KUKAATONOH
urges Bong County to produce National Leader in
’05.
Address
to the Annual Convention of the United Bong County
Association in the Americas. May 28- 30, 2004
in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. By Louis Roberts,
Interim Chairman, KUKAATONOH.
Mr.
President, Officers and Members of the United
Bong Association, officers and members of other
local chapters, distinguished guests, ladies and
gentlemen. Mr. President and members of your hard-working
team, for and on behalf of the Interim Administration
of KUKAATONOH and our many admirers, we wish to
extend to you and members of the Host Chapter
our heartfelt thanks and appreciation for conducting
the affairs of this Organization and for the hosting
of the Annual Convention, during these difficult
times in our history.
As
we assemble here today, we are constantly reminded
about the hardship our people continue to encounter
back home. Lest we forget, our determination to
help our people in their welfare must be paramount
in our undertakings. Despite these difficult hardships,
we find ourselves constantly divided on everything,
from personal issues to national issues, in our
various communities, after leaving Liberia for
these shores. We continue to promote divisive
attitudes, petty gossip, extreme envies and just
dirty talk.
Mr.
President and fellow Bong County Residents, today
as we hold our Annual Convention, history tells
us, we are also celebrating the 40th Anniversary
of the creation of the County and the establishment
of the Sister-City Relations, between Gbarnga,
Liberia and Baltimore, Maryland. Unfortunately,
our leadership in the Baltimore area has lost
the touch with the esteemed relations in the Mayor’s
office and has also failed the Bong Residents
in the Metro-DC area. We have lost our watchful
eyes in the City of Baltimore and do not form
a part of this special relationship anymore. Gbarnga
City in the past, enjoyed fruitful relations and
was the recipient of many good tidings, from Baltimore.
Today, unlike the past, individuals who have not
and will not promote the interest of the City
of Gbarnga and its people are representing Gbarnga
in Baltimore City. This Association must take
the lead in re-establishing the once loved Sister-City
Relationship.
A
little over a year from now, we will be participating
in the historic presidential and general elections,
to be monitored by international observers in
our native Liberia. These elections must be a
referendum for taking the political power base
to the people. The Liberian people deserve better
life, healthcare, education, security and a sense
of being involved in the developmental process
of their communities.
Mr.
President, a group of former students from Gboveh
High School in Gbarnga, Bong County, feeling the
need to be involved in identifying qualified individuals
to represent our interests in the national government,
established KUKAATONOH, as a political interest
group. Although we are having some successful
results, our efforts have been misjudged, misconstrued,
misinterpreted and taken out of context. Some
individuals in this very group, in this day and
age, initially questioned the use by us of the
Bong email listings, while others spoke against
the duplication of the phrase KUKAATONOH. Yet
to a handful, we were labeled the JJC’s. We do
not intend to indulge in these discussions, but
will continue to work for our people, against
all cynics.
KUKAATONOH’s goal is to identify a son or daughter
from Bong County, who will challenge the crowning
and the making of Mr. Charles Brumskine as the
lone Candidate and Standard Bearer of the Liberian
Unification Party, at the Party’s Convention.
Mr. Brumskine in our opinion must not be allowed
to enjoy the fruits of those who labored so hard
against the injustices of the past. KUKAATONOH
has resolved to leave open the option to field
an Independent Candidate, just in case Mr. Brumskine
and his cohorts steal the LUP Standard Bearer
Ship.
Mr.
Brumskine’s quest for this noble role is being
supported by some members of our Organization
in Liberia and here in the United States. Already
the Brumskine’s Group has created a new LUP- USA,
appointed new Chairpersons in Monrovia and in
the State of Rhode Island in preparation for his
coronation without any regard to the prior leadership
in Baltimore and some founding members of the
Party. Mr. Brumskine must be made to understand
that he does not own the Party and does not have
the right to take over the administration of the
Party. The legacies of the late Gabriel Kpolleh
must be protected and kept alive, against the
domination of Mr. Charles Brumskine, who did not
make an impact in LUP during the ’85 Elections
and at the untimely death of Gabriel Kpolleh.
For
the record, we are not suggesting that the Liberian
Unification Party (LUP) is a Bong County Party
or a Kpelle Party, but students of political history
will hasten to reveal that the late Gabriel Kpolleh
was directly associated with Bong County and that
the majority of his supporters came from the county
during the 1985 General Elections.
