Citizens want lawmakers’ salaries reduced

Residents of Bong County especially radio program participants are calling on members of the 54th Legislature to reduce their salaries and allowances like President George Manneh Weah has done.

They are suggesting that the reduction of lawmakers’ salaries will greatly help to improve Liberia’s economy, claiming that lawmakers make huge salaries and benefits here.

Our Bong County correspondent says radio talk show participants are expressing believes that when lawmakers’ salaries and allowances are reduced, government will be able to do other things in helping the country to move forward.

According to them, if President Weah should achieve his “pro – poor” agenda, lawmakers including top government officials need to reduce their salaries as a means of jumpstarting the achievement of the administration’s goal.

“The lawmakers are making huge money, their allowances and other benefits are very huge. They need to reduce their salaries and allowances in order to help nurses at the clinics and hospitals, teachers, security personnel, among others,” Phillip J. H. Mulbah, a son of Bong County stated.

Mr. Mulbah says the government needs to pay its officials according to its financial status, adding that lawmakers and top government officials’ allowances and salaries need to be reduced because Liberia does not have money.

“I have done a research so many times and Liberia is one of those African Countries in the world that pays lawmakers with huge amount. We need to stop wasting money, let’s try to invest our money in something that will bring good to our citizens like creating employment opportunities instead of wasting our money on lawmakers who will just stand at the Capitol to eat money,” he continued.

Also speaking to this paper, Gormah Nancy, a resident of the county attributed the underdevelopment of the Country to the increase in lawmakers’ salaries.

“Why lawmakers should be prioritized so much? We firstly need to look after civil servants and the next thing is to improve our education and agriculture sectors before even talking about lawmakers,” she says.

According to her, if President Weah can take the lead to reduce his salary, it means all of those working with him need to reduce theirs.

Article 60 of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia gives the lawmakers the authority to determine the salary of the President, so to have their own salaries and benefits reduced will mean that they must first accept the idea.

By Joseph Titus Yekeryan in Bong–Edited by Winston W. Parley