Published: July 9, 2024
THE RECENT DISAPPEARANCE and reappearance of Liberia’s 2024 National Budget from the Ministry of Finance & Development Planning’s website is a glaring example of the pervasive issues of corruption, lack of accountability, and transparency that continue to plague the country’s governance. This incident raises serious questions about the integrity of the Joseph Boakai-led government and its commitment to upholding the principles of transparency and accountability.
ON MONDAY AFTERNOON, The Liberian Investigator reported that the National Budget had mysteriously vanished from the ministry’s website. This budget, totaling $738,859,827.00, had been officially released on July 1, 2024, despite being printed into handbills on May 16 as mandated by the amended 2019 Public Financial Management (PFM) Law. However, its availability on the Ministry’s website was short-lived. After being inaccessible for several weeks, the Budget reappeared last week, albeit with an unprecedented access code that restricted public access. It has since been removed again, only to resurface surreptitiously following the report by The Liberian Investigator.
THE WITHHOLDING of the budget from public scrutiny is not only suspicious but also a blatant violation of the Public Financial Management Law. This law mandates that the budget be made public upon being signed into handbills. President Joseph Boakai approved and signed the budget on May 8, 2024, and it was printed into handbills on May 16. Yet, it was not made public until July 1, in direct contravention of the government’s own accountability and transparency principles and laws.
THE RECURRING disappearance of the budget points to the allegation of tampering after its approval by the Legislature. This tampering, if proven true, undermines the democratic process and the trust that the Liberian people have placed in their elected officials.
NO ONE WOULD have thought that a government that constantly rants about fighting corruption, being transparent, and prioritizing the interests of Liberia would resort to such dubious actions. The Joseph Boakai administration, with its lofty promises of building a better Liberia, now stands accused of toying with the national envelope, raising questions about its true intentions and capabilities.
THE GOVERNMENT must provide clear and accessible information about the national budget to the public, as required by law. Moreover, independent investigations, especially by the Legislature, should be conducted to uncover any potential tampering involved in this process.
THE LIBERIAN people deserve better. They deserve a government that honors its commitments to transparency and accountability, not one that engages in secretive and suspicious activities. It is time for the Joseph Boakai administration to come clean, address these issues head-on, and restore the trust of the Liberian people in their government. Failure to do so will only deepen the crisis of confidence and further entrench the culture of corruption that has long hindered Liberia’s progress.
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