By Tiawan Saye Gongloe
May 14, 2025
In 1960, President William V.S. Tubman, through an Act of the Legislature, declared May 14 as National Unification Day, a laudable effort to bridge the divide between descendants of Liberia’s founding settlers and the indigenous majority. His Unification Policy aimed to promote inclusion, equality, and shared national purpose, particularly respect for the rights of all Liberians and unconditional access to all opportunities.
Yet today, the vision of unifying the Liberian people has not become a reality. Liberia has endured coups, civil war, and chronic misgovernance rooted in exclusion, corruption, and disregard for human rights and the rule of law since this day was declared a holiday. While presidential and legislative elections have been held regularly since the end of the Liberian conflict, no election has been held for the positions of paramount chief, clan chief, and town chief—in clear violation of Article 56(b) of the Constitution of Liberia—and good governance remains a mere dream. The divide between the ruling elite and ordinary citizens is growing wider every day, as seen in lavish convoys of very expensive vehicles and bloated salaries— in some cases, higher than those of comparable public officeholders in the US and UK. Yet, we continue to witness gross neglect of schools, hospitals, and food security, among other social needs of the people. This is not good governance. This is legalized theft. A government that engages in legalized theft cannot unite its people. Yet government is a place to serve, not to steal. What kind of country is this?
True unification demands seeking the greater good of the majority of the people, not the pageantry of the few. It also means forming a government of inclusion. The formula for a government of inclusion prescribed by our Legislature in 1972 is found at Section 10.2 of the Executive Law of Liberia. That section of the Executive Law provides, “As far as practicable, the President shall appoint at least one member of the Cabinet from every county of the Republic.” Yet, under the current administration, this clear statutory mandate has been disregarded. In the first Cabinet appointment, some counties received a disproportionate number of Cabinet ministers, while some counties did not even get one. This failure to include representation of all counties in the Cabinet undermines the spirit of unification and deepens the sense of marginalization.
In a country with a high level of youth unemployment, it is quite annoying to see a massive influx of foreign employees at mining companies doing jobs that Liberians should do, thereby making a national holiday like Unification Day totally meaningless to the youth. Yet more and more young people in Liberia and abroad are attending universities and technical schools to qualify themselves for the job market in Liberia. Many have graduated and cannot find a job, while the government is allowing companies to employ more non-Liberians for jobs for which Liberians are qualified and available.
The unification of the Liberian people is not possible without a unified government. For example, until yesterday, the unity of the Legislature, the first branch of government, was threatened by the Executive Branch’s refusal to respect and defend the opinion of the Supreme Court of Liberia. The President and his Cabinet ministers ignored the Court’s ruling against the so-called majority block of the House of Representatives and did business with the said group whose conduct had been declared illegal—merely because the Court used the term ultra vires.
The President’s response to the Court’s ruling on the bill of information—in which he declared that he would “continue to deal with the quorum…”—was a blatant act of defiance of the Supreme Court. This disregard for the Judiciary constitutes gross misconduct—an impeachable offense. It is a manifestation of an imperial presidency, reminiscent of an earlier defiance when the President suspended tenured officials despite the Court’s ruling and established precedents that he lacked the legal authority to do so. Unification must be based on respect for the rule of law.
There can be no unity in a country where the President, his ministers, and some lawmakers refuse to respect decisions of the Supreme Court. It is hoped that following the constitutionally acceptable election of Hon. Richard Koon, he and all those who supported him in his illegal assumption of the office of the Speaker will exercise the leadership required to heal the deep wound and division created in the House of Representatives by his flagrant violation of the law. At least he has now realized that “the law is the law” and nobody in this country is above the law. The rule of law has won!
Unification is also about putting the interest of the people first. We must learn from some of the actions of leaders like Captain Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso, who, though a military head of state, lives modestly and puts his people first. We must draw inspiration from Botswana, Rwanda, and Mauritius—African nations that are making steady progress by investing in education, healthcare, and fighting corruption. That’s what progressive leadership looks like. Only progressive leaders, because of their selflessness, national consciousness, and commitment, can truly unite a nation. Unification will continue to be a mere dream in Liberia as long as our leaders continue to govern our country in a manner that keeps it among the ten poorest countries of the world. Certainly, unification will not be possible in Liberia as long as a few people at the top level of government increasingly get richer every day, while a majority of the people get poorer every minute of the day.
The undeniable truth is that unification of the Liberian people can only be realized through equity, humility, and respect for the rule of law. Let this day renew our collective commitment to unite all Liberians by putting the interest of the people first—not a privileged few.
A Better Liberia Is Possible!
Happy Unification Day to all of our national leaders and the people of Liberia. One people, one nation, with one destiny. May God bless Liberia!!!
