STAND Holds Boakai-Koung Govt. Responsible for Deepening Poverty; Demands Jojo Boakai Drug Probe, Calls SPARK a “Humanitarian Fraud”

MONROVIA, LIBERIA — October 29, 2026: The Solidarity & Trust for a New Day (STAND) strongly condemns the Boakai-Koung government for pursuing selfish, colonial-style, and self-enriching policies that deepen poverty, hunger, disease, and economic despair. Despite boasting of a billion-dollar budget, the government has failed to translate increased public spending into meaningful relief for ordinary Liberians, while public officials and their families appear to be the biggest beneficiaries. Meanwhile, officials continue to enjoy exorbitant salaries and benefits at taxpayers’ expense.

Nearly three years into this administration, millions of Liberians struggle to survive, public schools deteriorate, and healthcare remains woefully inadequate. STAND declares that this is not responsible governance but a profound betrayal of the Liberian people.

Stark Disparities in Public Sector Compensation

STAND is particularly appalled by the glaring hypocrisy of the Boakai-Koung government. While ordinary workers are facing severe financial hardship, with salaries reportedly falling to around US$150 per month amidst a failing economy, senior Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) officials are receiving extraordinary compensation packages. Some senior officials reportedly earn US$14,000 in monthly salaries and an additional US$15,000 in housing allowances. This stark contrast between the suffering of the poor and the pampering of the privileged undermines the government’s moral authority to preach shared sacrifice.

It’s even more concerning that a Governance Commission employee faces demotion and a salary reduction from approximately US$1,281.91 to US$900 per month. Meanwhile, a CBL Deputy Governor nominee revealed a compensation package of around US$29,000 per month. Despite this disparity, the government remains silent, allowing one worker’s monthly pay to be slashed while a senior official’s monthly package surpasses that worker’s former annual salary by over 22 times. This situation is neither a shared sacrifice nor a genuine Rescue Mission; it’s a two-tier system that punishes the underprivileged while shielding privilege.

Demands for Transparency and Accountability

STAND demands answers, full disclosure, and accountability. The government, Civil Service Agency, Governance Commission, CBL, and Legislature must:

• Explain pay disparities: Provide clear public justifications for the massive salary gaps between civil servants and top political nominees.
• Submit to independent review: Place all public-sector salaries, allowances, and benefits under an independent, transparent review process.
• Correct unauthorized decisions: Rectify any unlawful or improperly authorized compensation decisions and hold those responsible accountable, regardless of rank.

STAND warns that corruption, economic exclusion, and the erosion of public confidence pose significant threats to Liberia’s stability and democracy. We urge all progressive and reform-minded forces to unite and pursue every lawful means necessary to rescue the country from entrenched abuse of power.

Rejection of the SPARK Foundation and Demands for Selective Justice Probe

At the same time, as the Boakai-Koung government continues to shield powerful masterminds of drug trafficking, STAND rejects the launch of Jojo Boakai’s SPARK Foundation as a substitute for addressing the serious questions surrounding the US$317 million drug case. Philanthropy cannot replace accountability, and a foundation cannot serve as a shield against scrutiny. Before presenting himself as a humanitarian, the President’s son, Jojo Boakai, must first address the drug trafficking allegations against him and submit to an independent, credible investigation. No family name should exempt anyone from the law. STAND emphasizes that the allegations must be investigated fairly and established through due process.

We challenge President Boakai to prove that justice is not selective. STAND unequivocally condemns crime and protects no one accused of wrongdoing. Our duty is to demand equal justice under the law: what is good for the goose must be good for the gander. The Boakai-Koung government has no credible moral justification for pursuing drug charges against former Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor while failing to show the same urgency in investigating, arresting, and prosecuting Jojo Boakai, the President’s son, against whom STAND asserts that substantial evidence exists, equal to or greater than that presented against Mrs. Taylor.

STAND’s position is clear: if one witness’s testimony provides probable cause to prosecute Mrs. Taylor, why should Jojo Boakai be above arrest and prosecution when a drug cartel has publicly accused him? No one should be above the law, regardless of family name or political privilege.

Rather than face an independent investigation, Jojo Boakai is now allegedly using drug money or taxpayers’ funds under the guise of philanthropy to manufacture a humanitarian image. Philanthropy cannot replace accountability, and no public relations campaign can substitute for justice.

President Boakai must publicly justify Taylor’s continued detention and demonstrate that family connections do not exempt his son from the law. Justice cannot be swift for political opponents and blind to the powerful; the law must never be used as a weapon against adversaries and a shield for the politically connected. STAND unveils that the President’s continued failure to hold his son and other senior officials suspected of drug trafficking will constitute one of the bases for targeted civil disobedience against the Boakai-Koung government within the confines of the law.

Upcoming Calls to Action

Therefore, in the coming days, STAND will make a major declaration and issue an uncompromising call to action, exposing what it describes as the corruption, greed, and cruelty of the Boakai-Koung administration’s elitist, “Rich Family-First” governance. STAND will also confront the national Legislature over allegations of corruption within its own ranks, its complicity in patronage, and its flagrant neglect of constitutional oversight as ordinary Liberians sink deeper into hardship. A Legislature that enables corruption, shields the powerful, and abandons the suffering masses betrays its constitutional mandate and the trust of the Liberian people.

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Signed,

Mulbah K. Morlu, Jr.
Chairman
Solidarity & Trust for a New Day (STAND)