LIBERIA’S ELECTION TO THE United Nations Safety Council (UNSC) as a non-permanent member for the 2026–2027 time period was meant to be a second of collective nationwide delight — a diplomatic triumph for a nation striving to reclaim its picture after a long time of battle and fragility.
IT SHOULD HAVE been a time to have a good time the fruits of persistent worldwide engagement, a time to affirm Liberia’s place on the world stage.
INSTEAD, THAT UNIFYING second was marred by a deafening silence — one which past phrases and plunged the nation again into the acquainted trenches of political division.
WHEN PRESIDENT JOSEPH Boakai addressed the nation to declare the achievement through a speech posted on the Government Mansion’s Fb web page, he did what many anticipated. He lauded the resilience of the Liberian folks, recommended his diplomatic group, and paid tribute to former presidents akin to Joseph Jenkins Roberts, Edwin Barclay, William V.S. Tubman, William R. Tolbert Jr., and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for his or her contributions to Liberia’s international picture.
BUT GLARINGLY ABSENT from his remarks was even a passing acknowledgment of former President George Weah — the person whose administration launched Liberia’s bid for a seat on the UNSC and spent years navigating the complicated terrain of worldwide diplomacy to make that dream attainable.
THIS WAS NOT an oversight. It was intentional. And it was deeply troubling.
POLITICAL TRANSITIONS, PARTICULARLY in fledgling democracies, provide uncommon alternatives for unity. They’re home windows by means of which sitting leaders can rise above political rivalry and place nationwide curiosity above celebration acquire. President Boakai was handed such a window with Liberia’s UNSC election. However as an alternative of greedy it, he shut it.
PRESIDENT BOAKAI’S OMISSION of Weah was not merely a case of unhealthy optics — it was a calculated political act that undermines the very spirit of diplomacy that the Safety Council represents. In doing so, President Boakai could have received the applause of his partisan base, however he forfeited a uncommon alternative to mannequin statesmanship in a rustic that desperately wants it.
TO SET THE report straight Liberia’s journey to the UNSC seat started in the course of the tenure of Weah. His authorities developed the preliminary strategic plan, engaged with regional blocs akin to ECOWAS and the African Union, and launched Liberia’s diplomatic appeal offensive to win votes.
THESE ARE NOT opinions; they’re info backed by timelines, official communiqués, and worldwide diplomatic engagement data.
IT IS ALSO WORTH noting that in his remaining State of the Nation deal with in January 2023, President Weah highlighted the progress his administration had made in positioning Liberia for the UNSC seat. That imaginative and prescient, that basis, paved the way in which for the eventual success. The Boakai administration did nicely to finish the journey, nevertheless it didn’t start it.
TO COMPLETELY ERASE the contribution of a former president, significantly one who led the nation in the course of the vital formative phases of this bid, will not be solely unfair — it’s undemocratic.
IT IS LITTLE surprise that opposition voices from the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) –Weah’s political celebration –reacted with outrage. Figures akin to Jefferson Koijee, Regan Saydee, and Nelson Rhodan didn’t merely protest out of partisan loyalty.
THEIR CRITICISMS REFLECTED a bigger concern that Liberia’s politics stays locked in a cycle of tit-for-tat, the place acknowledging the contribution of a political opponent is seen as weak point slightly than maturity.
KOIJEE WAS BLUNT, calling the silence “revisionist” — and lots of agree. Historical past have to be instructed in full, not carved to swimsuit short-term political narratives. Liberia’s political elite should understand that management will not be measured by how successfully one erases the footprints of a predecessor, however by how one builds upon them with honesty and humility.
BY DENYING WEAH even a footnote within the narrative of this diplomatic achievement, Boakai successfully narrowed a nationwide success right into a partisan speaking level. It was a disservice not solely to Weah, however to the Liberian folks — who deserve leaders able to rising above political tribalism in moments that decision for collective celebration.
FOREIGN MINISTER SARA Beysolow Nyanti has argued that whereas the concept started beneath Weah, it was her group that carried out it with urgency and resolve. Which may be true. The present authorities does deserve credit score for bringing the bid to fruition, however not at the price of historic honesty.
THE REFUSAL TO acknowledge Weah’s foundational function suggests a broader concern of political insecurity. For a authorities that ran on a platform of “rescue” and “renewal,” it’s perplexing that it might miss a chance to focus on the facility of continuity.
IN STABLE DEMOCRACIES, one administration’s success is usually constructed on the groundwork of its predecessor. There is no such thing as a disgrace in that. Actually, it’s how nations transfer ahead—by constructing, not breaking.
LIBERIA’S NEW ROLE on the UNSC is symbolic of its return to international relevance. It will likely be on the desk when choices are made on peacekeeping missions, sanctions, and worldwide safety. It offers Liberia a voice, a vote, and a visibility it has not loved in a long time.
BUT WHAT IS the purpose of that visibility if the nation stays consumed by inside bickering? How can Liberia communicate with credibility on international peace and reconciliation when its leaders can’t reconcile at dwelling over a shared success?
ALREADY, CIVIL SOCIETY teams akin to STAND have issued sobering reminders that this seat isn’t just a reward — it’s a duty. Chairman Mulbah Morlu rightly warned that Liberia’s worldwide face should match its home actuality.
THE UNSC SPOTLIGHT will solely amplify the contradictions between picture and fact, particularly if human rights violations, suppression of dissent, or incompetence proceed unchecked at dwelling.
PRESIDENT BOAKAI STILL has an opportunity to course-correct. A subsequent assertion or acknowledgment, even when delayed, would ship a robust message. Not solely would it not validate the work of those that got here earlier than him, however it might additionally show to Liberians — and the world — that the nation’s new management is able to uniting the nation beneath shared values slightly than deepening divisions by means of silence and selective reminiscence.
MORE IMPORTANTLY, the Boakai administration should now ship. The symbolic victory of the UNSC seat have to be matched by actual reforms at dwelling akin to improved healthcare, strengthened training, job creation, and respect for human rights. In any other case, the seat will grow to be nothing greater than a diplomatic masks protecting a decaying basis.
HISTORY is watching.
AND HISTORY WILL report not solely that Liberia received a UNSC seat — but in addition how its leaders responded to that second. President Boakai’s silence on George Weah could have appeared politically handy within the quick time period, however in the long run, it speaks to a deeper problem: the shortcoming of Liberia’s political class to transcend electoral cycles and embrace nationwide continuity.
THIS IS THE time to be larger than politics. To have a good time not simply this authorities or that chief, however Liberia. All of Liberia.To do much less is to squander a uncommon and treasured alternative.
