By: Steve W. Collins writes
Liberians in a country of ours wherein, we believe in the strength of Democracy, it’s time we protect the engine of democracy.
Today we all celebrate our beloved country flag day, which is a joyous thing to do, because these kinds of celebrations remind us of who we are, where we came from and how far we are going as a nation. Liberia is a country that has experienced one of the most terrifying civil crises in the world, which is unarguable. Yet still today we can assemble in our various different gatherings in respect to the allegiance we have pledged to our nation, whether while coming up in primary or secondary schools…or on some events, at time while walking around certain government institutions that host the flag daily, and you have to pledge your allegiance in respect for the flag, and our Nation.
What I am portraying in the above paragraphs is about us, we Liberians, one way of the other we have pledged allegiance to our dearest country, through the hosting of the flag somewhere, somehow.
As a patriot and a peace lover, I have come to inform you my fellow Liberians that it’s our responsibility in this electoral period to protect the Peace of our country, we have witnessed a lot of rising violences across the nation, cruel brutalization of your brethren and sisters, some which led to death, imagine such.
We are all lovers of democracy because, one way of the other we want our voices to always be heard or respect in decision making, but here is what we are mistaken, the engine, I mean the absolutely and only ENGINE on which DEMOCRACY runs is PEACE, No Peace, No Democracy, No Respect for the Human Race. I have come to let you know that the flag day we celebrate today has a symbolic meaning, which is the eleven stripes, which symbolize the signatories of the Liberian Declaration of Independence, which give us a sense of belonging as a people from a particular respected Republic, and the red and white symbolize courage and moral excellence. The Courage and Moral excellence, it’s not that courage and excellence for fellow Liberians to murder your fellow man somewhere in Nimba County, it’s also not the courage to brutalized your brethren and sisters somewhere around Vamoma House, this not a courage to brutalized your fellow patrons somewhere in the Airfield New Road, this is not the courage to cut part of your fellow Liberian Ear somewhere in Monrovia, this is not a courage to brutalized peaceful university students somewhere at the University of Liberia main campus, and you just name rest.
The courage these two colors symbolize, is the zest, to monster to love, to care, to respect all, to respect the rule of law, to uphold human dignity and values. The courage and excellence that is being represented in these colors, is the courage and excellence to be monsters to enjoy your political rights, it’s the courage to think, to campaign for the transformation of Liberia, like the two young Liberians girls who in their own views thought it’s a worthy cause to campaign for the incumbent president to pertaining, while in such process they met their demise, peace be to their ashes. It’s a courage and excellence for people to campaign democratically to vote out the incumbent government because they think in their right mind that, it’s time for someone else to take the country because they feel, it’s best for the Liberian people.
This is the kind of courage and excellence our flag symbolize. Let pertain the peace, use our vote to express our gratefulness for the development or our dissatisfaction. Let me borrow these few lines from one of the songs sung by famous Liberian artist called CIC, “When it’s Dry Rice Let Eat it with No Stress, take your spoon and join let eat it, No throwing stones, I want peace, I don’t want war, use your vote”
I want to say Happy Flag Day to Mama Liberia. I love you Mama Liberia.
