Liberian progressives mostly those from the Movement for Justice in Africa (MOJA) and others have been urged to “Lead the change” having fought for social justice and political freedom for over 50 years.
But to achieve this, the progressives must first stop the continuous undermining and abandonment of each other and “lead the change they must change.”
These bitter comments were contained in a eulogy delivered by a Liberian Lutheran Church Clergy, Bartholomew Bioh Colley, known as BBC during the recent funeral service held for the late Dr. Thomas Welley Shadrick Jaye, Director Institute of Research and Policy Studies of the University of Liberia.
Jaye, who died on Friday, July, 13, 2020 and was buried on Wednesday, September 2, 2020 was a security scientist and had been a staunch member of MOJA since 1977.
“I have heard and continue to hear with dismay that comrades have abandoned and continue to undermine each other, while most have not met nor spoken for months and years, yet we claim wanting to liberate and transform our country when we cannot liberate nor transform ourselves, our relationships and our institutions,” the clergyman wondered.
Colley said these glaring contradictions on who the progressives really are have mandated him to challenge those activists to construct a Rainbow National Coalition comprising of all social forces to include but not limited to the revolutionaries, radicals, liberals and conservatives that must lead the way to transform Liberia.
The clergy said he then has begun to envisage the late Jaye’s belief of this rainbow coalition does not polarized, antagonists or establish a verbal combating groups that must lead the transformation of the country.
The Pastor-In-Charge at the Trinity Lutheran Church intimated that MOJA-Liberia must create forums dedicated and focus on thematic areas, including political organization, economy, reconciliation and social cohesion and traditional Africa values that will be resourceful and useful for African governance system.
“If we the progressives cannot lead the way then who else as history and God will judge us harshly or kindly. Progressives, this is the charge and challenge which require your urgent attention if Dr. Thomas W. Jaye’s memory must be kept alive amongst us,” Colley reminded.
He indicated how Jaye’s believed that the progressives can transform Liberia without violence and that history is still on their side.
“He envisaged a united and integrated rainbow national coalition comprising of the revolutionaries, radicals, liberals and conservatives; saying that there is no village, quarter, town, clan, chiefdom, district, county, region, country, nor social, business, professional, political, social group that only made up of or who are distinctly revolutionaries, radicals, liberals and conservatives; each group described above has the mixed and representation of all of the above,” Colley lamented.
To the nation and its people, he continued: “We must work for forgiveness; we must reconcile and unite by deconstructing and reconstructing our individual and group’s narratives, characterized by blame games scapegoating, victimization, betrayal and exploitation.”
The clergyman said let Liberians be informed that whenever we demonize each other, then we also dehumanize each other and finally we denigrate each other, then the people and our country, adding, “We must develop our nascent and costly democracy anchored on Human Rights Culture and the rule of law.
Colley went forward that Liberians must do away the vices of the past, when some claimed regimes fanatics and revolutionaries and yet others claimed anti-regimes fanatics and revolutionaries. “We must strive to be and become revolutionary patriots, nationalists and pan-Africanists.”