Liberia: ‘Lead or Follow’

Lewis Brown, chairman of Team Cummings, continues to sermonize the need for leadership as his political leader; Alexander Benedict Cummings is noted for doing so.

Like Cummings, Brown has said on many occasions that there is a dire need for leadership in Liberia if the country is to see itself on the right trajectory; noting that people who aspire to leadership should choose to either “lead or follow.”

Brown is the chairman of Team Cummings, a political auxiliary of the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) leading the campaign for Cummings’s presidency. He is a former Liberian ambassador to the United Nations, a former Foreign Minister as well as former Information Minister and he is known for his tough talking charisma.

Recently, when he served as keynote speaker at ceremonies marking the installation of Swagger Island Community’s newly elected leaders, the former ambassador cautioned that until there is decisive leadership at all levels in the country, the nation will never advance to its glorious destiny.

He said leadership is different from followership and that nobody can be a leader and a follower at the same time.

“The problem that Liberia has currently is a leadership problem. We have somebody who wants to act as a leader and a follower at the same time, and that can’t work. You have to choose to be a leader or a follower,” Brown noted.

Swagger Island is a community located opposite Stephen Tolbert Estate in Gardnersville, Montserrado Electoral District #12, and its recent induction of those elected into their respective offices is for the next three years as provided for by the constitution of the island community.

Over twenty thousand people are said to be living on the island, but they lack basic public amenities, including latrines, electricity, pipe borne water, and a health center, among many others.

“We are suffering, and things are difficult because we don’t have somebody to make decisions with. Rather, we have a follower who is occupying the presidency,” Brown told his audience.

 He admonished the newly inducted community leaders to be leaders instead of followers.

Brown explained that leadership represents having a sense of direction rather than complaining about everything and blaming others “as it is seen with the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) government.”

“Let me remind you that God gave each of us a gift to choose either the wrong leader or right leader. If you decide to choose the wrong leader today, you will have a difficult time tomorrow. The decision you took today will give you the result you ought to benefit from tomorrow,” he emphasized.

He cautioned that it does not matter where anyone comes from when it comes to leadership, but one’s determination to rise above limitations. “There are some people that are afraid of writing on their own check that God has given them. If you don’t value yourself, this country will not value you,” he told the community leaders.

Brown added that leadership comes from God and that at times God sends bad leaders so people can suffer and learn to correct their own mistakes.

“This is what is happening to our country, Liberia, now. But it has consequences. When you lead people to regret why they voted for you, you will lead them into temptation. The Lord’s Prayer says that God Himself should not lead us into temptation but deliver us from all evils. And, this newly inaugurated leadership should not follow this pattern of leadership associated with temptation because if they do, it will end the wrong way,” he concluded as he wished them success in their endeavors.

Isaac Dolo Nyahn, the newly inducted chairman of Swagger Island, thanked Brown for his admonition and assured his community of his leadership’s commitment to working in the interest of all.

Nyahn noted that while there are many challenges facing the community, unity among the residents is paramount to ensuring its basic amenities are realized.

“We are here fully aware that you chose us and will support us. We have to be united in order to achieve our goals. We all know that we don’t have public electricity on our streets. We know that there is no public latrine in this community. We are equally aware that there is no pipe borne water here but with your support, we can have these basic needs,” he assured.

Nyahn reported that his leadership has worked with community block leaders and identified means through which they will be able to bring to the community the missing facilities.

He said fifty solar light bulbs and poles as well as three latrines will be constructed in the community, noting, however, that due payment of L$25 per month by each family would help in raising the needed funding to initiate and execute the development plans.

“To you Ambassador Brown, please convey to Mr. Alexander Cummings our greetings and inform him that we need his assistance as we embark on providing these public facilities and services to our people. This community is not owned by any political party or a political leader. We welcome all of you here. Come and preach your message and the people will make their decisions at the ballot box,” Nyahn pointed out.

Others inducted into officers are Maybel T. Kumeh, Alice Y. Kumeh and Sylvester B. Collins, as co-chairman, women wing chairman and treasurer and secretary general respectively.