By Torli Krua
The cabinet of President Weah announced a salary reduction for top public servants. With his humble beginnings and hands clean of innocent blood, President Weah’s Administration presents the best chance for Liberia to emerge from the reign of endemic corruption and insecurity into a new era of opportunities.
However, because Liberia is a democracy, (government of the people, by the people and for the people) the people, as the Boss must first choose a path so that our energetic president can lead.
There is no better place to start than with an urgent demand from the people as the Boss, Master and voter who made Ambassador George Weah President to take over the role of setting the salaries and benefits of all public servants. The cabinet salary deduction demonstrates they are out of touch!
Fredrick Douglas said. “Power concedes nothing without a demand.” Out of 20 candidates, Ambassador George Weah contested and won with a mandate to serve in the best interest of the Liberian people as an employee.
When the Boss hires an employee, it’s the Boss, the Master who determines the salary of the worker, not the other way around. Unless Liberians demand this change immediately, the country is doomed because old, greedy and recycled politicians will emerge and hijack the new Administration.
Consistent with the Article I of the Liberian Constitution and common sense, the People are the Boss and therefore an independent commission appointed by the people must set all the salaries of public servants based on the medium income of the constituency and the revenue of the country.
Since 1847, the employee and cabinet-led salary reductions including this recent reduction have been woefully inadequate. What is the basics of the current US$7500.00 salary in a poverty-stricken country with skyrocketing expenses including vehicle purchases, fuel and maintenance costs?
Take the state of California for an example. With and annual budget of US$270 billion dollars California pays lawmakers a salary of US$8750.00 without buying cars for lawmakers.
Another example is Massachusetts, a state without rubber plantations, gold iron ore and diamond mines has an annual budget of US$40 billion dollars. Even so, state lawmakers earn US$5250.00 monthly salary with no free cars, free gas and body guards. That is why the recent cabinet salary of US$7500 is wasteful and unrealistic given the fact that the monthly salary of US$100 monthly for immigration officers with family members and children to send to school does not reflect a pro-poor agenda. Immigration officers are citizens too!
When I think of how African politicians enter government to become overnight millionaires and the excessive salaries and benefits they set for themselves, I am reminded of Exodus 20:15 “Thou shalt not steal.” That’s Holy Bible-Ten Commandments! With all due respect, the embassies of the USA and European Union in Liberia are “aiding and abetting” corruption in Liberia and other African nations.
How come top politicians and public servants in (poverty-stricken) Liberia (US$535 million dollars) earn (unlawful) excessive salaries & benefits far higher than the salaries of officials in the European Union and the President of the United States? Why are the US and EU embassies making recommendations for more foreign aid from the EU and USA when Liberian lawmakers are millionaires? Complicity!
Another example: Before he became the Foreign Minister of poverty-stricken Liberia, Hon. Findley also served as President of the Liberian Senate, during which time, he approved the allocation of US$1.2 million dollars for his office annually plus US$482,203.00 yearly salaries and benefits.
Compare Hon. Findley’s salary to US$193,400.00 for the President of the United States Senate, US$223,500.00 salary of Speaker Paul Ryan of the US Congress and US$400,000.00 the salary of the president of the United States the richest country with US$4 trillion dollars budget. How can employees who never elected themselves legally pay themselves excessive salaries, leaving nothing for basic services, health, education and infrastructures, conflict of interest laws notwithstanding?
According to the American Social Security Administration, 51% of American workers/taxpayers who financially sustain Liberia earn US$30,000 yearly. Compare the donors’ salary with top Liberian government official’s salaries of US$10,000.00 to US$15,000.00 monthly.
Not only are the top Liberian officials cheating poor Liberians, they are also cheating hardworking American taxpayers who live in a country with higher standard and higher cost of living than Liberia. Add Findley’s US$482,203.00 or US$40,000.00 monthly plus US$100,000.00 monthly for his office or a total of US$140,000.00 which flowed to FIndley from Liberia’s meager US$550 million dollars budget! After raking all that money and zero foreign service experience, Hon. Findley was rewarded the position of Foreign Minister of Liberia.
Excessive salaries and benefits of politicians in poor countries are insults to the American taxpayers and a disgrace to every Liberian at home and abroad! That is why Cabinet’s gesture of salary cut is frankly “Too little, too late”. Excessive salaries and benefits of top officials is the fuel for insecurity, ritualistic killings and the rising appetite for dividing Bong, Nimba and Lofa counties.
Worse, rising barbaric human sacrifices mean the death of vulnerable and innocent children is robbing Liberia of future talents. If America with the money machine isn’t paying top officials US$140,000.00 monthly, there is no justification of the excessive salaries and benefits Liberian lawmakers and top Liberian politicians enjoy. For aiding and abetting corruption, the Embassies of the USA and EU are disgrace to taxpayers in their respective countries. It’s time to end the disgrace-let the Boss, the people who vote for these politicians also set the salaries and benefits of their elected politicians.
People like Hon. Findley and others need to be forced pay back the money they paid themselves because Liberians do not approve excessive salaries and benefits-and it’s the people’s money,not Findley’s or anyone else! Article 90 of the Liberian Constitution prohibits “conflict of interest”.
With Article 90 of the Liberian Constitution firmly in place all funds that all top government officials have paid themselves over the years are unlawful and at the appropriate time everyone of them will have to return to the poor people in Liberia the money taken from them through unlawful “conflict of interest.” Again, Exodus 20:15 “Thou shalt not steal.”
According to the Christian website, https://www.biblestudytools.com, “The Eighth Commandment, “Do not Steal,” is unique in that it encompasses all the other commandments on the second tablet: Murder is the stealing of another person’s life.
Adultery is the stealing of another person’s spouse. Giving false testimony is stealing justice. And coveting is the desire to steal what belongs to another person. This commandment is unique in another way: It is the only completely open-ended commandment. All the other commandments are specific.
The Fifth Commandment, for example, states whom one must honor—one’s parents. The Sixth Commandment, prohibiting murder, is only about taking the life of an innocent human being. The Seventh Commandment, prohibiting adultery, is also specific to a married person; two unmarried people cannot commit adultery.
But the commandment against stealing doesn’t even hint at what it is we are forbidden to steal. It means we cannot take anything that belongs to another person.”
If the embassies of the USA and EU are “aiding and abetting” corruption, reducing salaries isn’t the answer. Bring back the people’s money. You didn’t elect yourself and don’t work for yourself. Therefore you have no business paying yourself or cutting your own pay-you are not the Boss.
Torli Krua
A pastor and human rights activist, Torli was instrumental in lobbying with US congressmen and policymakers to increase the quota of refugees from Africa being allowed into the US. He has also worked tirelessly in the New England region and beyond to champion the rights of refugees and immigrants. His organization, Universal Human Rights International, worked with thousands of immigrants from 38 different countries over the span of 20 years. He has been honored by the National Peace Corps Association and the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild.