The Liberian National Legislature Should Legislate a National Holiday for all Presidents’ birthdays

The Republic of Liberia is 177 years old now. The country historically has had 26 presidents. I think it should be 27 Presidents because the present 26 excludes Hon. James Smith who served as Vice President to E. J. Roye whose death the history of Liberia is controversial about. Hon. James Smith is said to have served a “truncated term” as Acting President after the controversial death of Edwin James Roye (the issue is being researched and discussed in my upcoming peer-reviewed “Liberia’s Presidential/political History”). I have observed that Liberians individually like or love some presidents and dislike or hate others. As a Political Scientist, I understand that this is normal/usual about human beings. We all either hate/oppose or like/love certain people wrongfully or rightfully. This is about our feelings. For whatever we think and will think about all our former, current, and future National Presidents, I hold the view that we should celebrate whatever gains they have made and will make for Liberia. Imagine that Liberia has had the first female elected President in Africa. She is former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Imagine also, Liberia has had the singular African winner of the Ballon d'Or as the Country’s President. He is former President George Manneh Weah. Don’t we need to celebrate their birthdays too? Let us celebrate all our National Leaders for their service to the Republic of Liberia.

 

November 29^th was celebrated once again as former President William V.S Tubman’s 129th birth anniversary. Just after that, November 30^th, 2024, was the 80^th birth anniversary of H.E. Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s birthday anniversary also. President Boakai’s birthday was quietly celebrated not only because it is not a national holiday, but also due to the demise of former Senator Prince Y. Johnon from Nimba County, and the death of Hon. John Gray, former Vice President from Grand Cape Mount who served under President Moses Z. Blah from Nimba. President Boakai’s birth anniversary also coincided with the resumption of the direct flight of Ethiopian Airlines to the Republic of Liberia’s Roberts International Airport (RIA). Senator Johnson and Nimba County played a pivotal role in the election of President Boakai. Thank God the Hon. Jeremiah Kpan Koon, Liberia’s current Vice President, was politically groomed by the late Senator Johnson. Historically, President Blah served a shorter Presidential Term in recent times just as former Vice President Hon. James Smith. This could be one of the reasons Hon. James Smith should have been listed as a former President (to be discussed later in full).

 

While I was drafting this opinion on President Tubman’s birth anniversary, a presenter on the ELBC morning show (name withheld) said that “ President Tubman was a Grebo man.” I was shocked by the open declaration on the state radio because this was a historic falsehood. I needed to promptly make the correction. Therefore, I posted on Facebook saying “Happy November 29^th. I just listened to a presenter on ELBC who said President Tubman was a Grebo man. That is historically wrong because Tubman was not a Grebo Man.” Surprisingly, the post attracted a lot of reactions. Some of the reactors displayed a deep-seated ignorance about Tubman’s tribal origin showing an adequate lack of knowledge about the History of Identity in Liberia. Even some of my colleagues, that I expected to be aware of this historical piece of information came arguing about Tubman’s tribal lineage. What puzzled me most was not the argument and counter argument, but that some people I expected to know this did not know. I am therefore made to believe that the scholars in the Liberia academic space need to do more research and published peer-reviewed historical texts about Liberia’s history. This History of Liberia needs to be written and rewritten always. It is possible that the current generation of Liberia has some information gap about the political history of the country. If that is the case just as this President’s issue has unearthed, Then future generations stand to equally get misinformed about several historical facts on Liberia. Hence, there is a need to vigorously teach Liberian History and Civics with the Constitution in all our schools.

Briefly about former President Tubman, he was born in Maryland County, but that does not make him a Grebo man. Any of the tribes could be born anywhere, but our law says you come from your father’s lineage. Tubman’s parents migrated from the United States of America. They were part of the founders of a free slave enclave called Maryland in Africa. There were series of tribal wars between the Americo Liberian settlers and the Grebo people over land acquisition and territorial expansion (to be fully discussed another time). So, President Tubman was a descendent of the settlers in Maryland. He was an Americo Liberian, not a Grebo man like me as other people think and believe. Historically, there has been no Grebo man who became President of Liberia. I was born in Harrisburg where my mother hails from, but my father originated from Maryland then. He was a Grebo man. So, I am a Grebo man today. Presently, my hometown falls in Grand Kru County. Interestingly though, some people think that I am a Kru man simply because my County is called Grand Kru. However, people need to know that the Grebo people are the majority in Grand Kru County. I am not a tribalist, but I strongly believe that Liberia’s History should be rightfully written and explained. The Truth remains my guidepost.

AS I SEE IT, and as it is, Liberia only celebrates the birth anniversaries of two of its former presidents as National Holidays. Liberia nationally celebrates the birth anniversary of former President Joseph Jekins Roberts, first President of the Republic, and that of former  President William V.S Tubman, the 18^th President of the Republic. Should we not celebrate the birthdays of the rest? All other Presidents’ birth anniversaries are not legislated as National Holidays. Do we need to make all their birth anniversaries National Holidays? No! I do not think so. If we did so, we would have about a whole month for former Presidents’ birth anniversaries as National holidays. Did all former Presidents of Liberia do something that the country should celebrate? Yes! I think all of them have done and will do good things. I therefore think and strongly recommend to the National Legislature to kindly legislate a single National Holiday to celebrate all our presidents up to now and in the future. This is why I am recommending the legislation of what I prefer to be called a “National Presidents’ Day.” If this were legislated, no president’s birth anniversary would be left out now and in the future.

 

About the Author: Prof. Tom Kaydor, Jr. serves as an Assistant Professor at the IBB Graduate School of International Studies. He holds a PhD from the Department of Government and European Studies, the New University, Slovenia where he specialized in International Development and Diplomacy (with Security Aspects). His dissertation topic was ‘Reconceptualizing Africa’s Regional Integration for Peace and Sustainable Development’. He earned a Master of Public Policy (MPP) specialized in Development Policy or Development Economics with Distinction from the Crawford School of Economics and Government (now the Crawford School of Public Policy), Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. He also obtained a Master of Arts (MA) in International Relations (Highest Distinction) and Bachelor of Arts (BA) Magna Cum Laude in Political Science from the University of Liberia where his Minor was History with Masscom as is his Elective. Tom holds a Diploma in Leading Economic Growth from the Kennedy Graduate School, Harvard University, USA; and he holds other diplomas and certificates in professional fields from Italy, UK, Pakistan, China, and Israel. Prof. Kaydor is also an Adjunct Professor of International Development Studies at the AME University Graduate School. Dr. Kaydor is an evidence-based researcher, a blogger, a columnist, and a published author. One can reach him via (kaydorth@ul.edu.lr or thkaydor@gmail.com).