On President Boakai:
“I think the President needs to understand that he has a broader pulpit. Whatever he says matters and it has so much weight. People will hang on every word that the President will make. The president has the responsibility to bring the country together. What the president said, the reaction it generated, just makes me more worried about 2029. If I were the president, maybe I would be more moderate. It’s up to the president to do the honorable thing and clarify his statement. They say words have meaning. I think the president should speak to those people who are offended by his parable. He needs to clarify. I am very worried about the level of intolerance creeping in our politics. We need to show some restraints. Our national discourse is becoming more, more acrimonious. People are just yelling across the table instead of engaging. I don’t think this is good for our democracy.”
On The Economy:
One of my disappointments is that you don’t hear much from the people who are managing the economy. One of the challenges of Liberian government is information dissimilation deficit. The problem we face is that the government machineries will spend more time attacking individuals then addressing the real issues. We hear from ordinary Liberians how difficult it is becoming every day. That’s why the economic management team has to explain what is happening. Those who are in the financial sector need to engage the public more. I think it’s intolerance on all sides.”
On Education:
“The fact that young people go to high school and graduated, and they are not able to read simple sentences, it’s troubling. It is a future in danger for education in Liberia.”
Bishop Kortu Brown, former President, Liberia Council of Churches
