BUCHANAN, Liberia- Grand Bassa County Superintendent Janjay Baikpeh has said the real ‘Council of Patriots’ are officials of the CDC-led government, who have agreed to have their salaries and benefits cut for the general good of the country.
Superintendent Baikpeh was responding to a pressure group named and styled, ‘Council of Patriots’ (COP), an organization of ordinary citizens, political commentators and former officials of the Unity Party regime, who are bent on criticizing the pro-poor government.
The group, known for unprecedentedly staging peaceful protests in the capital, Monrovia, belief the country under President Weah, was proceeding wrongly.
But addressing the local media in Buchanan on Thursday, Superintendent Baikpeh said they (officials) of the current administration, deserve to be called council of patriots due to their “sacrifice to harmonize their salaries and benefits in the interest of Liberia”.
The Grand Bassa County Superintendent said those who are referring to themselves as patriots were lucratively paid while serving the immediate past government, without submitting to cut in their monthly earnings.
“People are passing around saying we’ve done nothing. Some people get up in the morning saying they are the council of patriots. How would you dare call yourself council of patriots? How? Some of them today who are becoming the angels of advocacy were serving government making US$4,500, assistant ministers were making US$3,500, while ministers proper were earning US$10,000.”
Superintendent Baikpeh told the news conference that county superintendents receive less than US$2,000 monthly, with no scratch cards and gasoline. According to him, Unity Party government officials, heavily backed by the international support, could not reduce their salaries.
“Today we accept to be council of patriots because we didn’t accept to work in government for the purpose of enriching ourselves. Public service is not for self-seeking. We did so in order for development to reach our people everywhere. They couldn’t accept to get cut when they were being heavily supported by the international community, but we did”.
Upon taking office in 2018, President kick-started a pay cut scheme for Liberia’s top officials of government. The Liberian leader announced reduction in government salaries, by taking a 25% pay-cut himself.
The pay harmonization scheme was taken across the three branches of the government, with members of the legislature and the Supreme Court bench submitting to the process.
Appearing on the OK FM 995.5 on Thursday, Deputy Finance Minister for Fiscal Affairs, Samora P. Z. Wolokolie said no cabinet minister serving in the Weah government earn more than US$7,800 monthly.
The harmonization is saving the government of Liberia about US$3.5 million annually on deductions from benefits of lawmakers at the Legislature.