V.O. Sirleaf Blasts National Sports policy!

Speech delivered by Momolu V.O. Sirleaf at the Hubert E. Grigsby Memorial Lectures Series, sponsored by the Sports Writers Association of Liberia (SWAL)

October 23, 2009

Thank you so much for the invitation and I am very humbled by this occasion. It is like a home-coming for me. Because twenty-two years ago, I began an exciting career in journalism and by His Grace my career spanned for over a decade and a half before leaving for the shores of the United States in 1999 to pursue a higher education. I returned home last year after completing my bachelor’s degree in Financial Management from the National American University and master’s degree in International Relations and Global Public Policy at the University of Minnesota. I am therefore grateful to the Almighty God for his blessings and his guidance throughout the years.

Let me begin by recalling the memory of our great founder J. Caesar Padmore, Jr., a very humbled and compassionate man, who laid the foundation for all of us today. He was one of our giants and a true sports personality. But even more, he was a great talent. Today, he is smiling down on us from the Lord’s Gallery for the first time as we gather and wishing us all the best as we talk about such topic that was so dear to him. But in his honor, may we, too, always remember who we are, where we come from.

Today, in our country we enjoy a good democratic atmosphere and we can gather to debate the issues and find common solutions to our problems. This is the democratic dividends that we all yearn for.  I, therefore, believe that democracy depends upon a political culture that welcomes a spirited debate without letting politics become a blood sport.

We are at the edge of new prospects in sports development. We have to rebuild sporting programs and strengthen them by achievements.  And once again, we have resolved for our time a great debate over the role and importance of a sports policy and the relevance of a national sports council. We need a sporty policy and plan strong enough to endure for years sports development, flexible enough to face common challenges and advance our common dreams in each new day.

Liberian sports are in despondency and the situation has been further compounded with a lack of vision to lead for the development of sports in the country.  As we celebrate the past and lay the foundation for the future, we must be reminded of the achievements made by great sports men.  Liberia’s sports developments had been marked with successes and challenges.  This country was built on promises and we can still rise to the occasion and develop our sports programs.  Our sports programs have taken a nose dive over the years and from almost reaching the finals of the 2002 world cup to earning only three points from the qualifying rounds of 2010 South Africa world cup finals, this is unacceptable.

The question is what can we do. And, it may not be a matter of who to blame, but what to do to lift sports in the country so that our players and athletes can walk into a better future.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports must lead the way and demand that the rest of the country to follow. As the regulatory body of sports in the country, the Youth and Sports Ministry has the responsibility to develop sports policy of our times.

Let me commend the Ministry of Youth and Sports and stakeholders for envisioning the idea of the development of a sports policy.  We need sports policy that has a road map and provides a strategic direction for sports development. My fellow colleagues, no doubt we need a sports policy and plan than ever before.

However, the recently developed sports policy does not provide a road map for sports development. The policy lacks the way forward and does not provide a strategic direction for sports.

There are so many things lacking in the Ministry of Youth and Sports National Sports Policy. Policies are general framework and they must be backed by plans that are sustainable either short-term or long-term.

We cannot make progress without a genuine Plan and Policy. Our sports programs lack innovation and thorough planning and let not kid ourselves, we cannot develop sports in the absence of real programs, strategies, policies and plans.

But what should we do now?

The MYS should immediately return to the drawing board and constitute technocrats who will do an assessment of the overall sporting situation and begin crafting a brand new national sports policy. In that vein, the Ministry must seek partnership and technical assistance and develop a policy that sets a clear vision for the development of sports in the country.

Any sports policy that does not involve mass participation of stakeholders and partners for validation cannot stand the test of time.

The Ministry should effectively develop and manage sports sector partners who are motivated by a range of different mandates, interests, resources and ways of working.

Make no mistake about this; Liberia needs effective partnerships and relationships that are characterized by continuous and frank consultations, information sharing, clear rules of engagement and conflict resolution, and transparent transactions.

Partnerships for sports should be guided by the Government, to ensure that their actions are coherent with the principles of a national sports policy.

After the development of a national sports policy, the ministry must begin to coordinate sports sector committees for information sharing, coordinate macro level inputs and engage in resource mobilization and lead on national sports policy issues and effectively  coordinate a Sports Sector Committees.

Does Liberia need a National Sports Council? The general consensus is that countries of the sub-region who have excelled in sports have established national sports council and Liberia should be no exception. While it is sometimes necessary to follow the examples of great countries, however, must be careful. Does the country need a sports council that will require financial resources in managing it? At a time that the country and the world are faced with an economic meltdown, I wonder if we need to stress our resources.

I believe what we need is a sports policy, backed by a sports strategic plan and a council of resource mobilization and development of partnerships.  The National Sports Council for Resource Mobilization and Partnerships must involve all federations, associations and the Liberia National Olympic Committee. We don’t need a council that will draw scare resources, but a council that will mobilize resources to buttress government’s financial efforts.

So let it be said of us then that we were thinking not only of our time but of their time, that we reached as high as our ideals, that we put aside our divisions and found a new hour of healing and hopefulness, that we joined together to serve and strengthen our sports programs and the games we so dearly love.

And so, my fellow Liberians, this century, let us begin with energy and hope, with faith and discipline, and let us work until our work is done. Let us honor our differences, and even more, our common humanity and our shared destiny in sports.

The preeminent mission of us is to give our athletes the opportunity to succeed in their discipline and real opportunity to succeed in the world of sports.  The demands of our times for sports development are great and they are different.  Let us meet them with faith and courage, with patience and grace and a happy heart. Let us shape the hope of this day into the noblest chapter in sports development history. Let us build our sports programs strong enough to withstand the challenges of our time.

It is time to roll up our sleeves and work hard to preserve our tomorrow.

May those generations who we strive for, whose faces we cannot see, whose names we may never know, say of us that we worked hard with the Liberian dream alive for them. And, may God strengthen our hands for good work ahead—and always, always bless our association.

Thank you. God bless you and God bless SWAL.

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