VOTE YOUR INTEREST

As elections draws near and the momentum for campaign is increasing, the youth of this country are and will be target of all politicians. We will be used as agents of propaganda and possible violence or societal unrest. This has always been the case, not limited to Liberia. We are manipulated to serve the interest of politicians and soon forgotten after election.   

In Liberia, many would say “vote right” “vote Liberia” “vote wisely”, but I would say “politics is interest, VOTE YOUR INTEREST”. If politics wasn’t based on the personal interest of standard bearers and political parties’ key member, there wouldn’t be so many presidential aspirants in this our beloved country. They will all just work in collective effort.

Liberia today has so many unnecessary political parties. 2005 general and presidential elections gave birth to a new democracy after a long civil war. Freedom of participation has been exercised by all Liberians. The youth of this country were the ones who decided the fate of this country during that election. We constitute majority of the population. Now again, we have to decide the future of this country, a power that any group of people should maximize positively.

As youth of today make decisions of who to vote in office, vote your interest.  We are in majority and the politicians fear us.  If we stand together in Unisom, we will move this country forward. They say “we are the future leaders” but the future never comes. If we are the future leaders, our interest then is the” future”.  We must adequately assess the all political parties, their platforms, policies, objectives, goals and how it benefits in the future we look forward to claiming.

As we prepare ourselves academically, morally, and socially, we must start to think of what year or when we want to take over the leadership of this country. With this in mind, I say we start to outline what we want and at what level we want Liberia when we inherit the responsibility to moving this country forward.

Let us lend our support to someone who we believe can take this country to the point or level at which we want when it is time for us to inherit it. Someone who can lay the foundation for us to build upon. Someone who shares a vision and passion similar to ours. This should be our interest. Let us start to think of what we want, our priorities, and who or which candidate can lay that foundation us. Let us not be blinded by the conning ways of politicians or just our loyalty to a particular political party.

We must now use this election as the beginning of our endeavor to inherit this country. I believe our future starts for us as its leaders after this year’s election. I believe in a generational change, one that depends on our actions and decisions of today, our preparation, our vision and our ability to work along with the older generation; for their guidance is needed.

The change we seek will not be given to us on a silver platter; neither will we achieve it through violence. We must unify ourselves and think seven to fifteen years ahead.  

We must vote our interest.