Published: July 26, 2025
MONROVIA – Liberia’s 178th Independence Day Orator, Rev. Dr. Emmett Lafayette Dunn, didn’t mince words Saturday as he publicly urged President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to stop shielding underperforming and corrupt officials with suspensions, and instead fire them outright. Speaking at the Centennial Memorial Pavilion in Monrovia, Dunn told the president the time for patience had passed and the country was demanding bold, decisive leadership.
“Fire and don’t suspend. Enforce the laws,” Dunn declared, drawing applause from an audience that included government dignitaries, foreign diplomats, clergy, civil society leaders, and citizens from across the country. “Surround yourself with people of competence and conscience.”
Though he praised President Boakai’s humility and personal character, Dunn made it clear that goodwill alone won’t save the administration’s legacy if it continues to tolerate officials whose actions threaten the promise of reform.
“Uncle Joe,” he said directly, using the president’s familiar nickname, “tomorrow is not promised to you. A second term is not guaranteed. Act now. Clean up this mess now. Do it for those who stood in the rain to vote for you. Do it for Ma Zoe, who died in childbirth this morning for lack of proper medical care.”
While the orator didn’t name names, his remarks came amid growing public frustration over the Boakai administration’s pattern of suspending rather than dismissing officials linked to financial impropriety, contract irregularities, and audit findings. Several high-profile suspensions remain unresolved.
Reimagining Liberia’s National Identity
Dr. Dunn, an internationally respected clergyman and Boakai’s Presidential Special Envoy for Partnership and Philanthropy, also used the occasion to issue a call for a historic reset of Liberia’s national identity, beginning with a new motto that includes all of its people.
“Mr. President, with deep respect and sincere love, I urge you to appoint a national commission tasked with proposing a new motto—one that is inclusive and representative of a new Liberia,” he said.
Liberia’s current motto, “The Love of Liberty Brought Us Here,” dates back to 1847 and reflects the founding of the republic by freed slaves from the United States. But Dunn and many others argue it marginalizes Liberia’s majority indigenous population, who lived on the land long before the settlers arrived.
“‘The Love of Liberty’ speaks to the settlers who came, but it fails to speak to the vast majority, the indigenous people who were already here,” he said.
Reconciliation Through Action
In a speech grounded in scripture and urgency, Dr. Dunn acknowledged the Boakai administration’s recent steps toward national healing, such as the reburial of slain President Samuel K. Doe and the memorial for President William R. Tolbert and his Cabinet ministers killed during the 1980 coup. But he pressed the president to go further.
“On behalf of the people of your republic, we accept your apology,” Dunn said. “But reconciliation must be institutionalized.” He proposed the immediate creation of a Standing Committee on National Reconciliation to oversee programs that promote healing, unity, and national cohesion.
Throughout his address, Dunn drew biblical parallels between President Boakai and the figure of Esther, urging him to understand that his moment in power is both a divine calling and a historic opportunity.
“You have come to this royal position for such a time as this,” he said. “Be the leader that you believe God called you to be.”
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