MONROVIA – Liberia’s former Finance and Development Planning Minister Amara Konneh has termed as ‘embarrassing and grossly insensitive’ assertions made by the current Ministry of Financial and Development Planning Samuel Tweah relative to the timely payment of civil servants salaries by the George Manneh Weah led-administration.
It can be recalled that Minister Tweah recently told residents of Barrobo Statutory District in Maryland County that President Weah “didn’t run for office to pay people on time”.
He told the gathering in Clara Town that: “These are not things that when the president was running for office [he said]; he didn’t run for office to for example… pay people on time, ” adding that, the main economic problem in Liberia was “high prices, the inflation rate”, and “no money in the banks”, but noted that the problem will soon be solved.
“These are not the problem he (President Weah) is coming solve. That’s not the reason why he wanted to be president. George Weah doesn’t want to be president so when you go to bank you can get money from there.”
But reacting in a statement posted on the social media over the week end, Mr. Konneh attributed the current fiscal inaccuracies in Liberia to the playing of bad politics by those managing the country’s monetary and economic sectors.
He noted that Minister Tweah’s assertions show a high level of insensitivity to the plights of hardworking civil servants, who are experiencing countless numbers of difficulties to receive their salaries from the banks.
“The real reasons for the fiscal imbalances in Liberia today are poor institutions, bad politics as well as the people managing both. Contrary to Mr. Tweah’s assertion that our president wasn’t elected to implement policies that help put food on the tables of families, by paying wages on time and ensuring honest workers can get their money from banks when they need it, is embarrassing and grossly insensitive to the plights of hardworking families,” he stated.
That statement was the real news of this week that should’ve enraged the Unity Party, not President Weah’s ELBC interview. The UP should be fighting for families that are hurting rather than fighting for the elites,” he maintained.
Mr. Konneh added that Minister Tweah must understand that his assertions were wrong because though economics and politics go together, economics is about people who elect politicians, including Presidents.
According to him, economies are made up of workers, including household consumers and businesses that make their own decisions as evidenced from wealthy nations that continue to show that they have very strong government institutions that are headed by competent professionals.
He noted that finance ministries and central banks are key institutions in the process of making governments to decide how much to spend and borrow through budgets approved by legislatures, which is then executed by ministries of finance/treasury so that all spending entities are able to implement their statutory mandates and agreed actions of governments to ensure macroeconomic stability.
Mr. Konneh added that government, which is led by elected politicians, is expected to foster stable economies that create jobs in the formal sector, empower those in the informal sector and win more votes for them to stay in power.
He disclosed that if the economy does not perform or ‘get into normal gear’, it will cause inflation, which affects the people that elected the government, as well as businesses and households.
“This is one of the main reasons why strong institutions manned by competent managers and professionals are a win-win for all – government, households and business – particularly institutions like legislatures that work for the country instead its presidents. Independent central banks and judiciaries to provide checks and balances on elected and appointed politicians. Easier said than done, right?”
No time for loose talks and excuses
For a little over two (2) years now, the CDC led government of President George Manneh Weah, which was elected on a platform of change, continue to shift blames on the past regime of Madam Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf for the numerous challenges confronting Liberia and its citizens.
President Weah, key government officials and executives from the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) have persistently blamed the Unity Party led government of Madam Sirleaf for the bad state of the country’s economy, high inflation, and the collapsed of almost all sectors of the Liberian society.
But many persons continue to wonder while the CDC, which professed to have the ‘magical wand’ to finding solutions to the country’s numerous problems continue to add more woes to the already challenging economic situation in Liberia.
The ex-Liberian Finance and Development Planning Minister urged government officials to desist from politicizing the current situation through ‘loose talks and excuses’ and concentrate on growing the Liberian economy for the benefits of the citizenry.
“The campaign was over two years ago. What the Liberian people need now are solutions, not blames and excuses. Loose talks and excuses don’t grow economies and put food on the tables of poor families. Working very long hours in a disciplined way does the trick,” he disclosed.
He maintained that as the division of labor described by the Economist Magazine, politicians or government should focus on the long-term needs of their voters, which are many and require money.
“Non-elected folks (like Mr. Tweah), on the other hand, are hired/appointed by politicians and have the difficult and tricky job of stabilizing the business cycle to generate the money to finance the needs of the voters through approved budgets, which ironically is always undermined by the very politicians, therefore affecting businesses and the households (voters),” he added.
He noted that any Minister of finance who doesn’t understand these dynamics is incapable of helping his/her boss, who is a politician, to deliver promises and meet the aspirations of both the voters and businesses.
Mr. Konneh stated that said person will be unable to get the economy into a normal gear, making everyone to suffer, particularly the poorest and most marginalized people in the society.
MOFD not MICAT
Minister Tweah is noted for making conflicting comments since his ascendancy at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning.
Sometimes ago, Minister Tweah predicted the life-time presidency of President George Manneh Weah at a ceremony held in Paynesville, and also challenged the budget submitted by the National Elections Commission (NEC) for the conduct of the senatorial by-elections in Montserrado and Bong counties following the successions of George Manneh Weah and Jewel Howard-Taylor as President and Vice President respectively.
His promised to ensure the payment of civil servants salaries the 25th of every month is yet to come to fruition.
Mr. Konneh urged Minister Tweah to leave the too much talking with government officials at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT) and concentrate on his works at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning.
“For a minister of finance to say that a country’s President wasn’t elected to do those things that would help to improve the human condition is absurdly insensitive and shows a lack of understanding of and appreciation for the job. That tall building on Broad Street is not MICAT. Let the real MICAT do the talking,” he added.
“Ebola was 4 years ago; UNMIL departure was 2 years ago; and all the politically motived lies the country is being told about the previous government leaving behind a “mess” of 12 years is a 2-year old political rhetoric mostly tolerated to buy you time to show your juice. Unless one is blind or dumb, everyone knows that the 2017 Liberia left behind by the UP Government in which most of you served was not the Liberia it inherited in 2006 and certainly not the Liberia of 2019. By this time between 2006 and 2017, all Christmas wages were paid,” he maintained.
According to Mr. Konneh, Liberians would prefer more of the Unity Party’s “mess” created because banks were releasing monies and salaries were being paid on time, than the CDC led government’s steps being taken to resolve some of the problems inherited.
“Finally, if things were as messy as you’ve led your supporters and the country to believe, it is safe to conclude then that they are begging you to create more of the UP Gov’t mess, so they can get paid on time, get money from their banks when they need it, keep exchange rate low, keep inflation low, go to health centers that give the most basic healthcare services and send their children to school. Can you do that, please? Mr. Tweah’s statement hurt his boss, the President, more than it helped him during this holidays season, especially so when workers were accustomed to getting their pay on time during the 12 years reign of his predecessor,” he maintained.