As Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe tours the United States of America making his case to Diaspora Liberians, he is said to have hit critical and highly acclaimed milestones already.
Among his numerous successful meetings is his recent high level meeting at the United States Department Headquarters in Washington D.C.
The highly respected Liberian lawyer, human rights advocate and Presidential aspirant briefed leaders in the Africa Bureau about the state of affairs of Liberia, his plans and prescription to deliver Liberia from the doldrums of poverty, repeated governments’ failure and breaking the circle of endemic corruption.
The viewpoints of Gongloe have earned international respect; not only because he has remained an ardent student of political and economic affairs for over forty years, but because his reputation is based on a life-long demonstration of his commitment to “speaking truth to power” and service on behalf of all the Liberian people irrespective of tribe, region, religion or political connections.
Among other areas of bilateral interests, Gongloe was questioned about international debt repayment as it also relates to corruption, the Anti-Corruption Commission, what might be the most effective activity to support good governance, amongst other sticky emerging national issues.
The promotion of the rule of law was critically looked at and an extensive discussion was held on many ways to tackle the problem.
Gongloe stated strongly that having a credible election is fundamental to tackling the pervasive and historic bad governance of Liberia.
He talked about having enough trained and unbiased poll watchers and election workers across the country for the upcoming presidential elections in 2023, as being critically important to advancing the rule of law in Liberia.
“For people to have confidence in their elected leaders, ballots must be cast freely (not bought), monitored, counted accurately, and results communicated transparently,” Gongloe stated.
The State Department agreed that this is an area of mutual interest, one that it has supported through international election monitoring for many years and will continue to do so with even better and advanced approach.
The Liberian lawyer shared his conviction that “change in the culture of corruption in Liberia will only be possible if leadership from the very top down insists on complete transparency from officials, quarterly disclosure of finances, and accountability.”
He stated that the failure of previous governments to live up to their promises in this regard led him to decide that he must accept the personal responsibility to do his best to make change happen by running for the presidency himself.
Gongloe further noted that the enthusiasm of young Liberian men and women from diverse ethnic, economic, and educational backgrounds inspired him so much that he could no longer say no their request for him to contest the 2023, Presidential Election-a call which he accepted on December 4, 2021, in Ganta, Nimba County.
Gongloe feels that other candidates have not demonstrated commitment to the rule of law for all the people of Liberia, and rejection of special interests, that he has.
Asked to elaborate, Gongloe summarized his commitment to human rights, including torture and incarceration under Charles Taylor; his practice of transparent and practical leadership from the days of student activism through ministerial positions in the national government and as president of the Liberian Bar Association; and his example of outspoken insistence on integrity, especially in the justice system stand out.
Gongloe also touched on dialogues he is having with disaffected youth in various communities who are drawn to drugs and crime and as well said that their strong plea is for rehabilitation from addiction and skills training that lead to jobs.
His belief is that if resources are directed to the right programs across the country and corruption is not tolerated, the underutilized human resource capacity of Liberians will rise, economic challenges can be met, and Liberia will finally emerge from its suffocating culture of dependency.
