MONROVIA – Signs on the wall suggest that things have fallen apart between President Joseph Nyumah Boakai’s Unity Party led Government and Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe, a then supporter of the “Rescue Mission” who now sees that those in charge of Liberia’s affairs have become “corrupt” and care only about filling their pockets rather than developing the country they longed to develop while in opposition.
According to Cllr. Gongloe, for too long the country has been crushed under the weight of bad governance and insensitive budgeting, especially that which continues to neglect development priorities clearly indicate that Liberia is heading nowhere good under the regime.
The political leader of Liberian People Party (LPP), said government has turned its back on promises made to the Liberian people during the 2023 General and Presidential elections, something he noted would become a bad legacy for President Boakai if he does not act fast and decisively.
Gongloe spoke recently in Saclepea, Nimba County when he served as the swearing-in and keynote speaker at the first national convention of Citizens Movement for Change (CMC), a new political party launched by Representative Musa Hassan Bility and his supporters. Bility is Nimba Electoral District #7 Representative and a supporter of embattled Speaker J. Fonati Koffa.
“Our leaders have been more concerned with filling their pockets than fulfilling the promises of freedom, justice, and equality they made to the Liberian people”, the LPP Political Leader stated.
He pointed out that it was based on (those) promises that Liberians elected the Unity Party over the then governing party – the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC).
The Unity Party [then opposition] vehemently criticized the CDC for alleged rampant corruption and assured that when re-given power, the country could experience the dawn of a new day, with development and systems building and strengthening, especially the rule of law, health and education becoming paramount and thriving.
The reliance has been and continues to be on the fact that President Joseph Nyumah Boakai is a well known long-experienced public official who has worked at major levels ranging from director to Minister and then Vice President for twelve consecutive years under the then administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, one also accused of failing the country.
During the campaigns in both 2017 and 2023, Boakai condemned all existing methods of governance under the principles of democracy in the country; promising a more robust, viable and results oriented system that would put Liberia on a new pedestal of regional and global recognition.
The learned Human Rights lawyer averred that instead of working towards improving the lives of citizens in the country, officials of the government are “building empires for themselves while the people of Liberia suffer and are trapped in extreme poverty and deprivation”.
Defending his corruption allegation levied against the government, Gongloe stated that officials of the government use the national budget as a wagon to smoothly apportion unto themselves monies that should be used to benefit the entire country, more so that the current US$880.66 million fiscal budget (2025) neglects development but is putting a lot of money into a few people’s pockets.
Currently, the country’s budget stands at US$880.66, making it the highest in recent time, but 87.9% of the budget which is US$773.95 million is allocated towards recurrent expenditure (salaries, goods, and salaries).
“We have a budget that totals US$880.66 million-the largest ever in Liberia’s history. But here’s the problem: 87.9% of this budget, a staggering US$773.95 million, is allocated to recurrent expenditures – mostly salaries and benefits for a few-while only 12.9% is set aside for capital expenditure. How does a serious government that cares for its people do what our government in Liberia does? It is unfortunate and the change the people voted for is becoming elusive even more.”
Terming the situation a “disaster”, Gongloe maintained that spending US$ 12.90 out of every $100 on education, healthcare, food production and road production can never lead to building a prosperous nation.
“While the rest of the world moves forward, we remain stuck in a cycle of consumption and waste, with very little investment in our children’s education, our people’s health, food production and our national infrastructure. There are other African countries that have a better and enviable budget formula. Look at countries like Botswana, Mauritius, Rwanda, Cape Verde, and others in Africa. Although, a military government, what is happening in Burkina Faso is laudable.These nations have made smart investments in capital expenditures, prioritizing education, healthcare, infrastructure, and sustainable economic development”, Gongloe explained.
He praised other African nations for “allocating their resources wisely” for the benefit of their people, while in contrast, expressed dismay that Liberia’s budget formula keeps feeding more and more money into recurrent expenditures at the expense of the majority of citizens.
“If this trend continues, Liberia will never develop in a hundred years”, he continued.
To Gongloe, President Boakai should take the blame more because he (Boakai) is failing to take charge of “the Rescue Train” he promised could have change people’s living conditions for the better and development could have come through in abundance to give Liberia a place among countries that are developing and modernizing amid competing global economic, infrastructure and technological advancements.
He accused President Boakai of engaging more in “business as usual”, especially so when it comes to spending more on recurrent expenditures than on things that thing matter to the country the most.
“Even worse, we are witnessing a President embarking on foreign trips, like his visit to Sierra Leone for four days, without any clear economic, social, or political benefit to Liberia. At the same time, ordinary Liberians are forced to pay graduation fees and buy overpriced school uniforms from schools attended by their children-some of which cost more than the market price. This is not leadership; this is a failure of leadership”, the LPP political leader blasted.
He challenged the government to change the current pattern, which he stated has held the country and its people backward for a very long time and build a country where no one is above the law, corruption is rooted out and justice is serve equally.
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