We
pray and hope that the majority in this Organization
will see reasons, as we leave for our various
destinations, to begin to feel the sense of urgency
in taking care and promoting our own. There isn’t
anything wrong for God’s sake, for us to support
our own competent and qualified sons and daughters
for leadership roles. If there are a few who are
willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, the most
we can do as a body is to identify with their
cause and provide our total support for a better
Liberia.
These
elections must not be a quest for us as Liberians
to revert to the old order, when political power
was left in the hands of a few. A time when elected
officials only felt that Monrovia was Liberia
and everywhere else did not matter. Where corrupt
leaders and their associates dined and wined the
Monrovia way.
Now
is the time, that we as members of this body,
must put aside our political and social differences;
the lower Bong and Upper Bong Attitude, the Jorquellie
Kpelle, the Kakata Kpelle, Sonoyea Kpelle, the
Lofa Kpelle, the Kokoyah Kpelle and the Congo
Kpelle syndromes and unite under one banner for
the total support of a candidate from our county.
All of Bong County and its affiliates in other
parts of the country must be mobilized to ensure
total victory for this worthy cause. An individual
who is God fearing, lacks greed and selfish interest,
with the capacity to represent the total interest
of the Liberian population and not a select few,
will do the work for us all. We must begin to
realize that a divided group of individuals will
not succeed in the quest for national leadership.
We
must understand that only one individual can be
President of Liberia. However, we also have the
cardinal responsibility to support and promote
other qualified individuals as our representatives
to the National Assembly and for local administrative
offices.
Mr.
President, Officers and Members of this body,
ladies and gentlemen, KUKAATONOH is concerned
and is encouraging all of us to put aside all
negativities and form one body politic. A body
that will take the lead in making our position
clear, uniting us in supporting and promoting
a qualified son or daughter from our county, to
the high Office of the President of the Republic
of Liberia. Our position must not be seen as an
attempt to promote people on tribal lines, but
as an avenue to begin to take care of our own.
Because
we supposedly boast the largest population in
the Nation, we must take advantage of this blessing,
and not allow ourselves to be used and abused
at our own expense for the promotion of others.
We have qualified and dedicated people with leadership
abilities from the county. We must not let them
down, for the good of our people and the Nation.
Let us all resolve to commit our resources and
time for those who seek leadership roles.
There
are those among us who feel that the time has
come for us to promote other candidates who do
not come from within our ranks. We must stand
up against these people. We must rally around
our own sons and daughters for leadership roles.
We must not allow people to use us for electoral
purposes, for when the elections are over, we
will be invited to the victory parties, but will
not sit on the decision making tables, for the
final analytical review. We must remember that
a vote against our own is a vote against our future.
We
must keep alive the dreams of our fore fathers;
the dreams of Boto Barclay, of Brasee Kpangbai,
of Wesseh Gardiah, of Chief Musa Kamarah, of Madame
Suacoco, of James Y. Gbargbea, of Elizabeth Collins,
of Charles Mcgill, of Augustus W. Korkoyah, of
Madame Lango Lippey, of Doloklen Gboveh, of Doloklen
Paye, of Doloklen Barworlo, of Salome Giddings-Hall,
of Harry Greaves, of Ayon Cassell, of Kolleh Gwee,
of Bardeh ZaZa and the dreams of all those who
stood up for Bong County, let us not let them
down.
Now
is the time for us to make the difference in the
Liberian Society, and produce a president, a foreign
minister, a chief justice or an associate justice,
a minister of health, a minister of education
or a something. These goals are only achievable
if we all point in one and only one direction.
Let
us all put our hands around our sons and daughters
and promote them for the Office of the President
and other legislative positions. Thank you and
God bless the works of this wonderful Organization.
KUKATUNON
EMBARKS ON POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT IN LIBERIA &
VOWS NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION
Date:
Wed, 07 Jan 2004 01:17:08 +0000
Members
of the United States based KUKATUNON political
action group, at a New Year's mass meeting in
Columbia, Maryland, USA, have recommitted themselves
to work for the political transformation of Liberia.
Pledging
their financial, material and human support and
resources for this initiative, members of KUKATUNON
have unanimously chosen Cuttington University
College Professor, Mr. Richard Jenebayan as their
interim National Coordinator for Liberia to execute
the organization's programs and activities in
Liberia.
At the meeting, members of KUKATUNON also reviewed
and modified the organization's constitution and
pledge to hold elections of officers during their
next meeting, as well as evoling strategy for
their active political involvement in Liberia.
