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Presidential Candidate Dukuly |
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By Mohamed A. Kamara
June 14, 2009
When President Barack Obama announced his
candidacy for the White House a few years back,
many people saw him as a big dreamer; a dream
that will not be fulfilled easily by him or the
possibility of any person of color ascending to
the presidency in America. Mr. Obama being
hopeful and committed toward the cause, today
that big dream has finally come true. It is not
a comparison between Mr. Dukuly and President
Obama but to demonstrate the importance of
perseverance in every adventure in a man’s life.
Our current situation cannot be compared to
national politics or any form of government
since the core mandate of FELMAUSA is social
advocacy, justice, peace and reunification
within the Mandingo community. Yet, our various
communities are polarized by people with
indifferent motives for personal gains. If we
were to succeed collectively, we need to set
aside our differences and never give up the
fight until our dream come true. As Mr. Dukuly
rightly stated, “Remember: The easiest and most
effective means to failure is to quit” should
enlighten the minds and souls of every man that
success is only sure through hard work.
Decades ago in Liberia, the Mandingos were
popularly known for petty trades and income
generating activities with less concentration on
Western education but those days are gone while
we find ourselves at the crossroads exploring
opportunities in various disciplines including
engineering, computer science, medicine,
political science, economics, law and many other
competitive fields significant in nation
rebuild. Thanks to Allah the Almighty, we were
able to present a predominant Mandingo political
party in the 1997 general elections thereby
conceding to Charles Taylor. Many who witnessed
said era might have regarded it as a complete
defeat but that was the period of renaissance
for the Mandingos. Today with decent education,
we compete in various job markets for lucrative
employments both within and outside Liberia, and
our brothers and sisters hold strategic
positions in Government, United Nations, private
and public corporations, etc.
Taking into context FELMAUSA as a case study,
let me post this question, “What do we Mandingos
want and what direction are we heading?” I think
it is too early to be disservice to ourselves
and the deployment of our education as
propaganda machinery to segregate our community,
a total loss of focus. The entire idea of
FELMAUSA is becoming like a political party
rather than a non-profit community-based
organization. Base on unfolding issues, FELMAUSA
electoral guidelines appears to suit a handful
of members who considered themselves “the brain
and heart” of the organization. For instance,
one must be a college graduate in order to be
elected to any executive office; a criterion
even the presidency of the Republic of Liberia
does not require. From statistics, the education
ratio in our community is far less than most
communities in Liberia and said should not be an
impediment to lead the community if the wisdom
of leadership does exist.
In light of the aforementioned, progress is
expected to be retarded to a greater extent.
Acknowledging that there is no problem without a
solution no matter its characteristics of the
problem; a brilliant, dedicated and educated man
of wisdom has vowed to weed out the arising
problems faced in FELMAUSA as a contribution in
keeping the dream of the organization alive.
In acceptance of the fact that FELMAUSA needs
someone with a broad spectrum of knowledge not
only in leadership ability but financial and
income-generating responsibilities coupled with
multi-cultural leadership background, at the
same time the possession of bold initiatives to
make sound judgment, Mr. Mohammed Dukuly, a
Morehouse graduate with international exposure
and an immense financial discipline, has gone
public in various chapters of FELMAUSA in a bid
to lead the organization from its current state
as more social-like club to a full blown
institution.
Accordingly, polls conducted in most chapters of
FELMAUSA rendered Mr. Dukuly victorious if there
were any elections held today. Although Mr.
Dukuly meets all criteria laid by FELMAUSA
electoral commission but what interests most
community members is the platform being
presented by such a young and brilliant
financial expert in an attempt to render such a
huge assistance to the community. At such time
in his life, does he possess the requisite
experience and leadership ability to continue
the work of Mr. Konneh? Is he like one of those
politicians with sugar-coated words who get to
public office by hoax or croak? In brief, what
portfolio has Mr. Dukuly got to lead FELMAUSA to
a more social advocacy and justice group on one
hand and community reunification on the other
hand? One of the current deficiencies of the
leadership is the lack of financial
accountability; can Mr. Dukuly fix the partially
enlisted problems?
To begin, let’s dive a little bit into Mr.
Dukuly’s background in an effort to clarify
several speculations surrounding his candidacy.
Taking a keen look at his role in student
politics alike most leaders will help assess
some of his leadership skills thereby serving as
key factors in justifying his bid to lead
FELMAUSA to success. Being a champion of change
and advocacy for the voiceless student
population at the Morehouse College, one of the
nation’s finest black liberal colleges, Mr.
Dukuly served as the president of the
International Student Organization for two
consecutive years, 2001 to 2003. Because of his
outstanding performance and academic excellence,
Mr. Dukuly was honoree of the Phi Beta Kappa,
Beta Gamma Sigma, Omicron Delta Kappa, and
Golden Key International Academic & Leadership
Honor Societies from 2002 to 2004 respectively.
Apart, the contributions of Mr. Dukuly in
community volunteering and services were
immense. Not only he volunteered with the Joe &
Adams Public Service, Atlanta, Georgia, in
tutoring and mentoring students in becoming
leaders of tomorrow, he sees volunteering as a
passion and a way of life. Instead of working on
Wall Street, he has chosen to lead FELMAUSA to a
brighter day. Community members from the
Atlanta, Philadelphia and the D.C. areas can
attest that Mr. Dukuly is a born volunteer. In
Atlanta for example, he offered free tutoring
services in Islamic studies; helping our sisters
and mothers acquire basic knowledge of the Islam
religion.
