Liberians must be patriotic

The Secretary General of the Liberia Business Association or LBA, Madam Leelai M. Kpukuyou, says the transformation of Liberia would need a collective patriotic action, stressing that it’s about time Liberians country put their country first before self.

Speaking at the Fire for Fire Church on Crown Hill, Monrovia at the formal launch of a newly established Coalition for Patriotic Action or CPA over the weekend under the theme, “Patriotism is the Surest Way to Sustainable Development”, she urges Liberians to prioritize patriotism as something that could lead the country on the right trajectory of transformation and development.

“Before any social transformation occurs, the spirit of patriotism must first be rooted in the minds of every citizen, before the growth or development of any nation is achieved, the song of patriotism must firstly ring in the minds of every inhabitants of that nation.”

According to her, the transformation agenda of any society will not be actualized when the people are not patriotic, further emphasizing that patriotism and nationalism must lead citizens’ actions if the country were to experience rapid change.

“we must all express our loyalty and love for our society by our actions, not just by talking, not just by complaining, not just about stating or pointing out the ills, but what do we do to strengthen those ills should be reflected in our actions”.

The LIBA Secretary General calls on leaders to go beyond rhetoric and false promises, and rather prioritize patriotism and nationalism in order to make national transformation a reality, calling on the youth to make demands on their leaders.

Madam Kpukuyou notes that it is not sufficient to admire somebody simply because he is a relative, but such person should demonstrate patriotism and other leadership qualities, warning, “If you don’t do that and base your relationship on personal ties, you yourself will be guilty of being unpatriotic.”

“Patriotism is putting country above self, patriotism is putting the interest on the bigger picture above your own personal interest”, she adds and stresses that sincerity and honesty must be the benchmark in electing or selecting public officials.

She explains that the transformational agenda of any nation will not be achieved if its people lack leaders who have transformative mindset and understand their responsibility to their constituents and the society at large.

However, she says while it is true the public holds huge expectations about leaders concerning patriotism, but citizens must equally work to ensure that their actions are attitudes are patriotic.

By Lewis S.Teh -Editing by Jonathan Browne