In an open letter posted on his Facebook account on Tuesday, Representative Musa Hassan Bility of Nimba County District 7 called on President Joseph Nyumah Boakai, Sr. to outrightly reject the anticipated 2025 Recast National Budget, warning that he would be an accomplice of economic crimes if the recast budget is approved under his watch.
Bility’s letter comes amid reports that the Executive Branch intends to resubmit the budget to the National Legislature this week or early next, seeking a recast less than five months before the fiscal year ends.
“With all due respect, this would be a grave mistake,” Bility wrote. “One that risks staining your legacy and deepening the suffering of our people.”
The lawmaker accused the House of Representatives of already exhausting its own budgetary allocations and claimed the body now plans to secretly refill those accounts through the recast ~ a move he described as “a dangerous abuse of power.”
“Our people are struggling to feed their families, to send their children to school, to find jobs, and to access even the most basic healthcare,” Bility stated. “Yet, on your watch, there is an attempt to redirect scarce national resources to replenish the pockets of those who already benefit from privilege and authority.”
He further criticized the timing of the proposed changes, suggesting that any projected budget surplus should instead be directed toward essential services and infrastructure, such as road repairs, hospital equipment, and educational resources.
“If your administration truly expects a surplus, keep it. Add it to the next budget,” Bility urged the president.
The letter also took aim at the Legislature’s history of resisting oversight, asserting that it “has consistently refused to audit itself” and “resisted every attempt at transparency and accountability.” Bility argued that rewarding the body with additional funds without reform would only “erode the public trust.”
“Mr. President, the world is watching you. The Liberian people are watching you. History will remember you,” Bility concluded. “In this moment, you have a choice: stand with the people, or stand with those who exploit them.”
At press time, neither President Boakai nor his office had issued a public response to the letter.
The 2025 budget recast, if submitted and passed, would mark the administration’s first major fiscal adjustment since taking office last year. The move is expected to reignite debate over public financial management, transparency, and the allocation of limited state resources in Liberia.