Earlier, the interim Chairman of KUKATUNON, Mr.
Louis Roberts delivered a statement, outlining
the broad vision of the organization, as indicated:
January 3, 2004
SPEECH
Good
afternoon. We like to thank God for his manifold
Blessings, bestowed upon us and for allowing us
to assemble here today. Your presence here is
an indication of your support, for a change against
the ugliest manifestations of our past. We pray
God continuously for his blessings and the many
lives he saved, during the years of the Liberian
carnage. In loving memory of those who
lost their lives, during the dark period in our
history, we want to ask you to please stand in
observance of a moment of silence for their departed
souls. One-Minute
Silent Prayer. May the souls of the faithful departed,
rest in perfect peace, Amen; thank you and God
bless.
A
few months ago, a group of Liberians mainly from
Bong County, began the process of discussing our
roles and participation in the 2005 General and
Presidential Elections and the subsequent support
to the People of Bong County and Liberia, after
many years of civil strife. We soon realized that
the discussion we had hoped to be on a local level
was beginning to mushroom.
The
group formally met on October 25, 2003 on a short
notice with a resounding successful discussion.
During our deliberations, we agreed to organize
a broad based grass roots Liberian Political Interest
Group named “KUKATUNON”, meaning, “we are one”
in the local Liberian Kpelle Language. We agreed
to affiliate with any political party; where the
party’s platform and the Standard Bearer
exhibited total interest in the Liberian People,
above all others. Because the majority of the
initial attendees were from Bong County, we agreed
to identify qualified individuals, who will contest
the Standard Bearer Ship of the Liberian Unification
Party (LUP) at the ensuing Party’s Convention.
KUKATUNON is committing itself to providing financial,
material and moral support to qualified candidates
for the Office of the President, Vice President,
members of the National Legislature, as well as
other local government officials. The group agreed
to leave open the option to form a political party
in Liberia.
However,
let me make it crystal clear that KUKATUNON is
not a Bong County Interest Group, KUKATUNON is
also not a Kpelle Political or Social Group. For
the record, KUKATUNON is not a Lofa Political
Group, with a Kpelle Name, or a Bassa Group or
a Nimba Group, or a Montserrado Group, with a
Kpelle Name. KUKATUNON is a broad based grass-roots
Liberian Political Interest Group,
accessible to all peace loving Liberians and true
friends of Liberia, believing in the promotion
of a New Liberia, with qualified “New Breed of
Political Leaders”, possessing strong ethical
and moral values, ready for the challenge of time,
in the transformation of the Nation.
By
these statements and despite the unpleasant present-day
connotations, we do not regret promoting a qualified
“New Breed” son or daughter from Bong County,
Lofa County or Margibi County or from any county
for that matter, to the high office of President
of Liberia. We hold no apologies for our intended
actions, for if a qualified man or woman from
Bensonville, Lexington, Edina, Harper,
Monrovia or Robertsport can be president of Liberia,
so too can a qualified “New Breed” man or woman
from Blameyea, Shankpelia, Fessibu, Sanoyea or
Sacleapea be President of Liberia. Let us not
interpret these positions on our part as being
divisive or tribalistic, but rather our quest
in the promotion of a new Liberia, for all Liberians,
where the President can come from anywhere in
the Country.
These
ventures we are undertaking are very serious,
extremely expensive and require dedicated people
for sacrificial services. KUKATUNON is a very
poor Organization, with absolutely no financial
resources. We will be counting on all of you for
financial and material support. We have made our
commitments of equal opportunity for the entire
Liberian Population. We will be calling on
every Liberian at home and abroad, including some
true Friends of Liberia, for financial, material
and moral support; if we have to succeed, we must
accept the challenge and make the sacrifice to
contribute generously to this worthy cause. Be
reminded that the $ 5.00, the $ 10.00 and the
$ 25.00 contributions, we like to make on occasions,
will not make it; we must sacrifice in a big way,
for the long-term investment in our political
institution. Our commitment must not be for public
show, if we make a decision to help, we must live
up to it for a good cause.
In
order to run an effective and efficient campaign,
we must not be facetious, we must understand that
Bong County, Lofa County, Grand Bassa County or
Montserado County by itself, cannot and will not
win any election in Liberia. The collective effort
of all Liberians, under one banner for the total
accomplishment of a new Liberia is important.
