THE IMPORTANCE OF CRITICISM

Madam President, having just come out of a most devastating civil war where the lack of participation of the people in national decision-making was at the root of the causes for war, the way forward for the better Liberia necessarily is the participation of the people in national decision-making. Whatever form this participation takes, as long as it is peaceful, must be encouraged. If any form of this participation were to run counter to the rule of law, then the courts become the proper place for handling the matter.

We often hear the expression: “some people are useless because all they do is just criticize and criticize destructively with nothing good to say.” Who is to decide on what is constructive and good? What is against some one's personal interest is usually considered to be destructive and bad. But when criticism is in a person's interest, then it is constructive and good.

There are some people who criticize because they are of the view that something is wrong but they do not have the experience to point out what is right. The criticism from these people should be appreciated because it could be helpful in preventing people, governments and other institutions from doing the wrong thing. Persons with much experience, like myself, should exercise high levels of responsibility by drawing upon their experiences to point the way forward for the better Liberia . In my Commentary, Talking With the President, I spare no efforts whatsoever in presenting problems and making suggestions for solving the current problems and preventing their recurrence.

Let me point out some situations in history and currently where the failure to recognize the usefulness of criticism led to chaos. Let us start with criticism about inequalities in society which was first made some 2508 yeas ago by Plato, the Greek philosopher. Plato said that any society in which a few persons enjoy enormous wealth at the expense of the poor masses would lead to chaos. All violent revolutions to date have used considerable inequalities in society as pretext. In the history of Liberia , several critical observations come to the forefront. The celebration of Matilda Newport, who never existed in the Battle of Fort Hill, was criticized for its lack of truth and its promotion of disunity. The failure of government to implement the Constitution of Liberia in the spirit of justice for all was criticized by the Legendary and Patriotic Albert Porte for over half a century. MOJA pursued the criticism of the lack of justice for all, especially the poor masses. The hut tax was criticized as being regressive and oppressive. The marginalization of the vast majority of the people, especially village people and women, was criticized for its unconstitutionality, as seen in its undemocratic nature. His Grace, Archbishop Michael Kpakala Francis constantly reminded the Nation that “only justice can bring peace.” Many times we suffer as a people because we do not rely on over 2000 years of truth that continues to be available to us. Instead, we depend on our personal interest in carrying out public duties.

If the government had encouraged criticism, some people who promoted violence would have been discouraged from doing so. Security forces used in the repression of the people, their own people, were in the vanguard of violent regime changes. Invariably, the pretext for the violent regime changes became the marginalization of the vast majority of the people, which manifested itself concretely in bad governance, injustice and massive poverty.

So, Madam President, although it might be a hard pill to swallow at times, our history clearly and convincingly shows that criticism must be encouraged so that people can talk rather than fight. If the talk were to go against the law, then let the courts, rather than our personal interest, decide on the fate of the critics. This is the only way to justice for peace.

Let me bring this commentary to a closure by commending you, Madam President, for recognizing the importance of criticism, as seen in your admission of error in the announcement of the bid winner related to the Western Cluster Iron Ore Project. Your leadership in appreciating criticism led to the consideration of the criticism made public about the need to revisit the announcement. Let us be hopeful that your good example in this regard will be emulated by other government officials. Only the strong admit errors and work for corrections. It is the weak who fear criticism. A strong leader takes the right, just, democratic and peaceful stance