You read in the newspapers almost every day that the government is hiring foreign-based staff to run the government, its public corporations and other institutions, and this is offending some Liberians who did not study or work abroad. Some Liberians argue that graduates of the local universities and local employees are just as qualified as the Liberians who graduate from any foreign university and meet all the requirements just as well to provide the services needed here in Liberia. They may be right, but something is missing.
Please read this piece with an open mind. This is in no way an attempt to influence government policies. I am not a part to the party and ‘got no fish to fry’.
I remember many years back, when I first attended a mechanical engineering class at the Michigan Technological University, one question on the test was to determine the location of a submarine – starting at point (A) traveling at a certain knot per hour, diving at a certain angle (degree), heading northwest and had been traveling for so many hours.
This was the shock of my life. I said to myself, My God! This is no ‘play-play thing’. These people are training their young citizens to be masters of the seas. This is for real. I was sitting there, this poor African boy from Liberia, saying to myself, “where in the world am I going to command a submarine? Liberia has no submarine.”
I will tell you another little story.
My father, the late Professor Roland T. Dempster, who supported me financially at Michigan Tech, died. I had to leave the school, which was a boarding school. I moved to New York City and entered Fordham University. In New York, I could work and attend school. I changed my field of study from engineering to accounting. The first semester, we took Principles of Accounting (I); the second, we took Principles of Accounting (II). The following year, we moved on to Intermediate Accounting (I) and Intermediate Accounting (II). Also during that year, we had Cost Accounting and Auditing. The third year, we had Advanced Accounting (I) and then we took Advanced Accounting (II). The fourth year, the school offered Contemporary Accounting.
I graduated from Fordham with a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree and returned to Liberia. My first assignment was Chief Accountant, Office of Comptroller, Republic of Liberia. Would you believe that after my first week on the job, I realized that the accounting subjects that I took during the first year at Fordham – Principles of Accounting I & II – were all I needed to run the Accounting Department of the Comptroller’s office?
So what were the other seven intermediate and advance subjects in accounting that we were required to take all about? They were, among others, about calculating such things as premiums and discounts on bonds traded, profit margins on foreign exchange bought and sold, distribution of cost in a multi-product factory building, etc. They were about mergers and acquisitions of large conglomerates (corporations that are a combination of companies in various industries, like insurance, banks, food products and others).
Liberia may not need commanders of a submarine or accountants that can supervise the mergers of banks and other companies with billions of dollars in assets. The point is this: Liberia needs its officials and professionals to be on the same level with officials and professionals of other countries around the world. That level of education comes from the best universities, and the experience comes from the most advanced financial, industrial, government regulatory agency, auditors, etc. around the world.
Employees of government or private entities are trained and considered qualified to perform the jobs assigned to them up to the level of what is required and being done in that particular government agency or private entity. What was being done in the Comptroller’s Office was at the lowest level of accounting service. So some of the staff, who had been employed there for many years, rightfully believed that they were qualified for the positions they held.
The purpose of this article is to appeal to Liberians to open their hearts, minds and souls. There are thousands and thousands of Liberians of all tribes, social and economic backgrounds living in the United States and around the world. Many of these people were forced to flee the country during the civil war. Many took their young children with them. Some who didn’t have children then now have thousands that were born in the United States.
Liberians in the United States now help run the United States. They are medical doctors, lawyers, state and Federal regulators, deans of universities, professors, principals, auditors, bank examiners and more. Of course, there are also hundreds of home health care attendants, security guards, hospital and nursing home aides, and independent contractors like plumbers, carpenters and electricians.
The vast majority of these Liberians in the US cannot and will never return to Liberia. They worry about Liberia; they love Liberia; they are proud to say “I am a Liberian”. Many wear the Liberian Flag on their lapels or collars. They sing the Liberian Anthem at almost every gathering. But like I said earlier, they may never see their native land again. It is sad and painful – to me, at least.
You see! Over the years, Liberians have established themselves in schools, at work and in their apartments and own homes. Most earn a decent living. Some professionals – I know one or two – earn upward of US$250,000 and between. The people at the lower levels earn at least US$20,000 on the average and up. Those who want to return to Liberia find it difficult or almost impossible. Neither the Government of Liberia nor the private entities operating in the country can afford to offer even half the salaries Liberian professionals earn in the US; and no hospitals, private clinics or security guard agency in Liberia pays anywhere near a decent living salary.
So, for most Liberians, returning to Liberia is almost impossible or may require unacceptable sacrifices. There are a few who are ready, willing, in the position and are returning home. My plea to all is let’s welcome, embrace and thank them. Whatever the government says it can afford to offer those willing to accept the offer, let us be open-minded. We should scrutinize, analyze and criticize when things are really outrageous; but let us not say “we have all the qualified people we need already.” Let us not be narrow-minded and self-centered. Let’s look after Liberia’s interest now and forever.
Roland Tombekai Dempster, Jr.
