Outspoken Liberian activist Martin K. N. Kollie, currently living in exile, has launched a scathing critique of the Liberian government’s excessive spending on foreign travel and VIP luxuries, calling it a betrayal of President Joseph Boakai’s campaign promise to run a “modest government.”
In a sharp statement released at midweek (Wednesday), Kollie decried what he called “public waste” at the highest levels of government and pointed to nearly US$8 million in expenditure over the last 24 months on foreign travel alone — this in a country where hunger, unemployment, and poverty remain alarmingly high.
“The system in Liberia was designed by a few to oppress, marginalize, and suppress the majority,” Kollie stated. “This is the system that we must disrupt and dismantle.”
The DSA Syndrome and “Economic Vultures”
Citing data from the 2025 Approved National Budget (Annex 5, Page IX), Kollie broke down the alarming costs associated with government travel:
Foreign Travel: US$3,962,024
Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA): US$3,385,221
Incidental Allowance: US$649,295
Total in 24 Months: US$7,996,540
Kollie criticized what he described as a culture of abuse surrounding the DSA system — where officials not only receive daily allowances for travel but are also paid separate “incidental” allowances for the same trips.
“Why pay a hefty subsistence allowance and then turn around to pay an incidental allowance again to the same traveler amid scarce resources and competing national priorities?” he asked.
Luxury in the Midst of Hunger
The activist juxtaposed the government’s extravagant spending with findings from the 2024 Global Hunger Report, which placed Liberia as the second hungriest nation in West Africa, behind only Niger.
Additionally, he pointed to US$7.84 million in spending on “entertainment and food” for government elites, saying this flies in the face of growing poverty, joblessness, and unpaid public servants — including volunteer teachers and health workers.
“The national cake is still on the dinner table of economic vultures,” Kollie said. “Our people watch from afar in misery and hunger.”
Broken Promises?
Kollie directly challenged President Boakai to reflect on the promises made during his 2023 campaign, especially the commitment to modest and accountable governance.
“Was President Boakai’s campaign promise to run a modest government a fact, a farce, or a fiasco?” he asked. “The latter appears plausible based on what we now see.”
With just four months remaining in the government’s second year, Kollie called for immediate corrective action.
“This is a wake-up call,” he warned. “Any reflection or readjustment must begin with a massive cut in public wastage.”
A Call for Structural Change
Beyond cutting costs, Kollie argued that Liberia’s broader governance architecture — rooted in elitism and systemic inequality — must be overhauled.
“The suffering in Liberia is artificial — man-made,” he said. “The time for a paradigm shift is now.”
Kollie’s statement was accompanied by detailed budgetary tables and excerpts from the national budget, which he urged Liberians to examine for themselves.
