By Lewis S. Teh
The senior pastor of the Restoration Church of All Nation in Kakata Margibi County Bobby Brown says Liberia needs a visionary and committed leader to transform the country.
“No leadership succeeds without an articulated vision, ascribing to leadership one must come with a vision, and be able to set a goal”, he says.
Pastor Brown continues that anyone ascribing to leadership must also be able to mobilize and check behind those goals, and make the people feel a part of the vision or goal, adding with that, one will feel the inclination of what they are doing.
Speaking recently at souvenir program marking the first induction ceremony of the Thumbs Up Community leadership in Caldwell, Montserrado County electoral district#15, he said setting goals and having articulated vision as well as being committed to those goals and vision is something that anyone wanting to be a good leader can work with.
Commenting on the Bicentennial Celebration, he notes that Liberia has a lot to celebrate, adding that after 200 years, the country was able to put behind thought of senseless war.
“We’re no longer hearing gun sounds, we no longer at each other’s throats, we no longer depending on the international community for assistance, we have in a place a governance structure, and we can also celebrate that we have democratic elections the turning over of government from one to another that’s a landmark achievement that we’re proud of as a people.”
But Pastor Brown stresses that there’s so much that needs to be done as a country in order to arrive, pointing to challenges such as lack of roads and other infrastructure, among others.
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“Even though this government is trying her best but they need to set their priorities, and those priorities must be seen in the way they cast the national budget”, he adds.
At the same time the clergyman says it’s incumbent upon every citizen to contribute to the development of Liberia in whatever way they can, saying politicking shouldn’t divide the nation, rather, Liberians should love one another and unite.
“I believe ardently one of the reasons people suffer mediocrity in various institutions and governance structure is as the result of having few leaders and too little leadership, he says and notes that the last two decades of the country’s contemporary history witnessed a massive brain drain.
According to Pastor Brown, now Liberia doesn’t need brains as much as Liberians need hearts, “we need energy, we need vision, commitment, and passion at every level of our government and corporate institutions and within each of us.”
He reminds the newly inducted leadership that it’s vision that ignites the fire of passion, adding that if vision is the source of leadership, passion then is it power.
The touch-talking clergyman further that leadership is about mobilizing people by painting a vision for the future in which they see a role for themselves, and a future of which they all want to be a part.
“Leadership is not a mantle automatically bestowed with a job title, although many think it is. position or prominence is not to be confused with leadership, adding leadership is more than anything else, it is about influencing, mobilizing people behind a cause.”
Meanwhile, making remarks on behalf of the outgoing leadership Elder Milton Barloh urged the incoming leadership to identify its priority areas for achievement.
“Whenever you are given the opportunity to serve, you must first identify your priorities in order to reach your goal”, Elder Barloh adds.
He discloses that since 1971, this was the first legitimate leadership that the Thumps Up community have had, rallying all constituents to work along with the new leadership.
Chairman-elect Mr. G. Alphonso Saydee says his top priority is to tackle healthcare, sanitation and waste management.
” We have come with a vision, innovation, and a sense of direction to improve the livelihood of our people by making healthcare, and sanitation our foremost priorities”, Mr. Saydee assures residents.
Those elected and subsequently inducted over the weekend are Mr. G. Alphonso Saydee, Chairman; Mr. Morris H. Barclay Co-chair; Roosevelt S. Varney, Secretary General; Kwita Dunbar, financial secretary, Gbessay Z. Massaquoi, Treasure, and Patricia Varkpeh Chaplain, respectively. Editing by Jonathan Browne
