Liberia: Mr. President, Please Cancel This Year’s Independence Celebration


Dear Mr President:

I present compliments of my highest esteem to you and your family including members of your cabinet.

As a concern citizen and an advocate for social justice, I am hugely constrained writing you this letter. You Excellency, few day weeks ago, I learned that you are planning a huge celebration for our Independence day on 26July. My understanding also is that such celebration is to be sponsored by the State, meaning that every penny that will be spent will come from the national cover.

Mr President, permit me to kindly appeal to you in the name of God and see reason to have any such celebration cancelled. Your Excellency, under the current climate in the country, especially the economy hardship which is even leaving our healthcare centers vulnerable, I want to plead with you to abandon any form of celebration that we as a nation will spend more than US $1,000.00. 

There are so many hospitals right now in our country that are lacking of basic medication to even treat an emergency patient let alone to talk about a pregnant woman or that little child seeking a second chance in life as they await for a medication that will save them from dying.

Mr President, one of your colleagues, President John Magufuli upon taken office as leader of Tanzania, he cancelled such celebrations stating that his country was facing huge difficulties including financial difficulties. Agree with me Mr President, our current financial situations are challenging and you as our leader will have to take that pressure time to accept and admit that in deed our country is struggling and that you have to lead us out of it. This, however, must come from you as our leader.

If any reason that the budget has already been raised and that the money is right now available, kindly share between few referral hospitals to enable them purchase some basics while we wait of the 2019/2019 national budget. 

Yours, Sincerely

Maxson S. Kpakio

Concern Citizen/Social Justice Advocate

[email protected]