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April 14, 1979 – A Reflection on the Rice Riot
Every April 14 I take time off to celebrate my son
birthday and then at the same time reflect on the
uprising for equal right, multi-party democracy and
social justice that engulf Monrovia and it environ.
This day in 1979 was the continuation of the intense
struggle for majority participation into the political
system of Liberia started by comrades D. Twe, Henry B.
Fahnbulleh, Sr., David Coleman, Albert Porte just to
name a few. On this day Monrovia woke up to the first
and most potent demonstration in Liberian history led
by the Progressive Alliance of Liberia under the most
able leadership of G. Baccus Matthews. Matthews and
his PAL members used the increase of the price of rice
for his rallying cause of the people uprising. Rice as
any Liberian knows is our staple food. Matthews as a
student of Political science understood what happen
during the French revolution and the Russian
revolution as well as the American Revolution where
Tea was used as an initial cause of their struggle for
independence from the British. The people protest was
so intense that indeed the entire Willie Tolbert
Government collapsed. When the government recovered it
decided to arrest leaders of the progressive movement
who it claim were bunch of trouble makers and Gronna
boys. I would have thought that the Tolbert Government
would have taken the concern of these progressive
movements seriously but instead using the old Tubman
Styled imprisoned them without due process of LAW.
A year later on the morning of April 12, 1980 while
waiting to hear the execution of the PAL and MOJA
leaders who were in jail we woke up to the execution
of President William Richard Tolbert and the overthrow
of his entire Government in a coup led by Sergeant
Doe. It was the beginning of a new era in our country.
Some including myself could not understand why Tolbert
who claim to be a reformer did not see the writing on
the wall. Why Tolbert allow his vision to be blinded
by the ideologues of the True Whig Party and
embarrassed his legacy. However any way you may have
thought the hour came passed and that the True Whig
Party oligarchy was over and a new day was beginning
to unfold in Liberia. The future of the new day was
the question scholars and analysts began to debate
while the masses celebrated the release of their
progressive leaders.
The events of April 14, 1979 and April 12, 1980
changed my life and gave me a new perspective as to
how to treat my fellow Liberians and mankind as a
whole. These events couple with future uprising should
tell us that we need to do things right and make sure
that our people irrespective of who they are enjoy
their wealth. We should make sure justice flow like
river throughout the land and breathe of our country.
It is my hope and prayer that my son will be able to
go back to Liberia and see a wonderful land build on
hard work and fair play for all. Hope my son can go
back to a country where the standard of education will
be improved for all Liberians who want to acquire a
sound education. Finally I will hope my boy will visit
his country of birth and see every Liberian enjoying
freedom, national reconciliation and peace for all.
Isaac T. Settro, Jr.
Madison, Wisconsin
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