As Liberia Remains Among The 9 Poorest Nations In The World
PHOTO: Alexander Cummings, Political leader, Alternative National Congress
By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com
The Political Leader of the Alternative National Congress has criticized President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s recent State of the Nation Address, stating that Liberians continue to face hunger and severe economic hardship.
Alexander Cummings said Liberia currently stands at a decisive crossroads under President Boakai’s leadership.
Addressing a major press conference in response to the state of nation address delivered President Boakai on Tuesday, Mr. Cumming noted that while the President told the Liberian people that the country is in a better condition than it was during the administration of former President George Weah, the reality on the ground suggests otherwise.
According to the ANC political leader, he does not intend to merely criticize the government, but rather to offer people-focused and sector-based alternatives to address the many challenges confronting the country.
Cummings referenced the Global Hunger Index, which places Liberia near the bottom of the global rankings 112th out of 123 countries. He further stated that two out of every five Liberians do not have sufficient food to eat.
He also pointed out that President Boakai announced a proposed national budget of US$1.2 billion, the highest in Liberia’s history.
Despite this, Cummings said Liberia remains among the nine poorest nations in the world, raising concerns about how national resources are being utilized to improve the lives of ordinary citizens.
“While public hospitals lack gloves and schools lack chalk, the Legislature’s budget has increased to over $51 million, and the National Security Agency’s budget has ballooned by 50% to $22 million.”
|We are supposed to receive windfalls, including the $200 million ArcelorMittal signature bonus, yet these resources are being absorbed into a bloated budget to fund the luxury lifestyles of the political class.”
We must cap the budgets of the Legislature and the Executive, ending the era of “big, big cars” and extravagant travel.
The ANC leader encouraged the government shift fund misapplied und to health, education, and the security personnel—the police and military
He called for transparency and stressed the need county-level to reporting in order for the budget to be explained to ordinary people
On agriculture, Mr. Cummings maintained that the President calls agriculture the heart of the “ARREST” agenda; but, he cannot claim agriculture is the heart while you slash its funding.
Cummings noted that the government must meet the international commitment to allocate 10% of the national budget to agriculture.
“We must use windfalls to build processing plants—rice milling, cassava processing, and fisheries cold storage—so farmers move from “hand-to-mouth” to “business-for-profit.”
On infrastructural sector, the ANC political leader indicated that roads are the economic lifelines that connect farms to markets and without them, harvests simply rot in the fields.
Cummings proposed a dedicated credit and guarantee scheme specifically for market women and small Liberian businesses.
He indicated that “we cannot talk about “women first” while the scourge of rape and sexual abuse haunts our communities.”
Cummings stressed the need to strengthen the judiciary to ensure that sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) cases are prosecuted with urgency. A nation that cannot protect its daughters cannot claim to be “recovering.”
On the issue of training of youths, the ANC leader underscored the need for the government to engage graduates as assistant teachers and health workers, among others, providing them with a salary, training, and a sense of purpose.
He called on the government to expand TVET and apprenticeships county-by-county so the young people have the technical skills to build our infrastructure.
Cummings recommended the strengthening of county service centers in order for basic services—permits, documents, and licenses—must be available in every county hub so citizens don’t have to spend their last savings traveling to the capital.
We must empower local leaders to prioritize their own feeder roads and clinics, ensuring that the “Government” is felt in the village, not just on Capitol Hill.
As for the issue of electricity, the ANC leader pointed out that most Liberians still live without reliable electricity, and rural Liberia remains largely in the dark.
“We cannot wait for the central grid and we must deploy community solar and off-grid solutions for clinics and schools immediately.”
Commenting on accountability, Cumming noted that corruption is the reason there is no medicine in the clinics, supplies in schools, among others and stressed the need for the establishment specialized courts to end the “delay tactics” that allow impunity to survive.