By Gideon Nma Scott, Jr.
Dr. Luke in his Gospel (16:19-36) records that there was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades (hell), where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm(gap)has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
I try to liken this story to President Boakai and his folks who stood by our ‘gates’ asking us to give them a chance (vote) to lead us into prosperity, but the irony is that between them and us a great chasm has been set in place, so that those of us, the common people who want to go from the community cannot, nor those in government cannot crossover the ‘line of power’ to us.
During the 2023 elections’ campaign, various political actors who had interest in electioneering politics were seen in various communities, schools, churches, mosques, work places speaking to any or all Liberians concerning their interest in the election. The two top political leaders-George Weah and Joseph Boakai held various political rallies-spoke with people in one-one meetings; and did all they could to have the attention of the electorates. In few months, the elections were over and both electorates and elected parted ways. The elected, including President Boakai and his crew are now sitting at the right hand of Abraham(On the shore of political power) while we, the electorates are in Hades(political hell) where we are in torments of unemployment, lack of affordable healthcare, poor teaching and learning environment, bad roads and in most cases, a youthful population battling sex, crimes and drug addiction and are calling on Boakai and his crew to dip their fingers to quench our thirst.
Some of those whom the political chasm had separated us from include the likes Amos Tweh, Mo Ali, Patrick Honna, Wilmont Paye, Alphonso Belleh, including the President and his vice president, were the very people who spent hours and sleepless nights with some of us the common people to strategize and decide on a wholistic approach to the election. Now the political chasm had divided us from them that even a hand shake or a wave is difficult to exchange from either side of the void.
To take on this passage politically will mean that both the voted-Lazarus and the voters-the rich man died at the polling and the voted ascended to power while the voters remain sitting in poverty in the stings of dirt and pupu water in Central Monrovia; that the voted are living in luxury at the expense of the voters whose children are either not in school or are going to bed with little or nothing to eat; the voters whose children are out of school because government cannot afford to pay public school teachers their just arrears; that while the voted are sending their wives and children for foreign medical treatment, the voters and their children are dying in health facilities with inadequate medical treatment. but the void that divide us cannot allow us to commute like we did before the election.
For too long Liberians have been treated in such manner and they had hoped that the Joseph Boakai regime who have solved some of their problems such as breaching the gap between the governors and the governed; putting food on the table of the ordinary or common Liberian, providing job opportunities for the youthful population among others. But with the class attitude Team Boakai is exhibiting in less than two years of their term, one would wonder as to what kind of governance is Boakai and his crew providing and actually, who are they governing?
Unlike Devi, the rich man who was enjoying before his departure to Hade, the common people were already suffering before the election which saw them voted into power. They were hoping that the Boakai’s regime would have addressed some of their issues before realizing that some of those in government and those in the past government were five and six (5&6); Eugene Nagbe and Mo Ali eating on ‘Facebook’.
But what I like about this illustration is that it has a happy ending that these same people will soon forget that the chasm cannot allow any transaction nor interaction between us and them; and will soon run to our doors and gates again, to ask us to consider them for another election term. By then, the story may change…
But for now, there is still time for the President to consider addressing the needs of the common people instead of living behind the chasm. Boakai and his crew need to buckle up and build a concerted relationship with the common people( by greeting people even behind the tainted shield, returning a call to that once intimate friend, stopping for that friend you knew before acquiring your big jeep) so as to ensure that both the governed and the governors will work together to achieve a collective development goal for the country, because power comes and goes.