By Bill W. Cooper
The political leader of the Liberia National Union (LINU), Dr. Clarence Moniba, has condemned the recent decision by lawmakers to allocate over US$3 million for the purchase of new vehicles for themselves.
Moniba, who contested the country’s 2023 Presidential Election but got defeated during the first round, also described the move as a glaring example of misplaced priorities, especially in light of the ongoing economic challenges facing the country.
Recently, each member from both the House of Representatives and Liberian Senate received US$40,000 to purchase brand new vehicles in consonance with law, which calls for the changing of their vehicle after every three years.
This decision, which has since caused serious outrage among the citizenry, comes at a time when the country is still struggling with high unemployment rates, inflation, and a struggling healthcare system, among others.
But Moniba, who has been a vocal advocate for social justice and economic reform, further expressed his dismay and disappointment in a statement issued over the weekend.
He also called the decision a “betrayal of the citizenry’s trust,” and highlighted the stark contrast between the lavish lifestyle of government officials and the harsh realities endured by ordinary Liberians.
Moniba also criticized the lawmakers, cabinet ministers, and senior officials of living like ‘kings’ while more than 5 million Liberians are left to survive like “peasants and strangers in their own home.”
The LINU’s political leader further emphasized that while parents are struggling to send their children to school, classrooms are negated of basic necessities like electricity and computers, hospitals have no beds or medicine, and laterite roads remain unpaved, government officials continue to make mockery of the citizens due to their lavished lifestyle.
He further pointed out that while legislators enjoy salaries and benefits exceeding US$10,000 a month, Liberia’s essential workers, including police officers and teachers, struggle to survive on meager salaries.
“Police officers are paid as little as US$150 a month, government teachers earn even less, and civil servants barely make enough to support their families and worst of it, healthcare workers are being marginalized while our officials dawned in wealth,” he noted.
Moniba, has at the same time named several initiatives that the US$3 million could have funded, including upgrading 13 clinics and hospitals, purchasing modern ambulances, building a sanitary landfill, improving technical education, and increasing police salaries.
He further stressed that these projects would have made a significant difference in the lives of ordinary Liberians, and added, “Instead, the funds were spent on luxury vehicles for 103 lawmakers.”
He therefore, called on Liberians to wake up and hold their leaders accountable, calling for development over personal luxury, ensuring that the wealth of the country is equitably and impactfully distributed.
