Plain Talk: President Weah, Your legacy is at Stake

Welcome to Plain Talk. For sometime now,  I have been on different  radar which has made me to be delinquent in my writing. But thanks be to God that I am back.

I start with  this quote from  Shannon L. Alder: “Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.” —Shannon L. Alder

This week, I have decided to  give my candid thoughts on  what legacy will president George Weah leave after he should have left power.  Is  he going to be remembered as one of Liberia’s best and presidents or as the  worst  and corrupt president in the history of Liberia?

You are a young president  full of zest and with good international records. YOU have struggled to built  that strong record.

Mr. President, you have built yourself a good international reputation which  naturally markets you.  Your days in on international soccer pitch, to some level, helped you to ascend to the presidency today.

I remember in 2002, when I went to Great Britain  for training, a taxi driver that took me from Heathrow airport asked me: “Which country are you from?” I responded: “Liberia.” He then said, “oh, where the George Weah comes from?” I answered in the affirmative.

It was good indeed for me. And at such, you need to protect what you have built.

It is usually difficult to build but easy to destroy.  What is really a legacy?

A legacy, some people defined  it as  something  that is left behind  when a person has gone from the political scene  or any scene which one played active role. It could be  some of the most memorable things you did while  serving or while alive.

But Mr. President, the Plain Talk is that the level of popularity which you had when you ascended to the presidency last year, is gradually decreasing.  One may ask why is it decreasing?

Too many factors may be responsible for that downward trend; for instance  your leadership style(which is summed up in governance system);  actions and utterances by some of your officials and your approach to decision making.

Certainly, these can affect your  image and later permeate into bad legacy stagnation left.

Mr. president, it is about time that you start to sit and look at what you have achieved over the past years as a former international soccer star, to  your days in the senate.

I am afraid, Mr. President, the news which keeps coming up by the day in the country   is not encoring in any way.

Let me ask; What will you be known for when you leave this earth? The most influential people, the ones who leave behind incredible legacies, will live on in the hearts of the people they touch. Physically, they will no longer be a part of society—but their principles, philosophies and achievements will become immortal, spreading from generation to generation.

The plain Talk is you have to put your feet down hard and  make the hard decisions, which, if  it means will affect some of your close friends, let it be.

But Mr. president, if you want to protect your legacy, you will need not to look at cronyism system. Not because this man or that lady has been with us  for years. It has to do with your reputation.

Do you want to be seen as a president who will  be considered as the most weak leader whose administration  brought untold suffering to the people? Do you want to be remembered as the leader who   administered  the country based on friendship and not competence?

Mr. President, do you want to be remembered as a man who was controlled by  some of his friends  or who was dictated to by friends?

The Plain Talk is Mr. President, you need to wake up  and start to take some hard decisions  that will benefit the people of this country.  I am afraid that many people are not  saying positive things about you.

After all,  legacy is about life and living. It is about learning from the  past, living  in the present and also building a strong foundation for the future which, when you  shall have departed, will live on.

I leave you with this important quote from Benjamin Franklin ““If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”

It is all yours Mr. president. Until then, I see you next time.