By Bill W. Cooper
The Fiscal Year-2024 budget which sparked serious outrage among citizens has revealed that five top government officials are living in luxury as the majority of the population struggles with high living costs and unemployment.
The officials of government who were elected on the people’s mantra for a new Liberia through a “Rescue Mission” are the President, Joseph Boakai, Vice President, Jeremiah Koung, and Senate Pro-tempore, Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, while Speaker, J. Fonati Koffa and Deputy Speaker, Thomas Fallah came from the CDC belt with a “Change for Hope” agenda.
According to the recently approved budget released by the Ministry of Finance, these officials’ allocated hefty sums to their respective offices, despite the fact that many Liberians are unable to afford basic necessities.
Prior to this administration, former President George Weah first approved budget saw the office of the President accumulating US$3,421,979 and once add other expenditures including traveling, its total came up to US$18,689,116.
While the budget of the Vice President then was US$1,883,917, and the Speaker US$1,411,392, Deputy Speaker US$1,165,487 and Senate Pro-tempore, US$1,283,598, this brings the three officials budget to US$3,860,477 and the entire Legislature of US$49, 299, 313.
But allocation as observed in the FY2024 budget has since led to widespread criticism of the government’s priorities and has raised questions about the fairness and transparency of the budget allocation process.
It was also observed that the country will be spending over US$11 million on these five above mentioned public officials/offices judging from the approved and published FY2024 Budget posted the Finance Ministry website.
Statically, there is ;a serious increase of these key government figures including President Joseph Boakai’s budget which rose from proposed US$2.46 million to US$2.99 million; a 17.85 percent increase.
Also, Vice President Jeremiah Koung’s budget increased from US$2.38 million to US$3.38 million, which is a 29.53 percent rise, while Speaker J. Fonati Koffa’s budget went from US$1.67 million to US$1.91 million, marking a 12.50 percent increase.”
While Senate Pro-Tempore Karnga-Lawrence’s budget grew from US$1.31 million to US$1.51 million, a 13.16 percent hike and Deputy Speaker Thomas P. Fallah’s budget surged from US$515,800 to US$1.32 million, a staggering 61 percent increase.
The cumulative budget for these five officials further rose from US$8.35 million to US$11.14 million, a 24.98 percent increment, as the overall budget for the Legislature also saw an increase from US$38.3 million to US$53.3 million.
FY2024 approved Budget Breakdown
The Legislature approved a total budget of US$738.9 million for the year 2024 with US$696.4 million from taxes and US$42.4 million from development partners, as US$86.2 million will be used to pay back some of the country’s debts to both domestic and foreign creditors.
Also, US$298.7 million is allocated for the salaries of all government employees, and US$104.9 million for goods and services to run the day-to-day operations of the government including US$31.93 million for the construction and maintenance of roads and bridges.
In terms of utilities, US$9.70 million for electricity and water supply, while US$13.14 million for drugs, medical consumables, and transfers to all government hospitals and clinics across the country (Health sector) and US$51.1 million to be used for transfers to all public schools, including universities (Educational sector).
For Youth Development, US$1.8 million is allocated for developing the capacity of 10,000 youths in ICT as promised by the President and US$3.63 million for the fight against kush and the rehabilitation of at-risk youths as well as US$1.10 million for the implementation of the SGBV Roadmap (Social Programs).
For Community Development, US$9.2 million will is allocated for county and district development, the Social Development Fund, and the running of County Service Centers among others.
Meanwhile, several Liberians have begun criticizing the five officials for the huge allotment towards their offices amidst the high cost of living and unemployment coupled with broken infrastructure precisely roads connectivity.
Also, the struggles for staple electricity and affordable pipe-born water have been major issues in Liberia for years, with many citizens struggling to make ends meet, leaving critics to question President Joseph Boakai commitment to reducing government’s expenditure.
According to them, the disparity as observed in the budget between the lavish lifestyles of government officials and the hardships faced by the general population has further deepen the sense of frustration and disillusionment among the people.
As a result of this latest decision, they have also expressed his disappointment in the Unity Party (UP) government for the discrepancies in the national budget that favor top officials, while the country’s populace continues to suffer.
They intoned that while these figures are high amid Liberia’s poverty and unemployment, they are still lower than the previous government’s expenditures, arguing that it reflects a disregard for the dire needs of the citizenry.
The aggrieved Liberians pointed out that no additional funds were allocated for civil servants’ salaries, thereby calling for a substantial cut in the budgets of high-ranking officials to invest more in essential sectors like health, education, security, and agriculture among others.
They maintained that the 2024 approved Budget, as it stands, does not reflect a commitment to the promised “Rescue Mission” by President Boakai and his team as promised Liberians during the 2023 Presidential election.
They added that for real change to occur, the government must demonstrate a willingness to make tough decisions and sacrifices which includes cutting down on extravagant budgets for top officials and investing in the critical sectors that will drive Liberia’s growth and development.
