Many people argue that the people who do not know book must not participate in the making of national decisions. They must not participate, according to the argument, because they do not have common sense. But these people who make the argument are wrong. The people who do not know book, meaning conventionally that they do not go to school, are among the most knowledgeable people in society.
By Togba-Nah Tipoteh contributing writer
Here are some examples: They are serving rather being served. Conventionally, people who do not know book are considered to be among the poor people and as such they are at the bottom of the societal pole. But look at the palaver hut. It is here that villagers go to solve societal problems. The people who know book try to solve societal problems by going to war. Violence is never the solution to any problem.
Take a look at the sanitation problem. Let us recall that seven Ambassadors assigned to Liberia announced publicly that Monrovia is the dirtiest city in Africa. In the villages, garbage is cleared around four o’clock in the morning before villagers go to the farms and markets. Toilets are on one side of the village and bathing places are on the other side of the village. Villages are clean.
Places in urban centers are getting clean due to the raising of awareness that is taking place. In many community meetings, community members decide democratically that garbage must not be kept but handled in healthy ways. In urban centers, garbage can be seen everywhere, even within a block from the headquarters of the national leaders. No wonder that the diplomats refer to Monrovia as the dirtiest city in Africa.
Through the raising of awareness, cleanliness is becoming the norm and community meetings are being held within the Rule of Law. Community decisions are made to punish community residents who do not obey the community laws. This is the only and best way to change the bad prevailing sanitation problem into the good enduring sanitation system. This is the only and best way to get persons with good records elected to change the bad prevailing system of injustice where people who do not know book do not participate in national decision making into the enduring system of justice where people who have common sense can participate democratically.
