MONROVIA – Supporters and party zealots of the ruling Unity Party burst into ululations, and social media pages have been popping with favorite and unfavorable comments, when the Executive Mansion announced that President Joseph Nyuma Boakai cut his salary by 40 percent as a way of “leading by example” towards fiscal probity and in solidarity with Liberian people, mainly civil servants, who are eking out a living. While some members of the public see this a laudable venture, others say it worth no celebration as he is mimicking his immediate past predecessor, ex-President George Manneh Weah, who according to them set a high bar that is compelling his successors, including current one, to aim higher. As The Analyst reports, pundits are pondering the pros and cons of the president’s pronouncement.
It has been announced by the Executive Mansion that President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has reduced his salary by 40%, calling the move “a fulfillment of his commitment to fiscal integrity and national financial security”.
In a release issued over the weekend, the Executive Mansion said the president’s announcement reflects his determination to lead by example in strengthening government accountability and demonstrating solidarity with the people of the nation.
The release quotes President Boakai as saying the move is aimed at setting a precedent for responsible governance and nation-building.
“In addition to his own salary reduction, the President has pledged to empower the Civil Service Agency (CSA) to ensure that public servants’ salaries are in line with the current state of the nation and that workers receive fair compensation for their contributions to the country,” said the release.
“The Liberian Chief Executive pledged his commitment to financial responsibility and fair compensation for public servants from various sectors of society as a positive step towards fostering a culture of accountability and equity within the government,” the Executive Mansion said further.
Mixed Public Reactions
The pronouncement has also generated public relations, with a horde of Liberians celebrating the move as responsible and consistent with good governance practices.
In the comment section of the Executive Mansion’s Facebook page that bears the release, Liberians have been reacting to the news of the president’s move, some commending while others are asking the hard questions.
Losene Kamara said: “Thank you, Mr. President. We hope others seize this moment to cut down their own salaries to reduce costs on Gov’t.”
Daniel W Dolo: “Thank you, Mr. President. This is what we stood in the sun and the rain for. Good leadership is what we need. We pray that others Liberians try to also think Liberia, love Liberia and build Liberia.”
Abdullah Sanoe: “In the next two years, there will be no opposition due to the President’s commitments to transform this nation. Y’all pin this comment.”
Kyvailli Mansa: “Once again this is a noble step in the right direction. I pray lawmakers will follow suit. The Liberian people deserve better and we should hold those in leadership accountable to do right by the people. I’m going to continue to speak out on decentralized governance and accountability on this platform.”
Amb. Merlin Daniel Dennis: “Thank you, Mr. President, for another decisive step towards leading by example. I hope the Vice President, Speaker, Pro-Temp, and the Chief Justice will follow suit.”
Solomon A. Ware Sr.: “The 4th paragraph attracts and impresses me so much as a civil servant who salary was harmonized to number nonsense. Thanks Mr. President. We are now thinking and loving Liberia. We look forward to the full adherence to such policy statement.”
Other Liberians are not as impressive as their compatriots. Mohammed Konneh sees it differently.
He said: “Mr. President, even if you cut 100% is not the solution. The bread-and-butter issue is, we need jobs. You can cut 100% and still take it somehow. Who’s spending the budget? It’s you.
We don’t need politics anymore. We need action. Keep us busy working; we are tired with politics.”
For Jeremiah Wukolo Kollie Jr., a few troubling questions are burning. He wrote: “Sounds very welcoming but a few questions need to be answered. 1. How much is this 40% reduction we are talking about (needs to be clearly stated in the figure)? 2. Where will this 40% reduction be directed to? I believe that this president is a man of his word but the breakdown of this 40% reduction with the general public will be okay, and the public can at least do a follow-up for transparency and accountability.”
George Christopher Wleh II: “$22k per month salary is too much for a 79-yr.-old president. What he’s even doing for the Liberian people?”
Timothy Manston: “The first lie in the release is the one which states that Boakai set a precedent by cutting his salary. The same old lies that got them to power. George Weah’s first day in power, in his inaugural speech, he announced 25% per cent cut. It is he that set the precedent. Weah is the precedent setter. He raised the bar that Boakai them will find compelled to follow. Nothing new they will do that Weah did not do, and if there is anything new at all they are doing now, it is the huge stealing and big lies they bring to government.”