Speaking on a local radio station (OK FM) in Monrovia this week, Liberia’s former President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has called on her fellow compatriots to desist from ‘Badmouthing’ their country, despite the many constraints in Liberia as to whatever is said reflects on the people themselves.
In a very calm and soft-spoken tune, the ex-Liberian leader who sounded more patriotic during his radio talk, said Liberians find pleasure in what she called “Too much talk’ which she noted does not reflect positively on the Image of their country, which she said undermines the kind of respect others should have for the country.
According to the former Liberian leader, whose administration welcomed the freedom of expression in Liberia, expressing her views about existing issues in not wrong, but urged Liberians to learn to talk, and be proactive in finding solutions to their problem collectively instead of presenting the country as one that is unworthy to exist.
She emphasized that no one can be exempted from whatever suffering that may come to the country as a result of economy decline and, if the current administration fails, it will be a failure of the entire country. The former President said she is not delving into the current state of affairs of the country, noting that Liberia’s economy was on a good footing during her first term and second term, until Ebola erupted everything.
Nevertheless, the ex-Liberia President said, before leaving office, the country was recovering and things were moving better than they are now, adding, “Discussing the economy on radio and in the public may not help to solve the problem, but if George Weah administration can call on her to provide her expertise I will be willing to do so,’ the former Liberian leader told her listeners via radio.
She said criticism from the opposition does not mean that the opposition is an enemy to the ruling Party, but the opposition’s action sets the basis for a strong democracy that gets the ruling Party to correct the mistakes and to also let the opposition remember its criticisms to do the right thing when they resume power through democratic elections.
On the issue of wealth, the former President noted that she does not have money as people may have perceived her to have; but the money she has comes from payments she receives when she perform delegate task in conferences is invited to.