11/30/2025
Former Mines Minister Wilmot Paye Questions National Holiday Honoring Tubman
Former Minister of Mines Wilmot Paye has ignited renewed national debate over the continued observance of William V. S. Tubman’s birthday as a public holiday, arguing that the legacy of Liberia’s longest-serving president does not merit such perpetual celebration.
In a strongly worded statement, Paye stressed that while he does not believe in “maligning the dead,” he sees “no wisdom in continually celebrating William Vacanarat Shadrach Tubman as a national icon,” contending that the former president’s record reflects missed opportunities, democratic decline, and governance choices that, in his view, ultimately harmed Liberia’s long-term development.
Term Limits and Power Consolidation
Paye’s foremost criticism centers on Tubman’s abolition of the presidential term limit, which allowed him to remain in power for nearly three decades. He recalled how Tubman’s predecessor, President Edwin James Barclay, declined to pursue a third term in 1944 despite continued popularity—maintaining what Paye described as the democratic culture of political restraint.
According to Paye, Tubman dismantled that tradition by modifying the system to prolong his personal rule.
“Tubman sought term after term, crushing every potential rival,” he wrote, claiming that dissent was suppressed through intimidation, imprisonment, and political marginalization. He added that had Tubman not died in July 1971, he might have retained power well into the 1980s.
Missed Economic Opportunities
Paye further contended that Tubman’s years in power coincided with one of the most economically promising periods in Liberia’s history, marked by resource revenues and international investment potential. Yet, he argued, the opportunity to launch Liberia on a path toward industrialization and first-world development was squandered.
Drawing comparisons to Ghana under Kwame Nkrumah, Paye noted that during the same era Ghana built the Akosombo Dam, adopted ambitious national development plans, expanded universities and polytechnics, and laid foundations for modern industrial growth.
“In Liberia, Tubman was busy partying while Nkrumah prepared Ghana for the 21st Century,” Paye asserted, referencing stories of the former Liberian leader traveling in ceremonial extravagance, escorted ashore and indulging in public spectacle rather than driving transformative national planning.
Infrastructure: Roads That Were Never Built
Paye highlighted the issue of infrastructure as a stark symbol of squandered opportunity. He cited historical estimates showing that in Tubman’s era, the cost of constructing one mile of paved road was approximately US$25,000—compared with US$1.2 to US$1.5 million per mile today.
Referring to widely reported claims that Tubman’s widow, Antoinette Tubman, inherited approximately US$420 million at the time of his death, Paye argued that such a sum alone could have financed more than 10,000 miles of modern roadway, potentially connecting Liberia’s counties and transforming national mobility.
“Instead,” he wrote, “we find ourselves in the 21st Century celebrating the paving of a few miles of road as if it were monumental.”
Deferred Instability and Political Repression
Beyond economic concerns, Paye emphasized what he believes was the deeper political cost of Tubman’s rule. He described a governance system characterized by fear: a small, politicized army, repression of critics, and imprisonment of opponents.
This, Paye argued, did not prevent instability—it merely postponed it.
According to the former minister, the tensions suppressed during Tubman’s rule eventually burst forth after his death, contributing to the 1979 Rice Riot, the 1980 military coup, and the prolonged Liberian Civil War.
“In my honest opinion,” Paye wrote, “these tragedies could possibly not have occurred had Tubman not monopolized political power for nearly three decades.”
A Call for National Reflection
Paye concluded that maintaining a public holiday dedicated to Tubman is inconsistent with Liberia’s desire to confront its history honestly.
“Having a holiday dedicated to him therefore makes no sense when we reflect on the enormous opportunities he refused to utilize,” he said.
His remarks re-open a longstanding national discussion about how Liberia should evaluate its past leaders—not through nostalgia or mythmaking, he argues, but through a balanced reckoning with both achievements and failures.
As the country continues to observe Tubman Day each year, Paye’s challenge underscores a broader civic debate: whether national commemorations should reflect traditional reverence or evolve in line with a more critical understanding of history—one that honors democratic values, development, and accountability above prolonged rule and unfulfilled promise.
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