In terms of academic credentials, Mr. Dukuly
holds Master’s degree in Accounting with
emphasis in Auditing from the Mason School of
Business Administration, The College of John and
Mary, Virginia. As a distinguished collegian, he
acquired BBA in Accounting (Magna Cum Laude)
from the Morehouse College in 2004. As a scholar
and seeker of knowledge, Mr. Dukuly’s presence
in the Mandingo community is a motivational tool
for most of our brothers and sisters in pursuing
higher education.
Going back to Mr. Dukuly’s professional
achievements, as a financial analyst for Morgan
Stanley, one of America’s financial
house-powers, he analyzed over $500 million
dollars Initial Public Offering financial models
for Sunstone Hotel Investors and GMH Communities
Trust respectively. He modeled out $1.82 billion
dollars portfolio of forty-three(43) hotels and
four restaurants owned by Omni Hotels by
applying Comparable companies, Discounted Cash
Flow, Net Asset Value, and Precedent
Transactions Analyses to execute accurate
valuation, analyzed capital structure, and value
debt at its net present worth. As part of his
responsibilities, he participated in strategic
credit facility assessment by drafting Credit &
Equity Commitment Committee memos; prepared
prospectuses, selling memos, and roadshow
presentations for shareholders and potential
investors and many other financial.
With such an impressive curriculum vitae, what
do we expect of Mr. Dukuly in term of change in
leadership style and policies? What strategies
will be put in place to have a more unified and
progressive Mandingo community? Can he succeed
if he were to be elected as president of
FELMAUSA without the support of Mr. Konneh and
his key strategists? Based on his background as
a corporate financial analyst and a
multi-cultural oriented person, Mr. Dukuly
believes in bi-partisan, transparency and
consultative leadership.
As a man of wisdom, he has identified the
numerous problems and sees no need of
re-inventing the wheel in its entirety but to
bridge the gaps between those disjointed pieces
thereafter polishing them in a definite path as
per the core ideology of FELMAUSA’s formation.
In summary, Mr. Dukuly is open to working with
anyone including Mr. Konneh in taking FELMAUSA
to the next level but what should be expected is
a change in policies in addressing several
issues and adhering to new strategies to attract
more funding from the donor community.
In term of reunification strategy, Mr. Dukuly
has promised to establish and lead an
administration that believes in consultative
dialogues rather than working in isolation or
embracing a blue-print approach with little or
no possibility of change. Many would concord
that it is time for FELMAUSA to adopt new
strategies as a medium of bringing onboard those
undecided community members sitting behind the
fence skeptical about the possibility of a
unified Mandingo federation. It might be
considered as a campaign strategy but the fact
is that Mr. Dukuly should be given the
opportunity to take FELMAUSA to a new dimension.
The argument being put forth is that, Mr. Dukuly
has broad vision about implementing changes in
leadership etiquette, financial accountability,
community empowerment and the solicitation of
resources to implement short and long-term
projects. To support my argument, Mr. Dukuly
will not be a “pupette” leader who wishes to
satisfy certain community members or chapters
for the purpose of re-election, but to closely
consult with the Board and local chapters in the
appointments of officials. The planning and
implementation of activities will be done with
inputs from all chapters and those to head will
be scrutinized by the Board.
People may think that I am being pessimistic
about Mr. Konneh’s efforts in building FELMAUSA
from an embryonic stage, but what I am trying to
portray is the need to establish a vibrant
Mandingo community. It will be disservice to the
organization to discredit Mr. Konneh’s efforts
in taking FELMAUSA thus far but the reality is
that, Mr. Konneh seems not to have much in term
of governance, financial accountability and
strategies in the solicitation of funds to
implement projects. Even in student governments,
the key to successful and transparent governance
is proper financial ethics.
Contrary to Mr. Konneh’s administration,
publishing a comprehensive financial report
whether quarterly, semi-annually or yearly is a
thug of war. How would you expect to be trusted
to lead us for the next term of office when
those are not being done? If the Board of
FELMAUSA were to audit Mr. Konneh’s
administration, nothing of substance could be
presented in accounting for all monies acquired
during his term of office since basic
book-keeping or accounting principles are not
being followed. Do you think that with such a
financial misappropriation, FELMAUSA can benefit
donors’ funding? Absolutely not and said is a
justification to give chance to people who
demonstrate great financial and leadership
abilities.
Supporters of Mr. Konneh might be offended but
my advice is that our struggle for change should
not be considered on personal ties but a
thorough assessment of an individual’s ability
in taking FELMAUSA to the next level. If for
some reasons Mr. Dukuly cannot live up to his
promises when elected, which is highly doubtful,
then he must be ready to step aside for a
successor. We are not operating in the context
of a political ideology where people are
life-time supporters of a particular group or
association rather the concept of dynamic and
appraisal.
Again, the services of Mr. Konneh are highly
appreciated but I don’t think Mr. Konneh does
have much to offer to FELMAUSA and its members.
As a way forward, Mr. Dukuly should be provided
the support in discussing his prospectus and
the final decisions will be yours. |
