— Senate Refutes US$700K Retreat Expenditure Allegation
IPNEWS: Liberia remain Africa’s oldest republic yet ranked amongst the poorest countries in the world for many years. Expectations remain high following the coming in of President Joseph N. Boakai in November of 2023.
Current half of Liberians live in abject poverty which means they are severely deprived of basic needs like food, clean water, shelter, sanitation and health care access, especially following the 14-year civil war in Liberia which caused a breakdown in law enforcement that disproportionately affected the poor.
A family of four in Liberia is estimated monthly costs living at 4,326.0$ without rent. With very limited infrastructure and public services, including the emergence of the Ebola and COVID-19 epidemics which devastated the health and economic status of many Liberians. Fewer than 10% of the population has access to clean water and safe toilets, and chronic malnutrition is a major public health issue.
A single person estimated monthly costs of living in Liberia is put at 1,235.7$ without rent, putting the cost of living in Liberia on average, 3.9% lower than in United States. Rent in Liberia is at an average 66.8% lower than in United States, while it current GDP is projected to grow 4.8% in 2024, which are driven by expansion in mining, services, and agriculture.
With a debt-to-GDP ratio of 54.5, Liberia is assessed to be at moderate risk of external debt distress and high risk of overall debt distress, especially with its current account deficit remaining a record high in 2023, despite increased gold exports putting its current account deficit increased to 24.4% of GDP, up from 17.7% in 2022.
At the moment, Liberians especially civil Servants under the President Joseph Boakai has proposed a reduction in the country’s wage bill, to which many political pundits term as contradiction of the Unity Party’s previous promised to increase civil servants’ salaries.
The annual salaries and other remuneration have been cut by 2.6%, equivalent to $8 million. This reduction brings the total wage bill from $305 million to $297 million, as reported by Deputy Finance Minister for Budget, Tanneh Brunson. This shows the Unity party administration reverted to 2019/20 payroll.
For the 12-month period ending in December 2024, the administration plans to allocate $690.2 million.
This decrease in compensation spending dashes the hopes of public sector employees who were anticipating an increase in earnings following the infamous payroll harmonization exercise of the Weah administration.
Back in 2019, the International Monetary Fund highlighted the lack of transparency and credibility in the country’s wage bill. They emphasized the need for key policy reforms to create fiscal space.
Under the previous George Weah administration, a payroll harmonization policy was implemented to minimize salary disparity. This policy matched the salaries of employees with the same positions partially or fully.
As a result, the government wage bill was reduced from $322 million in the fiscal year 2018/2019 to $297 million for the fiscal year 2019/2020, according to the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning.
In all this, the direct representatives of the common people who are the Senators and Representatives have not shown significant steps to addressing the plight of the low income people but are desired on amassing wealth while the constitutes live in object poverty.
Currently the Liberian Senate is struck in a image and credibility crisis over allegations of expending some USD$700,000 of taxpayers’ money on a recent four -day retreat in held in Buchanan City Grand Bassa County.
In a rather face-saving release, the Liberian Senate leadership under the gavel of President Pro Tempore Sen. Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence, states that the rumors are mere distortions and misrepresentations in regard to the cost and intent of the Senate’s recent retreat held in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.
According to Senator Karnga-Lawrence, the retreat, which was attended by 108 persons including Senators, securities and drivers, support staffs, protocol officials, directors of departments, retreat secretariat and facilitators, was organized with the aim of setting the Senate legislative agenda, focusing on Transparency and Accountability and audits of the Senate, decentralization of the budget including programs, digitization of the Senate and the review of the Senate rules, amongst others.
The Liberian Senate said contrary to the exaggerated figures reported, the total cost of the Four days retreat was $50,000 United States dollars which logistics, hotel accommodation and per dime for both Senators and support staff.
Earlier Senator Darius Dillon and Senator Amara Konneh of Montserrado and Gbarpolu Counties strongly denied allegations that the Liberian Senate spent USD$700,000 of taxpayers’ money on a recent two-day retreat in Buchanan.
The two Senator detested contrary to the rumors suggesting USD$700,000 was spent on the four-day event, the actual budget was USD 50,000, which covered all necessary expenses for the four-day event, including payment and honorarium for logistics, media coverage, lounging, and meals for 108 participants, comprising Senators, staff, facilitators, security personnel, and drivers.
Senator Dillon emphasized the importance of factual information, recalling previous incidents where misinformation was spread for political gain.
“This situation reminds me of the falsehoods circulated about a so-called ‘Retirement Bill,’ which was wrongly attributed to me, he mentioned in his Facebook post.
“Once the truth was revealed, those who spread the misinformation were left embarrassed, with some even offering apologies for their premature criticism, he adds.”
In addressing the retreat expenses, Senator Dillon challenged those spreading the $700,000 figure to produce authentic financial records showing any such transaction between the Senate and the Ministry of Finance.
“I invite anyone to present legitimate evidence of these alleged expenditures, and I will personally join in demanding accountability,” he asserted.
Senator Dillon’s clarification aims to dispel the misinformation and reinforce his commitment to honest and transparent governance. As public scrutiny continues, he remains open to providing further details to ensure the public is accurately informed about the Senate’s activities and expenditures.
Also, Gbarpolu county senator Amara Konneh In a statement, described the claims as “inaccurate” and “unconscionable,” clarifying that the total expenditure for the retreat was $50,000.
“The notion that we would squander such a vast sum of public funds is simply unfounded,” Senator Konneh stated. “The $50,000 spent was directed entirely towards supporting the local Buchanan economy.”
According to Senator Konneh, the Senate will soon release an official statement to address the issue comprehensively and provide a detailed breakdown of the retreat’s costs. This move is expected to enhance transparency and accountability, reaffirming the Senate’s commitment to prudent fiscal management.