We must begin to reach out to all people of good
will. This is why, KUKATUNON is promoting inclusion
at all levels and we appeal to all Liberians to
join our efforts for the transformation of the
new Liberia, from Grand Cape Mount County to Maryland
County and from the top of Lofa County to the
bottom of Grand Gedeh County.
The
new Liberia we envision requires new breed of
unselfish political leaders, with strong ethical
and moral values, who will put Liberia above all
selves. We need real God-fearing Leaders, who
will practice what they preach and mean what they
say. We dream of the new Liberia, where quality
traditional and vocational education will be stressed
and make continuous education for the many child
soldiers possible. The new Liberia must ensure
that health care is provided and administered
in all places, for all people. We envision the
new Liberia where justice and human rights will
be upheld. We see the new Liberia, where actual
freedom of the press will be encouraged, promoted
and protected. We envision the new Liberia, where
emphasis will be placed on mass food production,
for the nation to feed itself. Total reconciliation
at all levels must be the hallmark in the new
Liberia.
We
see the new Liberia, where a smaller national
government must be decentralized, where superintendents
of counties and other officials in the counties,
must be elected by the people in the counties
and not appointed by the President. We see the
new Liberia, where Liberians will be most appreciative
and contribute fully to the national development.
The new Liberia we dream of, must
be free of sycophantic political leaders, who
draw up resolutions after resolutions, just because
the President has small malaria. The new Liberia
must do away with the old time political attitude,
where when the President asks for a glass water,
only one person must be allowed to get it and
not ten government officials pretending to give
ten glasses of water, at the same time. The new
Liberia we envision, must encourage foreign investors
to come and invest for the benefit of the Liberian
People and not for the benefit of a few. The new
Liberia must promote and encourage comprehensive
disarmament programs, to rid Liberia of most of
the remaining weapons, after the United Nations.
The new Liberia must not make the President drunk
with too many political powers. The new Liberia
must not reward political criminals and war lords
in any fashion or form with election victories,
for to do so, will encourage more political criminals
and many more war lords to masquerade as liberators.
We
see the new Liberia, as a nation that will promote
Liberian entrepreneurship, holding certain businesses
to Liberians and barring foreign investors from
doing fire coal, ice water, dogafleh and other
small businesses. In the new Liberia, Liberians
who sell their birthrights and their pride to
business people for bribes must be punished. We
see the new Liberia, where the government must
encourage the many Liberian Certified Nursing
Assistants, the many Liberian Social Workers and
the many Liberian Professionals in the Diaspora
to go home, especially at this time and join the
effort in the healing process of the many scarred
Liberian Children, Mothers and Fathers from the
destruction of years of senseless wars. We see
the new Liberia, where we all must be our brothers’
keepers. The new Liberia we envision, must definitely
not begin in Monrovia and end in Monrovia. The
new Liberia must not give reasons to recycled
political criminals in the Diaspora to use their
influences, in calling for the imposition of sanctions
on the nation, when sanctions really do not hurt
the leaders, but the less fortunate. And the new
Liberia we see must not provide the avenue for
recycled Liberian criminal businessmen and politicians
to use their resources to buy arms and insist
on destroying the nation, just to be accommodated
as leaders of the Country, at any cost.
There
are those among us today and out there, who have
made commitments to other political parties and
endorsed other presidential candidates; we want
to appeal to all Liberians, that before you make
that final decision to cast your vote and
promote your candidates, take a good and hard
look at your candidates from afar and look at
your candidates from inside/out, reflect on the
roles they played in bringing us to where we are
today, from our troubled past; their association,
their contribution and their involvement in the
destroyed Liberian Society. For Colossians 3:
9-10, tell us that “ Lie not one to another, seeing
that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
And have put on the new man, which is renewed
in knowledge after the image of him that created
him”. Our votes this time are important decisions
that will have lasting repercussions on our daily
lives as a people.
And
finally, let’s take note, that to achieve these
objectives, we all must do some soul searching:
We must put away the gossips, the envies, the
back stabbings, the reckless attitudes to each
other, the not speaking to so and so, the we are
not on good terms, the under my dead body talk
and the what ever; what ever the what ever is,
we all need to reconcile with each other; our
parents (especially those of us who have our parents
living, times are hard and our parents need us),
we need to reconcile with our neighbors, our friends,
within our communities, our relatives, our local
organizations and above all, we must reconcile
with our God. As we begin the process of reconciliation,
let us realize that patience is a special virtue
in the healing process and in order
for true reconciliation to be achieved; we must
all take responsibilities for our guilt, have
a contrite heart and move on. Thank you and God
Bless LIBERIA.
