Liberian history is replete with circumstances where individual "leaders" or policies have been forced on, or if you will "rammed down the throats of" the Liberian people without any regard for how they felt about the person(s) or policies.

Counselor Jones exercised his right as a Liberian, yea a concerned Liberian, to inquire of Senator Brumskine regarding his conduct in The Liberian Senate, his discourse with Charles Taylor, as well as his relationship with certain foreign businessmen. Had similar questions and more been posed to Charles Taylor, and the required answers been investigated, our beloved country probably wouldn't be caught in the grips of the evil despot as it is today.

Many Liberians have come out firing at Cllr. Jones, some even accusing him of character assassination, all because he exercised his right to question someone who may be considering a run for our nation's highest office. Many of those leveling the accusation of character assassination are well-learned men, men who, according to their academic laurels, should have been trained to have inquiring minds and to maintain some semblance of objectivity.

When should we pose such questions to our would-be leaders? Should we wait until they've been elected to office, then ask the questions, or should these questions and more about their personal conduct be asked on the campaign trail?

I submit that now, more than ever in our history such questions need to be asked of our would-be leaders. Liberians need to understand beforehand where individuals aspiring for office, stand on the issues. We've all made mistakes in our past, and while no one wants their future to be judged solely on the basis of those past mistakes, understanding someone's current positions on certain relevant issues would certainly go a long way in clearing up whatever doubts may linger regarding the character of a would-be candidate for office. When the would-be candidate shies away from such questions or uses his stooges to respond, it certainly doesn't lend legitimacy to his/her quest for office.

Toward this effort, I would like to call on the very learned, Carlos Smith, Jah FahnbullehÅc to please desist from attempts at stifling the efforts of Liberians to engage their would-be leaders in a discourse that would not only provide insight into the personality, but would help us understand the direction which, if elected, they intend to take our beloved Liberia.
The era of blind loyalty in choosing our leaders should be a thing of the past.

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