Celebration of political independence is meaningless for Liberia unless the country and its citizens rise to fight for economic freedom, which hinges on our survival as a nation. The sooner Liberians realize this, the better it will be for the country and its future generations.
We agree with the orator of the 178th Independence Day celebration that Liberians can’t talk about true independence without talking about economic freedom. Rev. Dr. Emmett Lafayette Dunn stressed that it is time for Liberians to confront a painful truth, as too much of Liberia’s economy is owned and controlled by foreign interests.
This is the stark reality that faces a country of 178 years old that has sat back and allowed its economy to be dominated by foreigners all these years, giving them the freedom to extract profits, leaving the country impoverished. This must change and only Liberians both at home and abroad can do it; no one else.
“While foreign investment is welcome”, Dr. Dunn stressed, “it must not be at the expense of our dignity. The soul of our economy must be Liberian. Liberians must be actively involved in owning businesses. Liberians must be positioned to create wealth, not just consume it. To do that, we must nurture and grow a vibrant middle class, one built on entrepreneurship, skilled labor, professional excellence, and innovation.”
However, we would like to remind you that economic independence does not come on a silver platter. And no one in Liberia should be under any illusion. It will require toil and sweat, sincerity, sacrifice, and discipline that will sometimes lead to self-denial amid challenges.
Additionally, Liberians would need to demonstrate sincerity and trust in order to turn the economic wheel in their favor. For too long, successive governments had preached a Liberianization Policy without walking the talk. Former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf set aside a special fund to empower Liberian entrepreneurs, but the scheme was mismanaged through political patronage, with officials organizing bogus companies and taking the money. Former President Weah promised that under his administration, Liberians would not be spectators in their economy, but a financial scheme initiated by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry under the leadership of former Minister Professor Wilson Tarpeh, was characterized by a lack of transparency and accountability, leaving Deputy Minister Jemamah Wolokollie to resign.
Furthermore, many Liberian-owned companies are known for defaulting on contracts and misappropriating public funds intended for social services. Not just that, most Liberians are not trustworthy in paying back loans taken from commercial banks.
We need to first clean our backyards and put our houses in order to wage the battle for economic independence or else, the foreigners will continue to be far ahead of us.
Orator Dunn also emphasized that a strong middle class is the backbone of every stable society, adding that it generates jobs, drives demand, pays taxes, and anchors democracy.
However, the government, he says, should create an enabling environment for small and medium-sized enterprises to grow, making access to credit easier, as well as investing in technical and vocational training and modernizing agriculture so that farming becomes profitable again.
The road ahead of us in achieving economic independence will be challenging and clouded by temptations, as many Liberians have grown accustomed to business as usual; they have become accustomed to working for foreign-owned businesses for minimal compensation and living an easy life, rather than laboring with their hands for a better future. In this new front being called for, we have no choice, if we as a nation must be truly independent in the sense of the word.