KUKATUNON
SEEKS NATIONAL INTEREST
November
28, 2003
The
Interim Chairman of KUKATUNON, a Liberian Political
Interest Group, based in the United States, Mr.
Louis Roberts has said, that KUKATUNON is not
a Bong County Interest Group, because of its nomenclature.
Speaking at a recent Thanksgiving gathering in
the State of Maryland, Mr. Roberts cautioned a
cross-section of Liberians to be mindful of detractors
and old-guard Liberian politicians, seeking self-glory
at the expense of any government in power.
Mr.
Roberts said KUKATUNON is a broad based Liberian
Political Interest Group, accessible to all peace
loving Liberians. Our group is interested in tapping
the potential of all talented Liberians, to take
on leadership roles in the country. The Interim
Chairman is encouraging Liberians to invest and
support the “New Breed of Political Leaders”,
with strong ethical and moral values, ready to
set the pace for a free and truly democratic Liberian
Society. In our present circumstances, we must
remember that the need to access and examined
the characters of the candidates for offices will
be very important, for the future of the nation.
Mr.
Roberts expressed concern that for too long old
guard and recycled Liberian political leaders
have failed the Liberian people, with no remorse.
Accordingly, he said KUKATUNON would institute
grass-roots voters’ education and voters’ registration
programs, to prepare the Liberian People against
re-electing reckless politicians. Mr. Roberts,
is advising the voters in the 2005 General Elections
to avoid the temptations of cosmetic gifts and
freebies from potential candidates, and must insist
on reviewing the past political, human and general
social history of the candidates to the Liberian
people, before casting their votes.
Concluding,
Mr. Roberts urged Liberians to wake up from their
dreams of uneasiness to the transformation of
a new Liberia, based on the rule of law, reconciliation,
patriotism and the commitment to growth and development
in Liberia. –END-
LIBERIANS
FORMED ACTION GROUP TO INFLUENCE NATIONAL POLITICS
November
5, 2003
A Liberian political action group has been formally
launched in the United States. The Group named
and styled "KUKATUNON," - meaning "We
are one" in the local Liberian Kpelle Language
was launched recently in the State of Maryland
by a cross-section of Liberians in the Diaspora.
During the meeting, the participants, mainly from
Bong County, resolved to influence the body politics
of Liberia through the democratic process of elections.
As a broad-based grass-root Organization, KUKATUNON
has committed itself towards providing financial
and moral support to qualified candidates for
the Office of the President, the Office of the
Vice President, Members of the National Legislature,
as well as other local government officials.
Attendees also agreed that KUKATUNON affiliates
with any political party, where the Standard Bearer
and Party's platform will highlight the interest
of the Liberian people first. The Organization
agreed to identify qualified individuals who will
contest the Standard Bearer ship of the Liberian
Unification Party (LUP) at the ensuing Party's
Convention prior to the general elections in Liberia.
The Group however agreed to leave open, the option
to form a political party in Liberia, depending
on the political landscape.
In order to achieve these objectives by
awakening national consciousness and galvanizing
broad based support and participation, the members
of KUKATUNON have unanimously designated Louis
Roberts to administer the affairs of the organization
as interim Chairman pending the holding of elections
shortly.
At the meeting, Mr. Roberts thanked the membership
of KUKATUNON for the preferment, and noted that
liberia is at a crucial crossroad in the search
for visionary leaders who will put the interests
of the people above self. He stressed the need
for Liberians to put aside their political and
social differences and begin to identify people
with excellent and impeccable characters to assume
leadership roles for the good of the country.
He said Liberia has excellent and competent men
and women with great abilities to efficiently
conduct the state of affairs of Liberia. He noted
that the era of endorsing candidates for national
leadership in Liberia who lack the requisite credentials
are over. He challenged Liberians not to allow
themselves to be manipulated by self-seeking and
narrow-minded politicians, camouflaging to be
champions of the cause of the people, when they
are the real enemies of the people in disguise.
Mr. Roberts told the body that his first task
would be to undertake a major outreach campaign
of Liberians across the United States to urge
them to avoid complacency, as they have a major
role to play in determining the political future
of their country. He said politicians would continue
to take Liberians for granted if they fail to
rise from the slumber of complacency.
