PHOTO: Pres. Joseph Nyuma Boakai, VP Jeremiah Koung and the “change” leadership
Fellow Liberians, you are becoming poorer every day while they are becoming richer from your resources.
The “CHANGE” we did not expect. The grand conspiracy is to keep you in poverty, turn you into beggars, and dish out peanuts during elections. Nothing will change in Liberia if this does not change.
ACTIVIST AND ANALYST Martin K. N. Kollie writes…
Fellow Liberians, pay attention. The appropriation for just “Constituency Visit” alone jumped from US$330,000 to US$2,054,913 in less than 11 months (Ref. Page 4, Outturn Report). The appropriation for just “Legislative Committee Hearings” or “In-house Meetings” alone jumped from US$3.6 million to over US$13.9 million in less than 11 months. Is This The Change? Fiasco. The Legislature swallowed US$53.2 million in less than 11 months. For what when Liberia is the 8th poorest country on planet Earth?
Fellow Liberians, you are becoming poorer every day while they are becoming richer from your resources. The millions they are wasting and pocketing do not come from their private companies. It’s your money. Join us in asking them what they did with this money when unemployment was more than 90% in Liberia (MOL, 2024).
If anything will change, it should start from Pres. Boakai and VP Koung. The lawmakers are refusing to cut down on waste because President Boakai and The Executive are also refusing to cut down on waste.
The outturn report covers January 1, 2024, to November 18, 2024. The money they spent during this period as opposed to what they appropriated/planned to spend, simply put (outturn).
Our focus in this piece is on what they termed “Legislative Committee Hearings” and “Constituency Visit.” US$3.6 million was appropriated, but they spent US$13.9 million. It’s more than US$13.9 million because this report only accounts for January 1 – 18, November 2024. The MFDP has not yet published an outturn report for November 19 – December 31, 2024.
- A) Breakdown for only Legislative Committee Hearings in less than 11 months, FY2024:
1) The Speaker – US$700,000 was appropriated, but US$699,956 was spent (Ref. Page8).
2) The Deputy Speaker – US$595,000 was appropriated, but US$514,684 (Ref. Page 9).
3) The Senate Pro-Tempore – US$583,577 was appropriated, but US$170,000 (Ref. Page 6).
4) The House of Representatives (71 Reps.) – US$5,565 was appropriated, but US$9,157,031 was spent (Ref. Page 10).
5) The Liberian Senate (29 Senators) – US$1,785,000 was appropriated, but US$3,448,202 was spent (Ref. Page 7).
B) Breakdown for only “Constituency Visit” in less than 11 months, FY2024:
1) The Liberian Senate – US$290,000 was appropriated, but US$550,000 was spent in less than 11 months (Ref. Page 7). In addition to this, Pro-Temp Nyonblee alone got US$25,000 more for so-called Constituency Visit (Ref. Page 6).
2) House of Representatives – US$0 was appropriated, but US$1,479,913 was spent (Ref. Page 10).
Legislative Committee Hearings and Constituency Visits are part of your work. So, why should millions of USD be appropriated again to do your job when millions of your constituents/citizens cannot even afford a meal daily? Is this not insensitivity, cruelty, and institutionalized thievery?
- C) Why Pres. Boakai and VP Koung should be blamed:
103 Lawmakers are swimming in millions every year while our people (over 90% unemployed) rot in poverty and extreme hardship because Pres. Boakai and VP Koung are also swimming in millions and refusing to cut down on waste. The lawmakers will never cut down or stop this waste if the president and the VP don’t take the lead. Lead by example.
Let’s consider just a few lines under Boakai and Koung:
1) The Office of President Boakai: Special Presidential Projects – US$136,341; Other Special Materials – US$100,000; Special Operations Services – US$136,470; Operational Expense – US$60,000; Foreign Travel and Allowances – US$1,156,216; Domestic Special Services (DSS): Consultancy – USS$504,406; Special Operations Services – US$447,348; Food and Catering – US$93,054.
2) Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs: Consultancy Services—US$894,594; Special Operations Services—US$1,042,038; Celebrations and Commemorations—US$879,498.
3) The Office of Vice President Koung: Special Operations Services—US$886,397; Foreign Travel and Allowances—US$259,745; etc.
Why do we need to waste all this money on special services, foreign travel, consultancy, food, and celebrations just for the president and vice president? This is public waste while your people suffer.
This is NOT the “change” we fought for and expected. Use the people’s money on them, not on you and your families. Use it to improve their lives, not to waste it on your lives. You have no reason to keep begging for aid, grants, and loans if you cut down on public waste and re-invest in capital projects to improve people’s lives.
We are waiting for the Ministry of Finance to upload/publish the final outturn report. Fellow Liberian, we will take two weeks to tell you every cent they spent/wasted in 2024. This is unfair, unjust, and insensitive. The PEOPLE deserve a life of dignity, respect, and self-worth, too. It cannot be business as usual.
Going forward, we won’t allow this anymore. The government must be serious about “CHANGE” and not cosmetic. The 2025 budget is not different from 2024. It’s even worse. If this government doesn’t substantially cut down on public waste, nothing is going to change.
We are getting tired cautioning, advising, and recommending. We are gradually running out of patience. This is how a government gets unpopular. Use the money to improve the people’s lives and stop wasting it on yourselves. The people are suffering. They keep raising the alarm about their appalling conditions, but no one is listening. Y’all keep wasting and pocketing millions. Was this what they stood under the rain and sun for?
Cut down on waste. Cut down on waste. Cut down on waste. This is ridiculously insensitive. The people are not stupid. They are not cannon fodders either.
Data reference: Pages 3-22, Outturn Report, Fiscal Year 2025.
Activist Martin K. N. Kollie writes….