Liberia: ‘We Rest Our Case’

…. In Celebration of the Life of Veteran Journalist Philip Nimene Wesseh

The funeral date for the Veteran Journalist Philip Nimene Wesseh is October 28 and is to be held in Kloh Daye-Daye Kpor (Kraowihn, wrongly called Kru, for New Kru Town), where he grew up and completed the Legendary Didwho Welleh Twe (D. Twe) High School. 

Whenever the Veteran Journalist Wesseh wrote any article, he always ended the article with the expression: “I rest my case.” This expression is actually the presentation of the Case of the People of Liberia, Our Case. 

This is Our Case because the Veteran Journalist Wesseh was drawing attention to the plight of the people of Liberia under the system of injustice. He was making Our Case for Justice. The Veteran Journalist Wesseh was not showing that he graduated from the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law of the University of Liberia. The Veteran Journalist Wesseh was not indicating that he graduated from the College of Mass Communication of the University of Liberia. 

The Veteran Journalist Wesseh was being a person who loves Liberia by helping to raise awareness to motivate people to change the injustice system into the Justice system through the Rule of Law, as seen in the Constitution of Liberia.

While the Veteran Journalist Wesseh was ill, he continued making Our Case because the longstanding and widespread problem of poverty prevails in Liberia. 

Most unfortunately, this problem has become violence-oriented and has led to coup d'etat and civil war. Following the conclusion of the people of Liberia in their expression, “We Want Peace! No More War!”, the Veteran Journalist Wesseh could never rest because he was making Our Case to prevent violence.

The Veteran Journalist Wesseh has passed away but his work will not pass away. His work is seen in the raising of awareness to prevent violence.

 Nearly all Liberians are illiterate but they are educated and intelligent because they are willing to learn how to solve their problems. It is this willingness that leads the people who love Liberia to continue to raise awareness. This process of raising awareness nonviolently is successful, as seen in the lives of the illiterate women of West Point and in the position of the voters of Liberia. 

The women of West Point, through their organization called Seven Sisters, have declared that the money problem is not the problem in Liberia but the management of the money is the problem. These women are referring to the corruption that prevails in State management in Liberia, where what is for the people is being used by State managers for themselves. 

The raising of awareness is working well. Witness how nearly all the National Legislators of the 52nd and 53rd National Legislatures who wanted to be re-elected were not re-elected because the voters, with relevant awareness, said that when the Legislators got elected, they forgot about the voters and began to use the voters’ money to make themselves rich and leave the voters impoverished.

This situation is most likely to be experienced by Legislators of the 54th Legislature and candidates with bad records who seek election in the upcoming elections.

This experience of the non-election of persons with bad records is encouraging voters to work together to change the UNFAIR electoral system managed by the National Election Commission (NEC) of Liberia into the FAIR electoral system. Through this oncoming change, persons with good records will be elected to promote Justice, the only ingredient for Peace and progress in any Country. Long live PNW! Long Live Liberia!!! We rest our case.

Editor’s note: The views expressed in this commentary are solely of the author and do not necessarily represent that of the Daily Observer newspaper.