Monrovia – Finance and Economic Planning Minister Samuel D. Tweah, speaking in the Paynesville Amegashie Community Saturday, for a pre-campaign event with Rep. Thomas Fallah(CDC, Montserrado, District No. 5), who is contesting the December 8 Senatorial Midterm elections, rejected a recent call from the incumbent Senator Abraham Darius Dillon(Liberty Party) to slash the salaries of members of the National Legislature.
Last week, in a bill submitted prior to the submission to the FY2020/201 Budget, the Montserrado County Senator is pushing to set US$5,000 as maximum salary for public officials.
Members of the Senate currently earn a gross monthly salary of US10,000 and net US$7.9,00.
Prior to Senator Dillon entering the Senate, members of both houses kept their salaries secret. In addition to the net salary, they also receive gas slips and scratch cards which have been cut down 50% from the cash value of US$2.4K to now US$1.2K.
Senator Dillon said he has for one fiscal year lived on US$5,000, giving the remaining US$3000 to the county and yet, he has been able to maintain the sanctity and integrity of the office of the Montserrado County Senator.
During his political campaign to become Senator for Montserrado County, Dillon promised that he would not need more than US$5,000 as salary and any amount above that would go to the county to fund development projects.
Said the Senator: “The reason I deduct the money from my salary every month is to let the people of Liberia know that public officials in my bracket can live on US$5,000 and give the balance money to the country. Now, it would be more impactful if all of us – 103 lawmakers – decide that we will take US$5,000 and give the balance in bulk to the country and the people. When we do that we can realize abut US$400,000 every month and about US$4-5 million in 12 months.”
Salaries Already Slashed, Minister Says
In his rants Saturday, Minister Tweah lamented that the salaries of the legislature have already been slashed before and any further cuts will only lead to heartaches and disappointment to constituents who rely on their lawmakers for money.
According to the minister, the lawmakers budget was previously set at US$49 million but was slashed.
“Public policymakers should always strive to manage apply and use public resources for the general good of the people and country. Public policymakers should work the system that empowers the people to earn their living in dignity than turn them into perpetual beggars.
Senator Abraham Darius Dillon(Liberty Party, Montserrado County)
“Forty-nine million minus thirty-three million, it means we have taken sixteen million dollars from the legislature. We have cut them down. But some people are saying, we should still cut the people salary. When the legislature salary cut too much, when you run to them for help, they will not be able to help and those who are advocating for salary cuts, its the people’s money they are cutting. When the legislators ain’t got money, do not go there to ask them for anything because they will not have money to give.”
The bill and Mr. Dillon’s position is drawing mixed reactions on both sides of the aisle but a lot of anger from some of his peers in the national legislature.
Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa, Chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Judiciary, has already vowed to resist the passage of any bill seeking to ensure the reduction in the salaries of members of the 54th National Legislature without a proper plan to support and ensure sustainable developments for those who elected them at the helm of power.
Rep. Koffa Bemoans ‘Political Stunt’
Cllr. Koffa, who is also a National Executive Committee (NEC) member of the governing Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), represents the people of electoral district # 2 in the 54th National Legislature.
Appearing as guest on The Heat on Super FM95.5 over the weekend, Representative Koffa described the bill as a “political stunt intended to rally votes” ahead of the December 8, 2020 senatorial elections.
“When I saw it (Dillon bill)- you know this is politics-people want to get elected ; and when people want to get elected, they pedal to the electorates. The things the electorates want to hear, that’s what you will say because they will vote for you”.
“I don’t see the Dillon bill as a serious bill. Any lawmaker who wants to have a serious bill will study its constitutional provisions, applicability, and structure and put it on the floor to be effective. What I saw or what I have read is a political stunt to rally votes”.
The lawmaker explained that the Montserrado County Senator allegedly failed to study the constitutional backing and applicability of the document seeking to cut lawmakers’ salaries for passage into law.
