Published: July 30, 2025
My fellow compatriots, in the course of our civic journey, we occasionally allow meaningful acts of governance to be muddled by momentary outrage or misinformed commentary. Yet let it not be said that we are strangers to our civic obligations. In light of the chorus of condemnation directed at H.E. Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s July 30, 2025, proclamation of a National Day of Prayer and Mourning, it becomes not only necessary but urgent to respond with intellectual precision and historical integrity. That some of the voices leading this charge are individuals presumed to have an understanding of what governance and law are, but, on the contrary, it seems disappointing. Their rebuke reveals a troubling erosion of institutional memory and an alarming drift from the values that have historically bound this republic together. In such moments, we must not retreat; we must rise to re-educate, to illuminate, and to remind.
By Peal Nyenkan | Email: [email protected] | Tel: +231880434763 (WhatsApp)
So we ask: are you condemning leadership or confessing ignorance?
The legal basis for the proclamation is neither obscure nor debatable. It is firmly rooted in the Patriotic and Cultural Observances Law under Title 26 of the Liberia Code of Laws Revised. This law confers upon the President of Liberia the authority to declare national holidays in furtherance of civic reflection, spiritual engagement, and collective commemoration, including moments of national mourning. The statute does more than just permit ceremonial declarations; it affirms the President’s responsibility as custodian of the national psyche during seasons of societal introspection. The law’s emphasis on “the public good,” “peace-building,” and “spiritual renewal” provides explicit justification.
Now ask yourself: have you read the law you claim to criticize, or are you merely mimicking dissent?
Liberian history is not short on examples of this executive prerogative being exercised with dignity and foresight. In 2006, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf declared July 25 a “National Day of Repentance,” inviting citizens into prayerful reflection prior to Independence Day. She was not accused of sentimentality but commended for national sensitivity. Likewise, President George M. Weah, in the wake of national tragedies, proclaimed February 18, 2019, a Day of Mourning for victims of the Gbanipea mudslide, and a Week of National Mourning after the Totota gas tanker explosion. Flags were lowered, institutions suspended, prayer services held, all without uproar. Going further back, President William V.S. Tubman embedded Thanksgiving Day into the civic fabric of our republic, anchoring gratitude in public consciousness. These are not anomalies; they are precedents.
So we must ask again: if others were right to do so, what renders this act wrong now? Or has consistency become selective in your critique?
To label the July 30 observance as trivial is not just misguided; it is a betrayal of the moral architecture of Liberia’s journey. When did introspection lose its place on the national calendar? When did reconciliation become an inconvenient truth? Prayer and spiritual engagement are foundational to our national identity, woven into the very anthem we sing, the motto we defend, and the constitution we uphold. In times of hardship, we have always turned inward before moving forward. If you dismiss reflection, do you also dismiss progress? Or is your discomfort merely with who issued the call?
This proclamation is a summons to collective meditation: to pause from routine, confront our fractured realities, and seek restoration. It is an opportunity to look across our religious and political divides and dare to extend forgiveness. It does not undermine productivity; it enriches it by strengthening our civic moral code. In an era marked by ideological fragmentation and youthful despair, symbolic acts of national unity are not superfluous; they are indispensable. But let us ask the hardened critic: has the red beret so eclipsed your conscience that even a moment of prayer feels like surrender?
To dismiss President Boakai’s gesture as political theatre is to betray not only the moment but the soul of a nation in need of healing. His proclamation is not staged—it is strategic; not ceremonial, it is constitutional. It echoes the historical rhythm of Liberian leadership, one that leans not only on law and policy, but also on empathy and conviction. For indeed, in times of uncertainty, retreat into silence would be irresponsible. But retreat into reflection? That is wisdom. So, I ask you again, Mr. Critic: when did soul-searching become unpatriotic?
Footnotes
Liberia Code of Laws Revised, Title 26: Patriotic and Cultural Observances Law.
Executive Mansion (2006). “President Sirleaf Declares July 25 Day of National Repentance.”
Government of Liberia (2019). Proclamation on Gbanipea Mudslide Tragedy.
Ministry of Information (2024). “President Weah Declares National Mourning Week after Totota Explosion.”
Tubman, W.V.S. Presidential Papers on Civic Observances and Thanksgiving Day.
President Weah Declares Monday as National Day of Mourning | The Executive Mansion
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