Give Politics New Meanings And Practices For The Good Of Our Society.
Open Letter
From Joseph D. Zeakedoe Korto

March 30, 2004

Officials, Partisans and Sympathizers
Liberia Action Party

Fellow Partisans:

I bring you greetings and through this medium, to share some views and concerns relative to the best interest of our party and the building of viable democracy in Liberia. The decision to send this communication as an open letter is in recognition of the fact that the issues raised herein are of national nature. Thus, I consider it absolutely necessary that, to the extent possible, a cross-section of our partisans and sympathizers be privileged to my views on these important issues. I urge you to consider the views provided as coming from a fellow partisan who honestly and sincerely wants to see the Liberia Action Party champions the cause of true democracy in Liberia.

About a year ago in March 2003, I declared my intent to seek the nomination of our party in order to contest the presidency of Liberia in the ensuing presidential election. From the time of my announcement, I remained as the only partisan of LAP with expressed ambition for the presidency until the recent similar announcement by Partisan Varney Sherman. Partisan Sherman's announcement of intent to join the race for president is welcome news, because it makes the in-house contest for our party's nomination democratically more interesting. I therefore welcome Partisan Sherman and invite him to a healthy democratic competition.

Having said the above, permit me fellow partisans, to remind all of us that the challenge we, Liberians, face today is to give our struggling nation a new and better beginning. Our past for over a century and half has been largely a national life of shame, disgrace, failure and self-destruction. It means, therefore, that we take a critical look at our past as we seek to chart a new course for our struggling society. Perhaps no area of our failed national past that needs most a critical review for drastic overhaul than the way we have done politics in Liberia. A commanding priority is to give politics new meanings and practices for the good of our society. Thus, we cannot afford for the crucial 2005 elections to be business as usual, or politics the old Liberian way.

In view of the foregoing, we must remind ourselves of those old political values, attitudes and practices that have given politics bad tastes and failed results in Liberia. Our failure to do so would certainly give the upcoming crucial elections a bad beginning. We cannot do the exact things of the past and expect the results to be any different or better than those that got our nation where it is today. Thus, we must take true courage in bringing about the desired new political values, attitudes and practices for better results in the good cause of our nation.

One of such concerns has to do with political opposition. In our Liberian experience, political opposition often means political enemies, a perception that drives candidates and their respective supporters to contest as emissaries as opposed to democratic competitors. In true democratic tradition, political opposition can co-exist with friendship, brotherhood and a sense of nationalism. Thus, let me challenge Partisan Sherman and me and our respective supporters to bring to the process of this important race for nominee of our party the desired new political values, attitudes, and practices. To Partisan Sherman in particular, it will be a valuable political lesson for our majority fellow countrymen if despite our campaign engagements for the nomination of our party, our fellow partisans and the Liberian Public still see us thinking well of each other and interacting cordially. That's' politics, the true democratic way. I am therefore challenging you to join me in taking the lead to give political opposition new meaning and practice in Liberia.

To our party officials and operatives, you have important responsibilities in our current national challenge to give politics new and better meanings and practices in Liberia. May I encourage you to bring leadership that will enhance the practice of true democracy for the good of our party and country. As you are aware, we now have a two-man race for the nomination of our part's candidate for president. We hope and trust that the process of this in-house race, in preparation for the national contest, will prove respectful of those elements that bring credibility to democratic contests, including openness, transparency, level playing field, mutual respect and equal chance for all participating contestants. If the national presidential contest is to prove democratic, the in-house contests for nominating candidates by the respective political parties must lay the foundation. LAP, as a vanguard party, must take the lead in this important respect.

To our grassroots partisans and sympathizers, you have the most important role in the current challenge for true political reforms on democratic lines in Liberia. The upcoming elections do hold crucial implications for the important question of where Liberia goes from here after the bitter experiences of the worst human tragedy yet in our national existence. As such, we cannot afford to accommodate in the processes of these crucial elections any of our failed political values and practices of the past. In one key respect, we must caution ourselves that the 2005 Elections must never be about the usual Liberian money games, in which case the best candidate is the one with plenty of money to share, and not necessarily the one with the vision and plans for the good of the society. These elections must truly be about the burning issues, problems and legitimate aspirations of our nation and people, and more importantly, which candidate is likely to provide the right leadership responses if and when given the constitutional mandate to sit in the Executive Mansion.

Lastly, let me say to you, fellow partisans. What you need, as citizens, is not tokens of few dollars or some unusual humanitarian gesture from presidential hopefuls during the time of elections. What you need and truly deserve is committed leadership from a duly elected president for addressing the general welfare of the nation and its people. In experience, the generosity of Liberian politicians comes only during the time of elections. In ordinary times, these very self-proclaimed champions of humanitarian causes may never again care to know if, in fact, there are needy people in the society. Because our voting public is largely an impoverished population, the campaign propelled humanitarian gestures come as irresistible temptations, thereby forcing a betrayal of consciences for important decisions such as in electing national leaders. The situation very well so circumvents and impedes the practice of true democracy based on effective citizens' participation.

Since my entry into the race for president a year ago, I have and will continue to warm the Liberian People against the usual belief and practice of "Campaign time is chopping time." If you haven't learned the lesson already, please hear me for your good cause and the good cause of Liberia. People, who are willing and anxious to chop during election times as we are in Liberia, are likely to go hungry after elections on account of wrong judgments and decisions made about leadership. Also, let me say to you, fellow partisans and citizens, that freedom is not free; it comes at a price. If you, Liberian voters, must free our nation of the usual experiences of bad leadership and governance, you must be willing to pay the price. In one sense, you must deprive yourselves of election time generosity purported to blind your sense of good judgment about candidates and their respective potentials for good leadership. I hold these views and positions as true convictions if Liberia is to find a fresh start towards becoming a nation we all can be proud to call a home.

Fellow partisans, the most important power citizens have in a democratic society is that of voting power. When that power is compromised for anything or any reason, you do injustice to yourselves and your nation. I encourage you not to allow politicians to take unfair advantage of your conditions of poverty to buy your political support; they must earn it on the basis of the qualities of their leadership promises. Indeed, if you haven't yet learned the lesson from our past, take it from me. Any president, who does not hold a strong sense of obligation to the people for getting into the Executive Mansion, is very likely to do little or nothing for the good of the nation. That means presidents, who get into the Executive Mansion by way of the politics of guns or the politics of money games.

Finally, as we Liberians rise to the occasion to meet the current national challenge of reshaping the destiny of our struggling society, let's make no mistake about it; leadership failure is at the heart of Liberia's problem. It will take self-motivated leaders possessed of vision and courage driven urge to answer Liberia's current leadership demands. I see myself as a true potential for that type of national leadership. That's why I boldly came out, through my own persuasion and initiative, to seek the mandate of you, my fellow partisans and citizens, in order that I may captain and rescue the nearly sinking ship of our beloved nation. I certainly look forward to a meaningful democratic process for our party's nomination, and in so doing we will send the clear message out to the rest of Liberia that the Liberia Action Party is truly about the building of viable democracy in Liberia.

Yours in true national spirit
J. D. Zeakedoe Korto