Liberia’s 177th Independence Day orator, Dr. Robtel Neajai Pailey, delivered a compelling and provocative speech that critically examined Liberia’s relationship with the United States and called for a profound internal transformation.
Dr. Pailey’s address was a powerful critique of the current socio-political landscape and a bold vision for a re-imagined Liberia free from colonial legacies and external dependencies.
Dr. Pailey unequivocally criticized the influence of neoliberal institutions such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and their proxies in the United Nations.
She argued that these institutions are not committed to the radical transformation needed for Liberia to truly re-imagine itself. “Our socio-economic transformation must be internally-driven, not externally imposed,” she stated.
Dr. Pailey emphasized that reducing poverty and inequality requires redistributing wealth, investing domestic revenue in basic social services, and protecting land and labor amidst capitalist reintegration.
Highlighting a crucial oversight in Liberia’s development strategy, Dr. Pailey noted that the country has focused almost exclusively on state-building at the expense of nation-building over the last two decades.
“One cannot succeed without the other,” she asserted. While state-building strengthens government institutions and infrastructure, nation-building is about improving the relationships that govern citizens’ lives.
It involves a people-centric approach that is internally driven, requiring national agency, ownership, and resources.
Dr. Pailey underscored that nation-building enables citizens to demand representation, rights, and resources, while state-building enhances the government’s ability to provide privileges and protections.
Dr. Pailey praised the recent progress on establishing a war and economic crimes court as a significant step towards justice and a convergence of nation-building and state-building.
However, she criticized the short lifespan of Executive Order No. 131, which established the Office of a War and Economic Crimes Court, and the dubious circumstances under which the executive director was selected.
She urged President Boakai to withdraw the nomination and ensure that the Office is staffed with credible Liberian human rights defenders.
Dr. Pailey also expressed concern about the United States’ outsized influence in Liberia’s transitional justice process, advocating for new strategic partnerships based on mutual benefit.
Dr. Pailey called for a re-imagined Liberia that is free from colonial artefacts and legacies.
She proposed adopting national symbols that reflect the country’s cultural breadth and historical depth. Questioning why the national motto isn’t “the love of liberty united us here” as recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and why the highest national honor retains the politically charged term ‘pioneers,’ she suggested renaming the capital Monrovia as part of decolonizing the country.
Dr. Pailey advocated for establishing a committee of Liberian scholars, local government officials, cultural experts, and visual artists to devise new national symbols, culminating in a referendum.
She also suggested adopting one of Liberia’s widely spoken languages as the national language and embracing Liberian English as the lingua franca, promoting multilingualism as a form of nationalism.
Liberia 177th Orator highlighted that Liberia’s shared history of migration unites all its people, stressing that dignity must define them.
Emphasizing the need for a national consensus on public service, Dr. Pailey urged Liberians to prioritize competence and public interest over personal gain.
She praised the electorate for rejecting incumbents in recent elections through the ballot box rather than violence, and called on the National Legislature to engage more with constituents, improve transparency, and reduce their salaries to allocate more funds for social services.
Dr. Pailey thanked President Joseph Boakai for inviting her to speak despite warnings about her outspoken nature.
She urged him to focus on tangible goals, institute swift reforms, and assemble a team of competent Liberians with integrity.
Dr. Pailey proposed using the phrase ‘dignity must define us’ as the unifying anchor for the administration’s national development plan. She called for the executive branch to operate efficiently, with President Boakai leading quarterly town hall discussions and mandating ministers and heads of state-owned enterprises to do the same.
Dr. Pailey concluded by encouraging all Liberians, especially women and youth, to remain resilient and demand more from their leaders. “A re-imagined Liberia is a liberated Liberia,” she affirmed, expressing hope for the country’s future.
Her message was clear: Liberia’s transformation must be internally driven, and dignity must be at the core of this re-imagined nation.
