House Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon, has called on Liberians, irrespective of statuses to embrace the nation’s painful past as a foundation for lasting peace and collective progress.
Koon delivered the message at the country’s recently hosted National Healing, Reconciliation and Unity Day in Monrovia.
He spoke on the national theme: “Healing Our Past, Building Our Tomorrow Together.
He described the National Day as a “solemn opportunity for reflection, remembrance, and renewed commitment to national unity.”
“This is a moment for the country to reflect, remember, and renew our shared commitment to unity,” Speaker Koon declared.
He added: “We are gathered not just to honor the dead, but to embrace a promise of a bright future for generations to come.”
He praised President Joseph Nyuma Boakai for his “bold and symbolic leadership,” citing the recent state-led reburial ceremonies of former presidents Samuel Kanyon Doe and William R. Tolbert, Jr.—two figures emblematic of the country’s turbulent past.
“Though these acts were state functions,” Koon said, “they serve as a powerful roadmap toward reconciliation, urging us to confront our historical wounds so they may no longer define us.”
He then stressed the growing momentum toward the establishment of a war crimes court in the country, calling it a “necessary step in the nation’s journey from impunity to justice.”
“There can be no true healing without accountability,” he said.
“Let us choose justice over silence, and truth over denial.”
Koon laid out a moral framework for national healing and reconciliation:
“Let peace prevail over vengeance, let unity triumph over division, let justice guide our path forward.”
“This day, this moment, is a call to action,” he emphasized. “Not merely to remember, but to commit; to dialogue; to healing; to inclusive nation-building.”