By Kruah Thomson
Counselor Tiawan Saye Gongloe has criticized President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s recent trip to Japan, saying it reflects extravagance rather than the frugality expected of public officials.
“I welcome Liberia’s engagement with Japan at TICAD and Expo 2025. These platforms can open doors for investment, technology, tourism, and jobs. We should be there. But we must also travel lean, lawful, and focused. It is a misstep for Liberia, the tenth poorest country in the world, to travel with an official delegation of 23 government officials, twelve of whom are cabinet ministers! What sense does it make for a minister, deputy minister, and assistant ministers to travel from the same ministry, or for subject matter advisors to travel with ministers with statutory responsibilities for those subjects?” he said Monday, August 18, 2025, on his official Facebook page.
President Boakai recently led a high-level delegation to Japan to participate in the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-9) and the World Expo 2025, which is expected to last from August 16 to 23, 2025. The delegation included ministers, lawmakers, and additional staff.
The trip aimed to strengthen Liberia’s international partnerships, attract investment, and showcase the nation’s development initiatives.
However, Cllr. Gongloe believes that while the trip may open doors for investment opportunities, the size of the delegation reflects extravagance, especially given Liberia’s economic challenges.
Extravagance, he explains, is the practice of spending more than what is reasonable or prudent, particularly for a government official responsible for managing public funds carefully.
“The recent reports suggesting a very large delegation for this trip, with dozens of officials and a wider cohort of travelers, is frustrating to most Liberians. Let me be clear: I support the mission, but oppose the apparent extravagance. Liberia is a poor country with weak healthcare and education systems, poor infrastructure, and high food insecurity. We cannot afford jumbo entourages. Our people are demanding medicine in hospitals, desks for schools, and clean water in communities. Every dollar must work for the people,” he said.
Cllr. Gongloe called on the government to publish the full delegate list, clarify who is funding what, and outline the purpose of each official. “If Japan or other partners are covering costs, say so, so Liberians can be at ease. We can represent Liberia with pride and prudence at the same time. Our message to the people of Liberia and the world should be that the Liberian Government is serious: serious about investment, serious about reform, and serious about protecting taxpayers’ money.”
He added, “Modesty stimulates public trust and international sympathy and support. Expensive travel, combined with the very high salaries of some Liberian government officials, which in some cases are even higher than officials holding comparable positions in the US, amounts to extravagance, not prudence. In fact, it amounts to legalized theft.”
In closing, Cllr. Gongloe emphasized, “I support international engagements that are strategic, lawful, and frugal. I oppose waste in any form, shape, or manner. Wasteful spending on high salaries, benefits, and foreign trips, whether budgeted or not, is a form of legalized theft. Government is a place to serve, not to steal.”
