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Capitol Hill, Monrovia – Representative Robert Womba (District #4, Bong County) has questioned the decision of the Executive to increase the compensation budget for Fiscal Year 2020/2021 of certain ministries and agencies while drastically cutting others including Health and Education.
Speaking to reporters at his Capitol Building Office recently, Rep. Womba said the decision contradicts the government’s salary harmonization program and called on the joint budget committee of the 54th Legislature that is currently reviewing the budget to properly scrutinize it before recommending its passage.
After much delay, President George Weah in July submitted Fiscal Year 2020/2021 draft National Budget to the Legislature in the tone of US$535,452,000.
The submission of the budget, which is currently undergoing scrutiny by the Legislature comes almost one year after the passage of the Remuneration Standardization Act of 2019.
The objective of the act, among other things, is to ensure that salary, allowances and benefits across government are uniformed and equitable for work done; and the inequality gap in government is narrowed and controlled to the extent that public resources are managed properly and efficiently.
The act also call for the “Republic compensation budget to be realistic from time to time and can be efficiently and economically sustainable so as to ensure that resources are properly targeted to vast majority of the population, and to give Liberia confidence amongst its international partners and the comity of nations.”
However, Rep. Womba said the stark variance in the line ministries and agencies’ employees’ compensation as outlined in the draft budget contradicts the law.
Pointing out the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs, the Bong County lawmaker said, the astronomical increase in the ministry’s compensation budget from US$2,163,638 million in FY2019/2020 to US$3,554,368 million for FY2020/2021 was unacceptable.
“Either this amount speaks to new employment or to the increment of salary. So, I will want my colleagues on the [budget] Committee to get detail and furnish us whether the Ministry of State wants to employ new number of people or they want to increase salary,” he said.
“If they are increasing salary, then I see problem because we participated in the harmonization policy and said that we should reduce salary. So, when you come with a proposal of such, I think it needs to be visited well.”
Speaking further, he said, The Ministry of State has no appropriation for non-financial assets in FY2019/2020, but it was surprising that an amount of US$1,750,000 was allotted under the current draft budget.
“You have a US$1.7 million that is in the budget. I wonder where it is coming from. What are those assets that you want to buy when COVID-19 is raging hell on your people, when medical supplies are limited, when medical practitioners are not employed, when teachers are not on payroll? Just imagine they are still doing voluntary job, and you are talking about fixed assets. I am telling my colleagues to do due diligence before recommending to plenary for passage.”
Meanwhile, the compensation budget for health dropped from US$38 million in FY2019/2020 to US$37 million in FY2020/2021, while Education Ministry is projected at US$50 million for FY2020/2021, down from US$51.7 in FY2019/2020.
Other notable changes include the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism: US$1,326,763 in FY2019/2020 to US$2,128,802 for FY2020/2021; Ministry of Foreign Affairs: US$8,655,021 in 2019/2020 to US$9,423,089 and Monrovia City Corporation: from US$1,834,672 in 2019/2020 to US$2,238,428 for FY2020/2021 with an increase of US$403,756.
The National Food Assistance Agency increased by US$87,669 in 20/20-2021 from US$36,876 in last budget year and the Liberia Revenue Agency (LRA): from US$805, 726 in FY ‘19/20 to US$2,201,656.
According to Rep. Womba, he had expected that the six percent cut from lawmakers’ salary would have gone to top-priority sectors like the Ministries of Education, Health and Agriculture and not to be done on a selective basis.
“The Legislature did not cut its salary to give it to the Executive when we have thousands of people behind us. I cut my salary because I want the health, education and agriculture sectors to benefit. We can’t continue to fool the Liberian people. These people elected us and put their trust in us, and so, we must do them due diligence.”