Keynote Address at the Commemoration of the 2nd Triennial Convention and the Celebration of the 6th Anniversary; Theme: “Decent Work Through Unionization”

By Tiawan Saye Gongloe, on October 4, 2024 at 11:30 AM

Government officials, leaders of the National Union of Hospitality, Aviation, Communication, and Energy Workers, other union leaders, distinguished guests, members of the 4th estate, ladies and gentlemen:

Before going any further, allow me to congratulate you on your 2nd Triennial Convention and the celebration of your 6th anniversary as a trade union. Your theme, “Decent Work Through Unionization,” resonates with me. As a former Minister of Labor and a lawyer who has served the labor movement for many years, I can say with certainty that unionization is a powerful force for change. It benefits both employees and employers by establishing a framework for collective bargaining and defining terms of service. This creates a foundation upon which the Ministry of Labor can mediate and resolve disputes under the Decent Work Act of 2015, our country’s current labor law.

During my tenure, we implemented Regulation No. 17, which increased work permit fees for foreign workers from US$400 to US$1,000. The purpose of this was not merely to increase revenue but to ensure that Liberian workers had a fair chance in their own country. It aimed to reduce the competition from foreign workers for jobs that qualified Liberians could perform. And while my time as Minister ended, the results were significant. The Ministry of Labor became a major contributor to government revenue, and Liberian jobs were more protected.

However, today I wish to go beyond labor issues and focus on a more fundamental question. A question that, when asked, pierces the conscience of every Liberian. It is a question that echoes through our history, our politics, our daily lives:

The question is “What kind of country is this?

What kind of country is this, where honest, hardworking union and community leaders as well as public servants—those who serve with integrity—are shunned, ridiculed, and ostracized? In other nations, such individuals are celebrated, respected, and honored. But here in Liberia, the opposite happens. The honest ones are branded as poor, mean-spirited, and selfish because they refuse to flaunt ill-gotten wealth. They refuse to throw money around in the reckless, corrupt manner we have come to accept. Instead of admiration, they are met with disdain and rejection. Their families, friends, and communities turn their backs on them. What kind of country is this?

Where is the respect for integrity? Where is the admiration for honesty? Where is the pride in choosing the difficult, righteous path over the easy, corrupt one? In Liberia, it is the corrupt, those who flaunt stolen wealth, who are celebrated. In our communities, our churches, our mosques, and civil society organizations, we hail the dishonest while the honest suffer in silence. What kind of country is this?

What kind of country is this, where government officials act as though they are helpless bystanders to the very problems they were elected to solve? These officials, who have been entrusted with the highest responsibilities, speak as if they are powerless. Instead of acting like leaders, they behave like opposition figures or civil society activists. They point fingers at the corruption, inefficiency, and incompetence that they themselves should be addressing. Is this how Botswana, Rwanda, or Cape Verde rose to progress?No! The leaders of these countries took bold and decisive actions to solve their national problems. They did not merely talk about the corruption or inefficiency within their governments; they fought these ills head-on. They rolled up their sleeves and cleared the dirt out of their systems. What kind of country is this, where the leaders merely talk about corruption instead of eradicating it?

What kind of country is this, where former opposition leaders, once loud critics of government corruption, now defend the very practices they once condemned? These leaders once spoke out passionately about the need for change, about justice, about accountability. And yet, once in power, they become the same defenders of the status quo they once advocated against. What kind of country is this?

What kind of country is this, where parents are forced to pay exorbitant graduation fees—sometimes higher than the entire school fees for the year—just to attend a one-day ceremony? Public universities, declaring free tuition, burden students and families with outrageous graduation fees. And yet, many of the government officials imposing these fees enjoyed  free education themselves, from primary school to university, without paying a dime in graduation fees. I went government school without my parents paying a dime and even got free textbooks. My parents did not pay even up US$100 a year while I attended St. Mary’s High School in Sanniquellie in the 1970s. My parents paid US$37.50 per semester at the University of Liberia until I graduated in 1981. In all those schools my parents did not pay one cent for graduation fee. Perhaps, I would not completed school if my parents were faced with the unneccessary financial burden of graduation fee imposed on parents today. There is no justification for graduation fee. On graduation day,  schools only rent a sound system and chairs if it does not have enough chairs. The imposition of graduation fee is an act of wickedness to students and  parents, to put it mildly. Government should stop it. It is not fair to parents and students. What kind of country is this?

Our leaders promised us “hope.” They promised us “no more business as usual.” They promised to “rescue” Liberia. But what has changed for the ordinary Liberian? What has changed for the struggling parents, the students, the workers? The only changes we see are in the personal lives of high-ranking government officials and heads of public corporations. Their homes grow bigger, their cars more luxurious, while the rest of us wait for the promises to be fulfilled. We are asked to manage our expectations. What kind of country is this?

What kind of country is this, where wage disparities are so glaring that it would take a teacher, law enforcement officer, or nurse  at least five years to earn what some government officials make in a single month? These are the very public servants who hold our country together. They educate our children, they enforce our laws, they care for our sick. Yet they are paid peanuts while officials at the top live in luxury. What kind of country is this?

What kind of country is this, where we tolerate poverty, hopelessness, and mass anger among our own people? Our young men and women, driven to despair, fall victim to human trafficking, risking their lives for a chance at dignity. Some die in the Sahara Desert, chasing a glimmer of hope. Aye, God! What kind of country is this?

My fellow citizens, this is not a rhetorical question. This is a call to action. We must confront these harsh realities. We must hold our leaders accountable. Government is a place to serve, not to steal.

We must reject the notion that elections are investments, where candidates spend money during campaigns only to recoup their “investment” once in office. This is not governance. This is not leadership. It is legalized theft. The next time we go to the polls, we must reject political investors. We must elect leaders who will truly serve the people—leaders who understand that holding public office is a sacred trust, not an opportunity for personal enrichment.

A better Liberia is possible. But it will not come by waiting. It will not come by wishing. It will come by action. It will come when we change the mindset that government is a business venture and that corruption is acceptable. It will come when we stop making excuses for dishonesty and start holding each other accountable. Together we must sweep corruption from the government of Liberia. Only then can we stop asking this painful and heartbreaking question: What kind of country is this? No!, No, we cannot continue to ask this question from one government to another because a better Liberia is possible when we sweep corruption from the Government of Liberia.

Thank you, and may God bless Liberia.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tiawan S. Gongloe is a career lawyer and current professor of human rights law at the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, University of Liberia. His legal career spans over 35 years. The immediate past president of Liberia, he is well known for his human rights advocacy in and out of Liberia

He is the Managing Partner at the Gongloe and Associates Law Firm. More recently he participated in the 2023 general elections in Liberia as a presidential candidate of the Liberia People’s Party. He placed a distant 6th. During the elections he always travelled with a broom – a symbol of his commitment to sweep corruption out of Liberia He also popularized the phrase(s): “Government is a place to serve, not to steal” & “A Better Liberia is Possible”.