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Ex-President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has reserved comments on prevailing issues in the country, saying it is not what is said but how, when, and where it is said.
By Lincoln G. Peters
On Wednesday, August 7, 2024, former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf downplayed trending issues in the country during a book launch, saying sometimes, it’s not what you say but how you say it, when you say it, and where you say it.
“Now, I am here for the job that I have been called to do. You know, I have been able to do this as somebody who is a longer-time executive. Sometimes, you can’t come to these things and go like that; you have to say something. And so, I had all my big speeches ready now to come and talk about what it’s like today.
But it’s not what I’m here for. So, one, I will save it for the right occasion. Sometimes, it’s not what you say, but how you say it, when you say it and where you say it, a message to everybody,” former President Sirleaf said.
Though Madam Sirleaf did not superficially say what she meant, a recent allegation from former Auditor General John Morlu accused her administration of siphoning US1.3 billion through corruption as compared to the former governing Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) government of ex-President George M. Weah.
There have been speculations that her regime entered a deal with her former President Weah not to audit her stewardship.
No former President Sirleaf’s administration member, in which current President Joseph Boakai served as Vice President, has countered that allegation from the regime’s former Auditor General.
However, when officially launching the book, Ex-President Sirleaf expressed her excitement to be part of the gathering. She commended former Foreign Minister Amb. Olubanke King-Akerele for her extraordinary contribution to the continuous search to understand and appreciate Liberia’s history and culture.
The book titled,‘’ A Compendium of the Presidencies of the Republic of Liberia,’’ was organized by the Liberian Institute for Growing Patriotism (LIGP) and the Angie Brooks International Center for Women’s Empowerment, Leadership Development, International Peace and Security.
The book is based on a perspective on the pre-Republic era and aims to provide synopses of the legacies, challenges, and contributions to nation-building.
The book also seeks to inform the Liberian citizenry about the country’s past presidents over time, providing quick facts in an easy-to-read format to facilitate their digestion and better inform them about the various presidencies.
Former president Sirleaf described the venue at which the book was launched—the National Museum—as a work in progress on the grounds that much needs to be done to bring it up to the level where all Liberians can appreciate their history and culture.
She noted that she was honored to recognize all of those individuals who shared their knowledge, insights, and efforts to produce the book about Liberia’s leaders, which tells what they were and what they represented.
“Madam, Olubanke King-Akerele, I applaud you—not only for this extraordinary piece of work but for all the other things that you have been able to do to bring reconnection to so many of us in society, past, present, and trying to even leap into the future. This person has ideas, and when she has them, she relays them to others and puts them into practice. She has done so much,” Madam Sirleaf explained.
She stated that Liberians are all one people, one tribe engaged in the process of building a nation that all Liberians can be proud of, feel that they own and belong to, and recognize where they can take responsibility.
“May we all use this occasion to be able to bring ourselves to the commitment of being able to see our country for what it is. For the good sides, the challenges, no doubt, and for the things that others do, we recognize it and honor them. We bring out where we find the faults and challenges that can be corrected. Finally, I hereby launch this book, ‘’A Compendium of the Presidencies of the Republic of Liberia,’’ she concluded.
For her part, the former Foreign Minister and Executive Director of the Liberian Institute of Growing Patriotism expressed appreciation to ABIC and other Liberian historians, researchers, and academics who contributed their knowledge to the development of the book.
According to her, the book launch is the first edition, which spotlights seventeen of Liberia’s five presidencies. She added that they are working on the second edition, which catalogs former President Sirleaf, Samuel K. Doe, and ex-president George M Weah.
“This compendium is essentially what constitutes knowledge building and knowledge sharing. The primary purpose of this book is to present biographical materials on the presidents of Liberia through a narrative that would help inform and engage the reader to understand the reality of some of the major issues during the presidential administration over time’’ she stated.
