Denial of Freedom of Information Request seeking salaries and benefits of elected lawmakers is a national tragedy. In the wake of the recent Global Witness Report, International Stakeholders including the United States of America, the European Union Great Britain, France and Germany will have themselves to blame if they wake up one morning to find Liberia in a mess, if it isn’t already.
LIBERIAN PRESIDENT Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, recognizing that access to information is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution of Liberia and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and realizing that the right of access to information encompasses the right to request and receive information, especially information involving public interest, on October 10, 2010, signed into law a Freedom of Information Act.
JUST LAST WEEK, the President while addressing the opening a Two-Day “Media Law and Regulatory Reform Stakeholders’ Conference in Monrovia, trumpeted that Liberia has become noted for making history and currently holds an enviable record as the first country in West Africa to have made the Freedom of Information accomplishment. Said Sirleaf: “Our political tolerance is manifested by allowing freedom of speech as a fundamental civil liberty and sine qua none of democratic value system, and as such never before have we seen the multiplicity of newspapers and proliferation of radio stations (some of which have violated our laws by continuing to be unregistered and non-tax compliant, some in the promotion of politics rather than journalism)”.
The enactment of the Freedom of Information Act of 2010 – led Sirleaf being honored as “Friend of the Media” by the Africa Editors’ Forum, as she heralded the government’s tolerance of opposing views. “Our political tolerance is manifested by allowing freedom of speech as a fundamental civil liberty and sine qua none of democratic value system, and as such never before have we seen the multiplicity of newspapers and proliferation of radio stations (some of which have violated our laws by continuing to be unregistered and non-tax compliant, some in the promotion of politics rather than journalism)”.
AGAINST THE BACKDROP of the history-making trend that FrontPageAfrica took the initiative of putting the system to test by engaging and requesting from the signers of the FOI, the national legislature, a breakdown of the salaries and benefits of each and every member of the national legislature.
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND, that the Act which has already been signed into law and printed into a hand bill made Liberia the first West African country with a freedom of information law.
SEPARATE LETTERS were sent to both the President Pro Temp and the Speaker of the House of Representatives asking them to furnish us with the information requested.
EVERY LIBERIAN and international stakeholders will agree that knowledge is power and the information we are seeking will go a long way arming not just our institution but the medial landscape as a whole with the knowledge needed to end the mounting speculations over how much legislatures are actually making.
MANY HAVE read on numerous occasions, speculations in various media outlets providing conflicting information in their reports regarding the actually salaries of elected officials.
The FOI is clear that: “The right of access to information applies to private entities that receive public resources and benefits, engage in public functions, and or provide public services, particularly in respect of information relating to the public resources, benefits, functions or services. The right to information is independent of a personal interest in the information, and there is no need whatsoever for a person requesting information to provide a reason or justification for his or her request.”
WHAT PUZZLES US is the fact that many of Liberia’s stakeholders and international partners advocate democratic principles and spend millions of dollars improving democracies in least developed countries.
OVER THE PAST few years, millions of dollars have been pumped into the workings of the legislative body.
JUST LAST SEPTEMBER, the EU, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Liberia signed several agreements to support Liberia’s Electoral Cycle from 2015 to 2017.
Under the tripartite arrangement, the EU will contribute 10 million Euro (approximately US$11.4 million) and UNDP with US$1 million to help strengthen the capacity of the National Elections Commission (NEC), improve voter registration, enhance women participation in the electoral processes, reinforce mechanisms for political parties and enhance security during elections.
MANY ELECTED AND soon to be elected officials will benefit from such funding.
IN 2007, the Liberia Infrastructure Program (LCIP) through the United States Aid for International Development (USAID) delivered a US$2.1 renovated facility just to accommodate the sixty-four representatives and thirty senators. But even after the renovation, those in authority have been unable to maintain the facility, causing serious embarrassment to visitors both local and international who have found the restrooms at the facility a “hold-your-nose and pass” territory.
SADLY, ALL THIS is happening in a modern world where the salaries and benefits of leaders around the world is an open book.
FOR EXAMPLE, as of 2015, the base salary for all rank-and-file members of the U.S. House and Senate stood at $US174,000 per year, plus benefits. Salaries have not been increased since 2009.
SINCE 2001, the US President has earned a $400,000 annual salary, along with a $50,000 annual expense account, a $100,000 nontaxable travel account, and $19,000 for entertainment. The most recent raise in salary was approved by Congress and President Bill Clinton in 1999 and went into effect in 2001. The Vice President makes US$230,000.
THE PRESIDENT of the European Commission makes a basic salary amounting to €25,351 per month or €304,212 per year plus an allowance for a residence equal to 15% of salary as well as other allowances including for children’s schooling and household expenses. The standard monthly payment for all MEPs is 7,957 euros, roughly on par with a British MP’s salary.
CLOSED TO HOME, Senators in Nigeria gets an annual basic salary of N2,026,400,00 while members of the Nigerian House of Representatives take home N1,985,212, 50 per year. In addition, allowances hike their salaries to N12, 902, 360.00 while their House of Representatives counterpart goes home with N9, 525,985.50 annually.
IN GHANA, THE PRESIDENT’S monthly salary is set at $4,240 (£2,640) to $6,357, which is tax free. The most recent salaries for ministers with benefits such as the use of two cars, a house with staff and an entertainment allowance, will be $4,770 – While MP’s salaries have been increased by $2,225 to $3,800 a month.
IN KENYA, parliamentarians walk away with US$10,000 a month, 130 Times more than Minimum Wage.
THIS BRINGS US back to Liberia where government continue to trumpet its history-making achievements while out-rightly denying the public right to know.
IT IS SAD THAT those elected by the people and for the people have relegated themselves to a bunch of selfless individuals.
THE UPPER HOUSE headed by Armah Jallah has deliberately refused to respond to our request with Senate Secretary Nabolor Singbeh telling us on a number of occasions that the matter is still being debated among the Senators who have all been served memos on the issue.
THE LOWER HOUSE headed by Speaker Alex Tyler first told us to redirect our request to the chair on Ways, Means & Finance who has been unable to furnish us with the information being requested.
INTERNATIONAL STAKEHOLDERS including the United States of America, Great Britain, Germany, France and the European Union will have themselves to blame if they wake up one morning to find Liberia in a mess, if it isn’t already.
IT IS IMPORTANT that the world put them on notice and begin to arm the media and civil society with the tools needed to keep a proper check and balance on government and those elected to serve the people.
THE GLOBAL WITNESS report which has uncovered nearly a million dollars paid to influence legislation and concession; is only the latest damning indictment of the level of corruption in the national legislature. If the media cannot gain access to how much these lawmakers make; and if the general public remains in the blind about their elected officials’ salaries, Liberia as a whole has unofficially granted the legislative body a license to steal without remorse for country or conscience for those languishing at the bottom of the economic ladder.