Monrovia– Liberian Vice President, Chief Dr. Jewel Howard-Taylor, has asserted that Liberia is in desperate need of a rare breed of national leaders who love their nation enough to give their all for the country.
She insists that the country is in need of those who have been tried and tested, and have been found to believe in the supreme interest of the greater good.
The Liberian Veep, who made these assertions Wednesday, when she served as Keynote Speaker at the 32nd Thanksgiving Service of the Carver Mission Academy in Paynesville City, stressed that the kind of leaders Liberia desires are not those she described as schemers whose only intent is come job-hunting aimed at enriching themselves at the expense of the mass of the Liberian people.
“They are not schemers who only want a job to enrich themselves at the expense of others; but are genuine change Agents with a Patriotic zeal to be a part of building a truly better Nation”, VP Howard-Taylor stressed.
She admonished graduates of Carver Mission Academy to remain determined to change the course of the nation’s history by being different, better and pledging to work for a greater cause beyond themselves.
Veep Howard-Taylor reminded the graduates that they are duty-bound to work for a greater and more equitable nation which ensures equality and justice for all.
“For indeed, all it takes is for each of us to practice fairness and equality in our daily interactions and learn to be our Brothers’ keeper,” Liberia’s first female Vice President, Howard-Taylor said.
She noted that that no nation should ever have to continue to choose between the lesser of two evils; but to choose instead those who are the nation’s best and brightest.
“This is your challenge, to determine and work so that each of you will be our nation’s best and brightest. For only those who make up this rare breed will transform our nation to what we truly want Liberia to be,” VP Howard-Taylor told the graduates.
“I am of the opinion that these words form the basis for a call to this new generation of young Liberians; to put God first, nation second and Family third,” said VP Howard-Taylor, adding that in order to do so, one must let go of oneself and allow the spirit of the Almighty God to take complete control and order their steps.
“For this is the only way to ensure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated and to guarantee that we will have the capacity to build a better nation together. For each one of you in this next generation has a part to play; and play it you must. Today, and every day of your lives, you will have to decide between doing business the same old way or changing the status quo. You will have to decide whether your nation’s lifeblood is worth more than yours; whether in fact you are willing in your life’s journey to leave your world a better place for succeeding generations or to further damage the worn out fabric of our nation,” VP Howard-Taylor emphasized.
She then challenged the graduates to remain determined through their hard work and commitment to unity, excellence, growth, love and development; through hoping that one day their dreams will become a reality.
“For only you can make your dream a reality. It is my hope that each of you will today dare to be different, by speaking words and acting in ways that inspire change in those around you; keeping in mind, that thoughts become words, words become actions and actions dictate outcomes,” she noted.
