Liberians resident in the state of Indiana on November 21, 2009 inducted into offices their newly elected officers. The Liberian Ambassador, His Excellency M. Nathaniel Barnes, served as key note speaker. In his speech, he challenged Liberian to "make Liberia work." Here is the full text of the speech:

Members of the Liberian Association of Indiana

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

Fellow Liberians,

It is an honor and pleasure to be here tonight with all of you. I am thrilled, because I am actually beginning to see a paradigm shift in Liberian attitudes and ideology. The individuals in this room are not here to grip about what government is not doing for them, nor are they here to criticize their fellow country men and women. The individuals in this room are here to say in one strong, clear, and unified voice that – we Liberians are, and will be, responsible for our Liberia.

This is very encouraging for the future success of Liberia. That is why when I was asked to come and speak to you all briefly about values, mutual respect for one another and participation in the development of the Indiana community and our beloved Liberia, I could not turn down the opportunity.

First, I would like to talk about our Liberia and what we must do. Every great and successful country must have dedicated and educated citizens working in unison along with a vibrant private sector that fosters employment, infrastructure development and most importantly, hope and pride to its citizens. Giving this fundamental fact, let me state emphatically that the Liberians here in Indiana, are just as vital to the revitalization of Liberia, as the people living in Liberia. We all must do our part, and the leadership and initiatives that you all have shown, is exactly what Liberia needs as we embark on the path to rebuild our battered nation.

Often I meet Liberians at home or abroad, and I observe the determination in their eyes and the burning desire to change the apathetic "business as usual" attitude in Liberia for the better – I mean in all avenues of our society: how government works and how governance is conducted, how laws are enacted and how business is transacted.

My message to every Liberian that I meet is that we have to continue to build and progress to the point where we will no longer be a recipient of aid from our foreign partners. We have to create an environment in which we become self-sufficient and are able to not only provide jobs for all Liberians, but in time, jobs for others as well. In order to do this, however, we must realize that the mountain that we must climb is high and challenging, and the work we must do is hard and you, as Liberians living abroad, with more resources and educational opportunities, are an integral part of the formula for success.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, fellow Liberians; for too long we in Liberia, and the entire continent off Africa have wallowed in mediocrity, denial, low self esteem and worse, we have allowed others to determine and direct our destiny.

This phenomenon is so ingrained in our collective consciousness that we have, over the generations, resulted to being simple followers; looking to others to show us how to learn, how to build, how to be healthy, how to rule justly and fairly. Others have virtually taught and directed us how to live!

Yes it is true that much of our present condition is due to exogenous factors over the generations. Slavery, colonialism, exploitation, bigotry, biases and deliberate propaganda. But let’s face it my dear friends, much of our present condition is due to ourselves. We must stop blaming others for our current state and take full responsibility of our destiny. We have the inherent traits to do this as such traits are not monopolized by any one group!

The Embassy of Liberia, in trying to promote greater partnership among the citizens and friends of Liberia living in the United States and garner the support of all Liberians in the Diaspora, has officially launched the Liberian Diaspora Advisory Board.

The Board’s mission statement is: "To harness resources of the Liberian Diaspora to support "Lift Liberia" the government’s official poverty reduction strategy. The board members are engaging the Liberian Diaspora in four central pillars that corresponds with the PRS mandate of the Liberian Government, which articulates the administration’s vision and strategies for moving towards rapid, inclusive and sustainable growth and development during the 2008-2011 period. The Advisory Board focuses on:

1. Expanding peace and security;

2. Revitalizing the economy;

3. Strengthening governance and the rule of law and

4. Rehabilitating infrastructure and delivering basic services to the Liberian people.

It is obvious, though, that this cannot be done without the support, backing and commitment of the people sitting here in this room. Therefore unless you can sacrifice some time and, yes, money, to go to Liberia and work hands-on with your fellow citizens, or simply take the time, as you are doing now, to come and listen to some of the problems and potential solutions for Liberia, the goal of the Diaspora Board will not (and cannot) be achieved.

Trust me when I say that not only your community in America, but your country of Liberia desperately needs your help. No matter how much, or how little you can render, your expertise, advice and support is greatly needed. Remember that no matter how much support we receive from our international partners, only Liberians can deliver lasting and sustainable development for Liberia.

I would now like to briefly like to talk about the vision of your organization, which is your state is based on realizing the need to organize the community in order to promote unity, and prosperity, and to foster greater understanding among yourselves, Liberians in other states, national and international communities. Again, these are signs of Liberians taking the next step in self realization for which I applaud; we have to make ourselves accountable for the way in which not only Liberians see ourselves, but others as well.

We can start to redefine our cultural values and showcase the good of our people through the initiatives that this Association is undertaking; while, as your objective states – service as a mechanism for the promotion of unity among Liberians. These are great goals in which to strive for and achieve not because we want to but because we have to.

The value that you bring to the new Liberian dispensation is immeasurable. However, proverbial ball is in your court. I challenge you today to "MAKE LIBERIA WORK"

I want to thank you for your invitation to me to celebrate with you this evening as we redefine Liberia into a "new nation" a new nation that will hold steadfast democratic, family and ethical values while eliciting an accountable government that will be based on the rule of law.

Liberians want to be a success story in Africa – we will be a success story in Africa! Play your part to make this a reality.

My People, I thank you for your initiatives and I thank you for always, keeping Liberia at heart. May God bless the United States of America, ND MAY God bless our beloved Liberia.