Published: January 12, 2026
CAPITOL HILL, Monrovia – As the 55th National Legislature opened its third session, Senate Pro Tempore Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence announced that the Senate is moving to review the controversial salary harmonization policy introduced under the former Coalition for Democratic Change administration, signaling renewed scrutiny of a program that affected thousands of civil servants across Liberia.
Delivering a special statement Monday on Capitol Hill, Karnga-Lawrence said the review aims to ensure fairness, just compensation, and alignment between qualifications and work performed. She immediately mandated the Senate Committees on Ways, Means and Finance and Public Accounts to begin the process and report back to plenary within two weeks.
The third session convened in keeping with Article 32(a) of the Liberian Constitution, which requires the Legislature to assemble annually on the second working Monday in January.
A Policy That Shaped Politics
The salary harmonization policy, implemented in 2019 by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and the Civil Service Agency, resulted in sharp pay cuts for many civil servants and public officials. The CDC-led government defended the measure as a way to enforce “equal pay for equal work,” reduce the public wage bill, and redirect resources to national priorities such as infrastructure, education, and health.
Instead, the policy sparked nationwide protests and deepened economic hardship for many government workers. The backlash became a defining political issue and was widely viewed as a factor in former President George Weah’s defeat in the 2023 presidential election.
Despite the change in administration, the policy has remained in force under President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s Unity Party-led government, fueling continued debate inside and outside the Legislature.
Pressure Builds for Reversal
Calls to revisit the policy have intensified in recent months. In a communication to the Senate plenary in November, Bomi County Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe urged the government to use the proposed national budget to restore salaries and benefits to pre-harmonization levels.
In September 2024, Finance and Development Planning Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan also pledged a comprehensive review of the program, acknowledging widespread concerns about how it was implemented.
However, former finance minister Samuel D. Tweah Jr. has criticized the Boakai administration, accusing it of misleading voters during the 2023 campaign and mishandling the wage bill. His comments followed the release of a Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies outlining plans to rein in the nominal wage bill under an agreement with the International Monetary Fund.
Karnga-Lawrence’s latest directive appears to counter that narrative, with Senate committees already tasked to act and report within a defined timeframe.
Call for Unity and Constructive Politics
Also addressing the opening session, Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung, who serves as president of the Senate, urged lawmakers to rise above partisan divisions and work collectively to strengthen governance and uphold the rule of law.
“Our political diversity should be a source of strength, not division,” Koung said, commending the opposition for its constitutional role in holding the government accountable. He cautioned, however, that accountability is most effective when grounded in dialogue, evidence, and national interest rather than personal attacks or inflammatory rhetoric.
Turning to the ruling Unity Party, Koung called for discipline, humility, and results-driven leadership. “The true measure of leadership is not in promises made, but in deliverables achieved,” he said, urging lawmakers to remain focused on policies that respond to the everyday realities of Liberians.
As the Legislature settles into its third session, the impending review of the salary harmonization policy is expected to rekindle debate over wages, governance, and economic justice—issues that continue to resonate deeply with the public.
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