MONROVIA – Mr. Zamora Wolokollie, the Deputy Finance Minister for Fiscal Affairs, has issued an open challenge to the former ruling Unity Party. He is requesting that they provide the turnover notes that were supposed to be handed over to the current Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) government during the 2017 leadership transition.
By Henry Karmo [email protected]
Wolokollie acknowledged that his government had fallen short of requesting these turnover notes from the outgoing leadership. However, he emphasized that it was their responsibility as a responsible government to do so, as it is a common practice for responsible leadership.
According to Wolokollie, “CDC inherited an economic black hole, as no official turnover notes were provided during the transition. I was part of the transitional team. We challenge them to provide evidence of the turnover notes they claim to have given to the CDC. While it was a risk not to ask for them, we assumed that risk.”
He made this statement during an appearance on the Liberian Broadcasting System’s morning magazine program. Wolokollie added that when the issue of a struggling economy under President George Weah’s administration was raised, former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf stated that she left a reserve of US$150 million.
Wolokollie clarified, “Former President Ellen didn’t deny that the state was in a dire financial situation. She said she left us with $150 million in the reserve account. Her statement implies that she left a struggling economy, as the Ministry of Finance had no access to funds in the reserve account; only those in the consolidated account of the National government did.”
He continued, “In fact, when we checked, there was only US$135 million, not the US$150 million as declared by President Sirleaf. We challenge the President to publish the turnover notes that were given to the CDC government in 2017.”
Wolokollie informed journalists that in response to the economic challenges, President Weah’s government implemented a measure to standardize salaries of government officials, from the presidency down to top government offices, including civil servants.
When asked about the government’s progress in implementing the Poverty Reduction Strategy, he stated, “We may not have achieved all the poverty reduction goals outlined in the strategy, but we have made significant improvements in healthcare and electricity access. We have reduced inflation from around 30% to 7% and implemented various reforms across the country.”
Regarding the Liberian government’s salary harmonization process and its ability to attract investment, Wolokollie argued, “The concept of harmonization has been misunderstood. No civil servant now earns less than US$150 as salary. Before 2018, we had only one cement factory. Under President Weah’s leadership, we have attracted four cement factories: Star, Futal, Capitol Link, and others. These investments have created job opportunities. Furthermore, we now have the first rubber factory in the country, a significant achievement.”
He concluded, “We have created jobs, although we need better tracking mechanisms for employment figures in various sectors. No previous administration has focused as much on road construction as the CDC government.”