By Bill W. Cooper
The political leader of the Liberia National Union (LINU), Clarence Moniba, says there can be no excuses for the lack of results in this new government.
Moniba emphasized the need for accountability and efficiency in governance, urging the Boakai-Koung administration to prioritize delivering tangibles for the people as promised during the 2023 Presidential elections.
Moniba, a former official during the administration of former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, was one of the 19 Presidential candidates that were defeated to President Boakai of the Unity (UP) during 2023 election.
However, his criticism comes days after the government rapped on its gains made during its first 100 days, with a grading of 74 percent for implementing majority of its promises made to the Liberian people.
Speaking over the weekend, Dr. Moniba, among other things, criticized the recently signed Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget, asserting that the budget does not reflect true transformation and is crafted as business as usual.
He said salaries are still too low for teachers, doctors, military, police and civil servants, many of whom earn US$200 or less every month, while salaries, in comparison, are still too high for lawmakers, who make 50 times more.
According to him, if the pay disparity continues, the country will continue to have individuals begging in the corridors of Capital Building, instead of working on farms, factories and in classrooms to earn their own monies.
He noted, “When government expenditure on itself eats the biggest share of one of the smallest national budgets in the world, we as a nation will continue to remain beggars, instead of leaders. The international community and foreign investors will never take us serious, when we spend more money on vehicles for government ministers, than we do on ambulances for the sick.”
“Also, it is impossible to transform a country lacking everything, when our agricultural sector is allocated US$5 million in this year’s budget while the budget for our 103 lawmakers, stands at US$40 million,” he complained.
“It is impossible to believe that we will one day send our children to modern classrooms and equip them for the future, when the entire country does not have more than three science labs for our students but the travel and entertainment budget for officials is in millions,” he said.
Moniba explained, “And right now, we Liberians have to believe in a brighter future, in the hope of a better tomorrow. That is why the recently signed war and economic crimes executive order, signed by the Boakai-Koung Administration, needs to go further.”
“Throughout Liberia’s history, the creation of laws has not been our problem, the implementation of laws has. Evidence of this, is the fact that no one has gone to jail for corruption in the past 20 years,” he continued.
“If we want the war and economic crimes court to truly succeed, and not just be a political stunt, the government should know, that we need amendments and repeals of statutes that have protected war criminals and corrupt officials,” the LINU leader intoned.
He recommended, “Firstly, amend Section 17.1 of the Judiciary Law, which currently restricts the practice of law in Liberia to Liberians only. This is crucial because foreign lawyers will be essential in carrying out the war and economic crimes court, needing to serve as judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers, and investigators.”
“Secondly, the 2003 Act granting immunity for civil and criminal acts that was reached in Accra, Ghana needs to be repealed. No one should be immune from accountability to the Liberian people,” he added.
