The budget debate for Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 has kicked off. Should Liberians keep paying lawmakers for constituency visit and entertainment when unemployment and poverty remain prevalent?
Whom are they really visiting and why should they even be entertained when each of them already earns thousands of USD in exorbitant salary and benefits every month?
I) Constituency Visit:
FY2024: US$2,928,288
FY2025: US$2,400,083
FY2026: US$820,000
Total FY2024-2026: US$6,148,371
II) Entertainment:
FY2024: US$369,100
FY2025: US$891,595
FY2026: US$2,553,182
Total FY2024-2026: US$3,813,877
Meanwhile, they also got tens of millions of USD on multiple budget lines including vehicles, fuel for vehicles, fuel for generator, repair and maintenance, foreign travel, domestic travel, scholarship, scratch card, stationery, committee sitting fees, etc. Furthermore, each of them is receiving over US$9,000 in monthly salary.
If all of this is not greed, then what is it?
They have US$45K for car each. They are getting about US$3,000 each for gas every month. So, why should they be paid again to visit their constituents when they already have cars and enough gas from tax dollars? NB: Almost all of them are residing right in Montserrado. Meanwhile, civil servants including teachers, health workers, security personnel, etc. are receiving a non-living wage of US$150 and without any real benefits. It will take a civil 1 year and 8 months to earn what a lawmaker gets for gas alone in a month. This is a glaring reflection of economic violence, income inequality, and injustice against ordinary Liberians. SAD.
Let’s consider another line for Liberians to see for themselves: Vehicles.
III) Vehicles:
FY2024: US$3,915,000
FY2025: US$485,000
FY2026: US$450,000
Total FY2024-2026: US$4,850,000
This is what Liberian tax payers have spent just to buy cars for them: US$4.85 million, even though civil servants have to transport themselves from that same $150. From that same $150, civil servants have to buy food, pay rent, buy clothes, pay medical bills, pay LEC bills, pay water bills, pay children school fees, etc. This is economic violence against civil servants.
The suffering in Liberia is artificial; it is man-made. Liberia’s problem is neither spiritual nor natural. It’s not also the scarcity of resources. Liberia has enough for everybody to live a better life, but a few continues to deprive and suppress the majority. Liberia cannot develop unless more money flows out of the pockets of a few politicians in to the pockets of the PEOPLE and into national development projects. Liberia is prioritizing the minor instead of the major. Liberia’s real problem is public waste, fiscal indiscipline, greed, and corruption. This is the current tragedy on the home front.
Recommendation: Cut down on public waste. No official of government should earn more than US$5,000 per month in both salary and benefits. Pay civil servants at least US$500 per month.
We are officially joining the budget debate as of next week. This is just a prelude.
Data Source: Expenditure Reports and Approved National Budgets of Liberia, FY2024-2026.
This is a developing guest editorial.
About The Author: Martin K. N. Kollie is a Liberian activist in exile and a former student leader in Liberia.
