-Clergyman tells Liberians
The General overseer of the Congregation of God Church, Rev. Patrick Appleton says it’s about time Liberia rises from the spirit of the past and rethinks for the future.
“If Liberia must get on the right trajectory, then it’s time to riseup from the past and prepare for the future that is ahead”, he said.
Preaching during official worship service held in the edifice of the church in New Kru Town, Bushord Island, Rev. Appleton said the cup of the past can only pass over Liberia if the nation and the church put their houses in order.
Speaking on the theme: Prayer is the possibility with text from Matthew 26:36-41, hesaid only prayers will remove the cup that is hanging over Liberia.
He did not detail what type of cup but noted the spirit of the past continues to haunt Liberians to the extent they are beginning to think the country will return to the days of bloodshed.
According to Rev. Appleton, the bloodshed from the April 14, 1979 Rice Riot was the work of few greedy politicians, something he said, didn’t augur well for the country.
He said Liberians should never think that such incident will occur again, lamenting that the demonstration left a terrible experience and mark on the country, so citizens were still living with fear that such might reoccur every time season of lent comes to the church, particularly around April.
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The Rice Riot was organized by the Progressive Alliance of Liberia (PAL), headed by the late political activist Gabriel Baccus Matthews against the backdrop of a proposed increase in the price of a 100lb bag of rice from $22 to $26.
According to official records, the intent of the increase was to buttress Liberian farmers’ efforts to maximize production and economic viability for the nation’s staple food producers.
Since that fateful day, some political activists and observers of political events in Liberia have described the event as the most turbulent in the annals of Liberian history.
By Lewis S. Teh-Editing by Jonathan Browne
