Fleeing Rebuke and Hard Truth, Boakai Settles for a Softer Sermon This Independence Day
- Michael T
- Jul 23
- 2 min read
Monrovia, July 23, 2025 — Apparently unwilling to risk his government getting another public rebuke for its excesses, President Joseph Boakai has opted for a “soft sermon” on this year’s 178th Independence Day, signaling the President’s discomfort with genuine accountability and a preference for platitudes over the painful honesty Liberia so sorely needs.
While a gentle touch may soothe wounded egos and restore diplomatic calm, many question if this marks a missed opportunity to confront Liberia’s mounting challenges head-on—leaving the nation to wonder: is comfort now being prized above courage?
National holidays like Independence Day are supposed to serve as the nation’s mirror—a platform where the country’s conscience is stirred, its leaders held to the fire, and its path recalibrated through unsparing truth-telling. As Liberians at home and abroad reflect on the nation's progress since 1847, many hoped for bold, reasoned critique. Instead, they’re being offered gentle reassurance likely to skirt hard truths.
Last year’s orator, Dr. Robtel Neajai Pailey, delivered precisely what many believed Liberia needed: an unvarnished, bold indictment of government failings, corruption, and misguided foreign allegiances. Her address—though controversial—sparked vigorous national dialogue, even drawing diplomatic discomfort and elite criticism. But for ordinary Liberians, Dr. Pailey's message was a rare moment of truth in a political culture often allergic to criticism .
In sharp contrast, President Boakai’s handpicked speaker for the 2025 Independence Day, Ambassador Emmett Lafayette Dunn, is a Baptist clergyman—more known for bridge-building and pastoral care than telling confrontational truth. Critics say Reverend Dunn’s selection was a strategic retreat from last year’s raw candor. “This is not the time for ceremonial unity. It’s the time for brave reflection and hard questions, and sadly, those may be completely absent from this year’s message,” said a University of Liberia political science lecturer who spoke on condition of anonymity.
His choice, many suggest, signals the administration’s desire to sidestep discomfort—choosing safe applause over the risk of being held to account at a moment Liberians are battling poverty, youth unemployment, drug crises, and fears of elite capture of state resources.
As transferred power and the promise of a national reset hangs in the balance, analysts view this orator selection as emblematic of a deeper leadership style shaping Boakai’s early presidency: diplomatic, cautious, and—some argue—detached from Liberia’s undercurrent of public frustration.
As the nation gathers to celebrate its independence this July 26th, many Liberians are left to question whether the occasion will again become a stage for comfortable complacency, when what’s most needed is fearless candor and courageous demands for accountability. “This could’ve been a moment of truth-telling, not truth-evading,” remarked Benjamin Gussin from Louise Arthur Grimes School of Law, calling for a return to “oratory that challenges the state, not flatters it.”
In a moment crying out for substance over ceremony, Boakai’s reliance on a “soft sermon” may well entrench the very inertia Independence Day is meant to challenge.
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