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Updated: January 26, 2010 - 8:54pm
The Editor:
You read in the newspapers almost every day that the government is hiring foreign-based staff to run the government, its public corporations and other institutions, and this is offending some Liberians who did not study or work abroad. Some Liberians argue that graduates of the local universities and local employees are just as qualified as the Liberians who graduate from any foreign university and meet all the requirements just as well to provide the services needed here in Liberia. They may be right, but something is missing.
Please read this piece with an open mind. This is in no way an attempt to influence government policies. I am not a part to the party and ‘got no fish to fry’.
I remember many years back, when I first attended a mechanical engineering class at the Michigan Technological University, one question on the test was to determine the location of a submarine – starting at point (A) traveling at a certain knot per hour, diving at a certain angle (degree), heading northwest and had been traveling for so many hours.
This was the shock of my life. I said to myself, My God! This is no ‘play-play thing’. These people are training their young citizens to be masters of the seas. This is for real. I was sitting there, this poor African boy from Liberia, saying to myself, “where in the world am I going to command a submarine? Liberia has no submarine.”
I will tell you another little story.
My father, the late Professor Roland T. Dempster, who supported me financially at Michigan Tech, died. I had to leave the school, which was a boarding school. I moved to New York City and entered Fordham University. In New York, I could work and attend school. I changed my field of study from engineering to accounting. The first semester, we took Principles of Accounting (I); the second, we took Principles of Accounting (II). The following year, we moved on to Intermediate Accounting (I) and Intermediate Accounting (II). Also during that year, we had Cost Accounting and Auditing. The third year, we had Advanced Accounting (I) and then we took Advanced Accounting (II). The fourth year, the school offered Contemporary Accounting.
I graduated from Fordham with a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree and returned to Liberia. My first assignment was Chief Accountant, Office of Comptroller, Republic of Liberia. Would you believe that after my first week on the job, I realized that the accounting subjects that I took during the first year at Fordham – Principles of Accounting I & II – were all I needed to run the Accounting Department of the Comptroller’s office?
So what were the other seven intermediate and advance subjects in accounting that we were required to take all about? They were, among others, about calculating such things as premiums and discounts on bonds traded, profit margins on foreign exchange bought and sold, distribution of cost in a multi-product factory building, etc. They were about mergers and acquisitions of large conglomerates (corporations that are a combination of companies in various industries, like insurance, banks, food products and others).
Liberia may not need commanders of a submarine or accountants that can supervise the mergers of banks and other companies with billions of dollars in assets. The point is this: Liberia needs its officials and professionals to be on the same level with officials and professionals of other countries around the world. That level of education comes from the best universities, and the experience comes from the most advanced financial, industrial, government regulatory agency, auditors, etc. around the world.
Employees of government or private entities are trained and considered qualified to perform the jobs assigned to them up to the level of what is required and being done in that particular government agency or private entity. What was being done in the Comptroller’s Office was at the lowest level of accounting service. So some of the staff, who had been employed there for many years, rightfully believed that they were qualified for the positions they held.
The purpose of this article is to appeal to Liberians to open their hearts, minds and souls. There are thousands and thousands of Liberians of all tribes, social and economic backgrounds living in the United States and around the world. Many of these people were forced to flee the country during the civil war. Many took their young children with them. Some who didn’t have children then now have thousands that were born in the United States.
Liberians in the United States now help run the United States. They are medical doctors, lawyers, state and Federal regulators, deans of universities, professors, principals, auditors, bank examiners and more. Of course, there are also hundreds of home health care attendants, security guards, hospital and nursing home aides, and independent contractors like plumbers, carpenters and electricians.
The vast majority of these Liberians in the US cannot and will never return to Liberia. They worry about Liberia; they love Liberia; they are proud to say “I am a Liberian”. Many wear the Liberian Flag on their lapels or collars. They sing the Liberian Anthem at almost every gathering. But like I said earlier, they may never see their native land again. It is sad and painful – to me, at least.
You see! Over the years, Liberians have established themselves in schools, at work and in their apartments and own homes. Most earn a decent living. Some professionals – I know one or two – earn upward of US$250,000 and between. The people at the lower levels earn at least US$20,000 on the average and up. Those who want to return to Liberia find it difficult or almost impossible. Neither the Government of Liberia nor the private entities operating in the country can afford to offer even half the salaries Liberian professionals earn in the US; and no hospitals, private clinics or security guard agency in Liberia pays anywhere near a decent living salary.
So, for most Liberians, returning to Liberia is almost impossible or may require unacceptable sacrifices. There are a few who are ready, willing, in the position and are returning home. My plea to all is let’s welcome, embrace and thank them. Whatever the government says it can afford to offer those willing to accept the offer, let us be open-minded. We should scrutinize, analyze and criticize when things are really outrageous; but let us not say “we have all the qualified people we need already.” Let us not be narrow-minded and self-centered. Let’s look after Liberia’s interest now and forever.
Roland Tombekai Dempster, Jr.