By: Austin S. Fallah: A Compassionate Liberian and Student of Public Policy with a Vision for the Best Liberia:
Public policy, especially in the context of security, plays a key role in the determination of a nation’s overall well-being.
Through policymaking, nations can influence aspects like national security, social equity, and inclusive development directly.
This discourse seeks to explore how the reformation of security-related public policy contributes to the common good, specifically focusing on the case of Liberia and suggesting a new policy model.
This model would ensure that every part of the nation contributes equally to its security infrastructure, creating a better balance of power and preventing a single group from monopolizing influence or control.
For Liberia, a nation with a tumultuous history marked by civil wars and political instability, it becomes all the more essential to design a public policy that enshrines fairness, inclusivity, and peace.
In a proposed new policy model, each district would contribute to all security forces, thus creating a balanced and diverse representation within the country’s national security apparatus.
Under this model, for example, each district would contribute 50 personnel for the military, 40 for the police, 35 for Immigration, 30 for the Customs, 25 for Fire Service, and 20 for National Security.
By having every district equally contribute to the security forces, national security would no longer be vulnerable to monopolization by any one group.
It would prevent situations similar to historical incidents where one group could hold the nation’s peace and security hostage for lengthy periods.
In creating such broad-based and diverse contributions to security, the policy would establish a clear connection between each district and national security.
Each district’s involvement would help foster ownership, a sense of responsibility, and loyalty to the nation, further strengthening national security.
Moreover, this policy would act as a bulwark against internal strife.
A representative security sector, where every individual can identify themselves with the personnel, is less likely to be perceived as a threat by local groups or communities.
It could contribute to better conflict management, pacification, and crisis response throughout the country.
This equilibrium in security contributions also mirrors successful practices in democratic nations like the United States, where each state contributes National Guards to bolster combined security.
In the proposed policy model, all these groups would form a part of Liberia’s national security apparatus.
This unity can be beneficial in times of national crisis when all these groups can collectively be mobilized by the Commander-in-Chief to restore peace and stability in any part of the country.
Such an innovative public policy model would usher in equity and inclusivity within Liberia’s security sector.
By limiting the possibility of any single group exerting undue power, it will contribute to the common good.
It promotes a sense of unity and representation among diverse districts, fostering a robust and balanced national security system.
It is a realistic and feasible model to ensure a bright, peaceful future for Liberia, enhancing its path toward inclusive democratic development.
This proposed public policy offers not just a new path for Liberia, but a valuable lesson for nations globally in fostering a diverse, representational, and effective security structure.
