By Naneka A. Hoffman
Liberian clergy Bishop Kortu K. Brown says the country needs nation-builders, not just job seekers.
He was speaking at a weeklong intercessory prayer for the youths of the New Water in the Desert Assembly, the Apostolic Pentecostal Church in Brewerville, and the country at large.
Bishop Brown said according to the expert review, nation builders are individuals who play a crucial role in constructing or shaping a national identity within a state.
He explained that their efforts contribute to the long-term stability and viability of the nation.
The clergy noted that nation-building means creating a country that functions out of a non-functioning one either because the old one has been destroyed in a war, has fallen apart, or never really worked properly.
The General Overseer of the New Water in the Desert Assembly, the Apostolic Pentecostal Church noted that part of the challenge Liberia faces is that the country has more job seekers than nation-builders.
“In order words, many Liberians who opted for public office do not do so because they care to create a country that functions out of a non-functioning one like the civil war made Liberia,” he argued.
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The Bishop stated that their preoccupation is to find a job to take care of themselves and their families.
“This is the sad state of Liberia,” the former president of the Liberian Council of Churches said.
While referencing First Samuel Chapter 16 verse 7 of the Old Testament in the Bible, he emphasized the challenge of choosing people “we don’t know to serve in the public square because of their countenance and height.”
“God warned the prophet Samuel against choosing a replacement for King Saul based on the physical look and height of the person because He, God doesn’t see the way man sees. Man looks on the outside while God looks on the heart,” he explained.
Bishop Brown challenged the new government to rise and go beyond just responding to people seeking jobs but to search and identify nation-builders who can help create a new nation.
He noted that the old Liberia didn’t work properly, fell apart, and was destroyed by civil war.
He urged the new government to decentralize the 10,000-IT-Youth program by reaching out to about 100 existing computer centers across the country to train about 100 youths each over the next 6 months.
He believes that this will enable Liberia to train 10,000 or more youths in 6 months and also create jobs for other people.
Bishop Brown suggested that to fight poverty, the government will have to create a specific structure that will enable it to directly engage and fight poverty in the country which is chronic and excruciating.
“I propose that President Boakai consider the setting up of a ‘Commission on Poverty Eradication’ (COPE) to lift the People’s Standard of Life.”
