the life of average Liberians is getting better now, intellectuals are escalating from their narrow cells where their quest for freedom have left them battered by the whirlwind of police brutality, and staged by the stone of persecution; the downtrodden-masses have graduated from the dark days of oppressive gun threat to the bright and glittering daybreak of freedom; and so they go about discussing government in their schools, ghettos, churches, and in every hamlet and every village  without government interference.

This is what I mean when I said corruption is somehow bearable than oppressive gunfire. You see, my imagination tells me that as long the mind is enslaved the body can never be free. And I think psychological slavery sometimes leads to mental disorder, but a firm sense of self-esteem is the most powerful weapon against the long night of physical slavery, and that’s where we are now; freedom of speech. 

Now a lot of us are advocates and students, and all of us have our moral convictions, and often have problem with power. There is nothing wrong with power if used wisely. You see, what happens is that some of our philosophers got off base. And one of the great problems of history is the concepts of love and power usually contrasted as opposite, polar-opposites so that love is identified with a resignation of power, and power with the denial of love. It was this misinterpretation that caused ex-President Taylor’s philosophy of the will power to reject Uncle-Sam, exploit, dehumanized, massacred, and destroyed the lives of thousands of determined Liberians. It was the same misinterpretation of love, which induced President Sirleaf to reject the Taylor philosophy of the will to power, with the quick sense of realizing that Mr. Taylor subtracted the elements of love from power, which led to his reckless and abusive regime. And so she goes about building her government based on the principles of love and power to better the life of the average Liberian.

Now, we have to get this thing right. What is needed is the realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands for love. And this is what we must see as we move on. What has happened is that we have it wrong and confused in our own country, and this has led Liberians in the past to seek their goals through power devoid of love and conscience. It is precisely the accident of immoral power with unethical principles which constitutes the major crisis of our times.

Mr. Editor, any tendency to ignore the contributions made by this government under the leadership of Madam Sirleaf, is unjustifiable.

Indeed, I must commend and salute you Madam President, for your tremendous efforts made over these short years of running this country. Historically, you have been the veteran of creative suffering. Continue to work hard with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Maintain your good-will to lift up this nation to the true light of its creed so that history will forever remember your regime.

 Bravo, bravo and Aluta continua.  

 T. Daoda Carlon attends United Methodist University in Liberia, and is President of Concerned Students for Illiteracy Reduction. He can be reached at daocarlon@yahoo.com, or Tel #06-956-360