The Unfinished Fight: Realizing Liberia’s Progressive Revolutionaries’ Dreams

By: Austin S. Fallah

As time ebbs away, the Progressist Revolutionaries’ dreams of the 1970s, meticulously woven into the fabric of Liberian ideology, are awaiting full realization.

Like many nations including developed ones, we as Liberians are proud of our Brave Progressive Revolutionaries who in the 1970s risked their youths and lives to champion the causes of social and economic justice, vociferously advocating for the freedom to sculpt individual futures in a corruption-free Liberia.

They sought to establish a Liberia where the press became an unshackled oracle of truth, where women would control their destiny, and where children could access quality education.

Most importantly, they strove to create a nation that respected and protected the human and constitutional rights of all its citizens, and by extension, humanity at large.

It is time for Liberians now to dwell in this compelling blueprint that reverberated powerfully through the revolution.

Today, more than ever, the realignment of these ideals forms the warp and weft of the sociopolitical survival of Liberia.

The winds of change, having borne the responsibility of elevating President Boakai and Vice President Koung to the leadership helm, now command their utmost dedication to transforming these dreams into an achievable reality.

It can no longer be a quixotic venture but a mandatory fulfillment that pushes the Liberian populace towards an elevated livelihood.

Without question, the fight is far from over.

Our beloved Liberia still grapples with the monstrous tentacles of abject poverty, mercilessly constricting the lives of countless citizens amidst an ocean of national resources yet untapped.

Liberate the people of Liberia from these proverbial dungeons and gutters, affirming the valuable freedom they deserve.

It is high time these shadows of disenfranchisement and neglect receded and the dawn of prosperity emerged on Liberia’s horizon.

Corruption, that historical poison, needs no place in this new Liberia.

It has consistently gnarled and twisted the growth of our nation, burrowing its pestilential roots deep within our structures.

Any discourse on economic empowerment inevitably calls for the confrontation and extermination of this vile vitiator.

Now, more than ever, Liberia needs leaders who are not only averse but openly defiant to it.

A crucial facet of the myriad causes the revolutionaries fought for was the autonomy and empowerment of women. The path has been ruthless, the headwinds, relentless.

Still, the Progressives Revolutionary message echoed then rings true now, if not more, given our more enlightened hindsight, that women must be given the reins to lead, to make decisions, to shape policies, to alter their and the nation’s destiny.

Alongside women’s rights, the revolutionaries shed light on the significance of children’s access to quality education.

The future of Liberia lies nestled in the minds of its young, ready to be ignited by the illuminating flame of knowledge.

A society devoid of educated minds soon stagnates and succumbs to the abyss of ignorance.

An educated Liberia is thus an essential pledge the nation’s leadership must actualize.

Another cornerstone was the granting of a free press.

May Liberia always esteem the media’s essential role, that of an unbiased, unfiltered portal of truth, unafraid to hold power to account. Safeguard this fortress of transparency from the corrosive actions of manipulative authority.

The dreams of those Revolutionary Progressives were not mere wishes but potential realities, painstakingly knitted into the complex tapestry of Liberia’s national philosophy.

Today, these principles are specific coordinates on the development map.

Each stride towards their fulfillment brings us closer to the dream of Liberia – the land the revolutionaries spent their lives fighting for.

The baton has now been passed to President Boakai and Vice President Koung.

The onus lies with them to steer Liberia’s ship in the right direction – towards a corruption-free society that values human rights, press freedom, gender equality, education for all, and economic justice.

Let us remember that the fight for fruition is the creed the revolutionaries handed down.

Let Liberians of today live the dream that the Brave   Revolutionary Progressives fought for in the past. Now is the time to recommit to these ideals and let them shape the narrative of our destiny. It is not an option; it is a dictum that has been handed to us from a bygone, yet not forgotten, era.

The Liberation of Liberia awaits its fulfilment. Embark on this mandate with fervor and determination.

Our future a vibrant, democratic, and inclusive Liberia – depends on it.

Let Liberia arise and turn the page toward an empowered future where justice, peace, and prosperity reign supreme.