โ๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ: ๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ฅ.โ
My reaction to the House of Representativesโ swift approval of the FY26 Budgetโtotaling US$1.2 billionโwithout thorough scrutiny has sparked a nationwide wave of responses and even personal attacks from former colleagues. I firmly believe that standing up for careful examination is my constitutional duty as an elected Senator, and I remain committed to steering the debate toward the real issues. Before this, I voiced my concerns to colleagues across both the Legislature and the Executive Branch, only to be ignored, just like they did in 2024 when we flagged and proved that the FY24 budget was manipulated. Nothing came out of that.
To those defending the illegal transfers I wrote about in an earlier post, I would like to remind you that the Budget Transfer Act of 2008 (relevant sections attached) is unambiguous. All monies appropriated for the various functions, projects, and activities contained in the annual budget and supplementary appropriation acts shall be available solely for the specific purposes for which they are appropriated. Transfers may be approved only when essential.
The transfers in question were not essential. They were routine, convenient, and reckless, with grave consequences for national development and citizen safety. While the law permits movement, it does not excuse the erosion of sector priorities or the dilution of legislative intent when it voted for the budget.
The Budget Transfer Act itself anticipates the need to adjust appropriations to accommodate significant changes in circumstances. But it also warns that excessive transfers across ministries, agencies, programs, or items can undermine accountability and the achievement of fiscal objectives.
๐. ๐ ๐ข๐ฌ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐จ ๐๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ
The justification of โessentialโ transfers must be weighed against actual fiscal conditions. The Liberia Revenue Authority has reported strong revenue performance, with domestic collections exceeding projections in multiple quarters. The government is not cash-strapped. There was no urgent liquidity crisis that required stripping agriculture, RIA, or PSIP allocations to fund other ministries’ recurrent costs. These transfers were not driven by necessity; they were driven by choice. And that choice undermined declared priorities in the Presidentโs, or should I say the Unity Partyโs, ARREST Agenda we all support.
๐. ๐๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ
โข Roberts International Airport (RIA): Stripping 62 percent of its upgrade allocation has put the safety and lives of Liberians and international travelers at risk. Let me remind us that we all circulated on social media videos of airplanes aborting landings during the CDC regime due to a lack of electricity. Those of us who traveled through there know that the RIA needs upgrades. There are times when jetways and escalators are not functioning, and systems are down due to connectivity issues or other issues.
โข Agriculture Value Chain: Diversion of $1.2 million from core programs has weakened progress in the very sector declared as the first pillar of the ARREST agenda, where the largest number of Liberians are employed.
โข Landfill and Urban Sanitation Project: 50 percent of its allocation was diverted, undermining efforts to provide a clean and healthy city. Just look at how filthy Monrovia and its suburbs are. Let me also remind us that we criticized the CDC and circulated videos of mountains of garbage when they could not remove the โdump pilesโ on time.
โข Revenue Enhancement Project: Funds meant to strengthen collection capacity were diverted, weakening fiscal sustainability.
These are not abstract reallocations. They are direct blows to infrastructure, public health, food security, and fiscal credibility.
๐. ๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ฒ
We do not oppose the use of General Claims. What we oppose is the opacity that arises when they are collapsed under a new spending entity without clear disclosure of how the funds will be managed, tracked, and reported. Without that clarity, transparency becomes nominal rather than functional, and legislative oversight is weakened. Accountability must be explicit. The Legislature and the public need to know who is responsible for this new entity, who will answer questions about allocations, and how decisions will be documented. Inserting such a category into the budget without notifying or engaging the Legislature was wrong. It speaks to a disregard for both the spirit and the principle of fiscal accountability.
๐. ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ฑ๐๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง, ๐๐จ๐ญ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ
This government came into power on a rescue mission, to correct wrongs and improve governance, not to justify present failures by pointing to past excesses. This is not a race to the bottom. It is not about personalities or past administrations. It is about current execution. The Senateโs role is to ensure that appropriations reflect national priorities and that execution delivers results. When budgetary practice undermines that, Legislative oversight is not optional; it is mandatory.
๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ
This is about Liberia, not a political party or any individuals. We must stand against treating the national budget as petty cash, where the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning can move money at will without Legislative approval. While budget transfers may be lawful, the law established a process and checkpoints to guard against frivolous reallocations. The Act speaks clearly against excessive transfers that consistently divert funds from declared priorities, especially in a year of strong revenue performance.
My concern and caution to fellow Senators is not simply about transfers. It is about their impact on national development – agriculture, health, education, infrastructure, sanitation, and safety at our international airport. We stand by our critique and call for tighter guardrails, real-time reporting, and outcome-based accountability, which the Public Accounts and Audits Committee will enforce in FY26. The UP won the election based on all of those messages and should not be afraid of an enlightened public on the budget.
