Sen. Dillon Accepts US$40,000 Vehicle

By Alex Yomah

Montserrado County Senator, Abraham Darious Dillon, has finally and officially declared his full salary which includes allowances and all other benefits that a senator should be given in keeping with his campaign promises.

 Senator Dillon’s salary declaration is in fulfillment of his pledges made to supporters and sympathizers during the just ended Montserrado County bi-elections when he stated that when elected, he will declare his assets as required by law and also make known his salary aimed at unearthing the total amount a lawmaker makes monthly, an issue that has been described as mythical.

 As part of the senator’s campaign pledges, he promised to take home as salary only US$5,000 out of any total amount allotted to him by law while assuring that the balance would be transferred for the county’s development purpose.

Addressing a major press conference yesterday at his office on Capitol Hill, Dillon disclosed that the Liberian Senate through its Chairperson on Ways, Means and Finance had informed him about his expected wage as a senator will be US$15,325 as gross salary with an addition of LRD$29,700 as basic salary and noted that if tax reduction is carried out, he is expected to receive about US$12, 0000 in addition to the basic salary. 

He has also vowed that out of the total take-home salary, US$10,000 of said amount is budgeted as Special Allowance and the US$3,175 is intended for transportation reimbursement while US$2,150 will go towards his gasoline.

The lawmaker then admonished his colleagues to muster the valor and join him to reduce their gigantic salaries noting that they all have huge salaries in such an economy where nurses and doctors are protesting against low salaries and lack of medical supplies.

Dillon threatened that failure by his colleagues to follow suit in joining him, he will campaign against them come 2020 and 2023 presidential and legislative elections to ensure that they are booted out due to what  he called their ‘Insensitivity’  to the people’s plight.

According to him, prior to his declaration, Representation Moses Acarous Gray had claimed that he and his colleagues at the House of Representatives made US$8,000, while a female Representative whom he did not name said the contrary.

 Expressing his frustrations over their dishonesty as portrayed, he further explained that he was baffled that some of his colleagues at the Liberian Senate provided him various accounts of lawmakers’ monthly wages and benefits.

According to him, what was most disgusting to him, his own political leader, Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence who he trusts so much too provided him different account on the issue of Senator’s salary.

Meanwhile, Senator Dillon has put to an end intense debate perambulating on social media and on the local media including the political corridors over the quest for him to reject his assigned vehicle said to worth US$40, 000 but added that anyone who advises him to return the much-talked about vehicle is a bad advisor as the acceptance of the vehicle will in no way impede his work or advocacy.

  According to him, the vehicle given him was procured by law for the late Senator Geraldine Doe-Sherriff for the office of the senator and whoever the senator is, is entitled to its usage as he did not request for such vehicle adding, “The car is for the office without any justification.”

 Dillon said if he does not take the controversial vehicle, he will not receive any car until after 2020 elections because the vehicle had been procured long ago and has a timeframe which runs for the next three years. 

Mr. Dillon’s critics believed receiving vehicle worth US$40,000 from taxpayers’ money from the economy that he also describes as “Stuck in the toilet” betrays the masses who voted for him.   

 But in his response, the newest member of the Liberian Senate said if anyone wants him to reject the car, he/she should purchase him a less-priced vehicle so that he does not accept the vehicle procured by government for the use of the Montserrado County Senator. 

He said there is nothing he can do to reduce car’s price because it is by law; except that he can rally or lobby with his colleagues to repeal the fleet purchasing law of Liberia.