So the program was disappointing because:

  1. It was held inside with limited space.
  2. Many of the VIP’s were not Liberian so most of the awaiting crowd could not participate and see their president.
  3. There was no space for questions.
  4. The Paramount Chief (chief of chiefs), was very old and said some things about women’s empowerment that involved words like “natural order of things.”
  5. There was a bunch of political jibber jabber, patting each other on the back. I know this is to be expected of all political functions on patriotic holidays but I would have liked some more depth.
  6. Time was wasted awarding two people with “the knight (or ninth) grand band of the humane order of African redemption Ph.D.” one of the highest degrees obtainable in Liberia. The title of which makes very little sense to me.
Some responses to the good points:
  1. One presenter emphasized reducing the number of political parties in the country to 3. B and Fabna seemed to think this was a good idea and many people I’ve talked to have said that the 40 – 50 political parties make elections unclear and complicated.
  2. The same presenter (who unfortunately I don’t recall) also said that we should look closely at the TRC recommendations so there isn’t a future conflict.