By: Sylvester Choloplay
Monrovia, Liberia – July 4, 2025
Liberia’s Deputy Minister of State for Public Affairs, Mr. Anthony V. Kesselly, has delivered a blunt and impassioned charge to young Liberians, warning that many are recklessly mortgaging their futures to politicians, drug dealers, and organized criminal networks, becoming pawns in a game of national self-destruction.
Speaking as the Guest Speaker on Friday, July 4, 2025, at the graduation ceremony of Acres of Hope Rockhill Community School in Monrovia, the Deputy Minister lamented what he called a dangerous and growing trend among the nation’s youth, where many now operate as stooges and puppets, serving the destructive agendas of political patrons and criminal cartels.
“Sadly, so many young people have mortgaged themselves and their future to politicians, drug dealers, and organized crime as stooges and puppets to drive their self-destructive designs. This has occasioned the near collapse of the moral fabric of our society”, Kesselly declared.
Deputy Minister Kesselly noted with deep concern that instead of engaging in education, reading, and productive personal development, young people have resorted to attaching themselves to political actors and criminals in hopes of short-term gains.
“They remain mere hirelings who survive on crumbs and pittances out of the benevolence of their masters,” he said.
He said their roles become nothing more than empty chanting of Amandia! Amanda! Bartee O Bartee!hollow voices with no principle, no substance.
Meanwhile, celebrating the academic success of the graduates, Mr. Kesselly used the moment to issue a national call to action for youth to wake up, take ownership of their futures, and make decisions based on principle, truth, and purpose.
He challenged the common phrase that “the youth are the future leaders,” saying it is only half of the truth.
“Yes, the youth of today will become our leaders tomorrow, but they will also become our thieves, murderers, and drug lords if the wrong paths are chosen,” he warned.
The Minister further narrated that whether you become a clergyman or a criminal, a financial expert or a sidewalk sweeper, it will depend on the life choices you make now.
The Deputy Minister called Liberia’s current state “abnormal days,” stressing that the country’s “normal days are only in its past.”
He said these abnormal times demand double courage, critical thinking, and a willingness among young people to say no to distractions.
In urging the graduates to build character, he quoted South African icon Nelson Mandela: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
Mr. Kesselly warned that Liberian society has grown dangerously tolerant of dishonesty and mediocrity.
He noted that even in politics, young people are now recruited not based on integrity or merit, but to defend or attack others based on loyalty, not truth.
“It’s almost impossible now to know what’s right or wrong,” he said. “Our youth have been deployed to defend or attack any act, depending on who is involved, not on principle.”
He admonished the graduates to eschew mediocrity, wear garments of self-esteem, and become ambassadors of what is right, projecting the values Acres of Hope has worked to instill in them.
In closing, he paid tribute to parents, guardians, and educators whose sacrifices made the day possible, urging graduates not to reverse their gains.
“Make your parents prouder. Make Acres of Hope proud by being the good ambassadors they struggled to mold you into. The dividends and rewards that flow from making the right choices are all yours,” Kesselly said.
The ceremony was attended by Principal Thompson G. Karter, faculty members, community leaders, and families, all gathered to celebrate a major milestone in the lives of the graduating students, students now charged with leading Liberia toward either a brighter future or a darker fate, depending on the choices they make.
