Source: All Africa
Amidst calls for Liberians in the Diaspora to return home and contribute to the nation's reconstruction process, UP Chairman, Cllr. Varney Sherman, has told Liberians living in the United States that they pose a serious threat to Liberians at home because of their skills and experience, coupled with their American accent which he described as "cerease."
"With your skills and experience, just being in the United States and speaking 'cerease' (a Liberian term describing the American accent), there are some of us who feel threatened by you," he told the Liberian audience he spoke to in Minnesota.
Cllr. Sherman minced no words in indicating that when Liberians return home, they are feared because they are considered as people who come to take other people's jobs.
Cllr. Sherman: "When you go home, we will look at you as the 'binto,' the ladies and gentlemen who have come to take away our jobs. You are very important to Liberia ... but, I must tell you, too, you threaten others in Liberia."
Since the end of the war in 2003, Liberians abroad, especially those with the requisite education and experience, have been called upon to return home and help rebuild their motherland, a call which has been listened to by some.
However, it is uncertain whether Mr. Sherman's statement will encourage Diaspora Liberians to return home, or dissuade them from returning.
