A National Embarrassment!

The lawmakers disgracefully snubbed the national visioning exercise

A great deal of news coverage has been devoted to the rift between the Executive and Legislative branches of government since last September, with the latest snubbing of the National Vision 2030 by legislators, leaving many disappointed and sad.

Both branches have been at each other’s throat and so it actually didn’t come as a surprise that activities related to the official launching of the Vision 2030 conference were snubbed by lawmakers.

It all began last September, when President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf allegedly told a gathering in the United States that Liberian legislators were more interested in themselves than much else in scrutinizing the fiscal budget and---as a result--- had unilaterally increased their share of the budget.This comment had enraged members of the House of Representatives with Speaker Tyler requesting the President to retract her comments against that august body.

So, two out of the 30 senators and one out of 76 representatives, showing up at the National Vision 2030, really didn’t come as a shock; on the other hand, it exposed a lack of unity in Government that could be exploited by unscrupulous and manipulative individuals to create chaos and strife. Surprisingly, some legislators are blaming the conference committee for not officially inviting them.

When will these national leaders stop being hypocritical about restoring peace to Liberia? Why should it always be about them and not the country? I think it high time that these officials put aside their selfish, self-centered interests and genuinely take charge of the country’s healing exercise. How can we achieve genuine peace when these very national leaders are embroiled in conflict among themselves? I think the issue at hand could pose a severe setback to the positive stretch of Liberia’s path toward peace; a stretch that leads to reconciliation.