According to him, the Dillon Bill runs contrary to Article 34d (i) of the 1986 Liberian Constitution, noting that, said document should have originated from the House of Representatives.
The Constitution is regarded as the organic law of the land.
“I don’t see the Dillon bill as a serious bill. Any lawmaker who wants to have a serious bill will study its constitutional provisions, applicability, and structure and put it on the floor to be effective. What I saw or what I have read is a political stunt to rally votes”.
Rep. J. Fonati Koffa(CDC, District # 2, Grand Kru County
Article 34d (i) of the Liberian Constitution states that: “all revenue bills, whether subsidies, charges, imports, duties or taxes, and other financial bills, shall originate in the House of Representatives, but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments as on other bills. No other financial charge shall be established, fixed, laid or levied on any individual, community or locality under any pretext whatsoever except by the expressed consent of the individual, community or locality. In all such cases, a true and correct account of funds collected shall be made to the community or locality”.
Representative Koffa maintained that though Senator Dillon can be credited for submitting a bill to win the minds of the electorates during this period, he will canvass against the passage of the bill.
Minister Tweah agrees: “I’m the minister of Finance, we have cut their money down and they are under pressure. Some of them took loans, they do not have money to pay the loans back. I myself, I feel for them because I, the minister who been working with the president to cut, cut, cut… but when I look at the lawmakers, I feel sorry because I know what they going through. So, nobody should tell you to cut their salaries. They have done a lot of good work. For the first time in this country, you know what it means for lawmakers to cut their own pay? It has only happened under Gbehkubeh.”
Senator Dillon Slams Turning Citizens into Beggars
On Sunday, Senator Dillon appeared defiant, posting on his social medium Facebook that a governance system that is structure such that it works for and serves the needs of the citizens, keeps the citizens from begging for hands-outs, is wrong.
The Senator wrote:
“Public policymakers should always strive to manage apply and use public resources for the general good of the people and country. Public policymakers should work the system that empowers the people to earn their living in dignity than turn them into perpetual beggars.
Sadly, the CDC/Weah-led regime, already lacking in any clear vision as to how to properly lead, believes that public officials should pocket more of the public resources and have our people going to beg the very public officials for handouts to live. This kind of mindset is insensitive, callous and purely evil.
Public elected officials are employees of the people; the people are our employers, and it is their tax dollars that pay us the amounts we pay ourselves. How and why should our employers be turned into perpetual beggars by their employees? What kind of policy or attitude is that?
But with God above, such evildoers will continue to expose themselves and their plans to keep our people in poverty. The Light from above will confuse them in their wicked ways! And our people will see and know them for who they really are.”
In July, President George Weah submitted the Fiscal Year 2020/2021 national budget to the Legislature in the tone of US$535,452,000, which is US$9 million more than the previous budget (US$526 million).
Minister Tweah said while presenting the budget to House Speaker Bhofal Chambers on July 15, on behalf of the President, said one of the major reasons behind the increase in the budget was the ‘meticulous’ work carried on by the government, in collaboration with its partners, especially the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “One of the major reasons for the jump is on account of a bond situation that we took time to structure along with the International monetary Fund to stabilize our financial sector,” Tweah said.
The submission of the budget has been delayed for nearly three months. According to session 11 of the Public Financial Management (PFM) Law of Liberia, “The President shall submit the Proposed Budget and accompanying documents to the Legislature no later than two months before the start of the fiscal year.”
However, President Weah, in a communication requesting for ample time to submit the budget said the formulation of fiscal year 2020/2021 national budget was marred by ‘exceptional constraints’ in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Last year, the debate over the Draft and Unapproved FY 2019/2020 National Budget was dominated by cuts to civil servants pay after the Minister Tweah admitted that 9,000 out of 79,000 civil servants were affected by the ‘pay cut’ decision. In an open hearing in the Chamber of the House on August 29, 2019, which marked the 56th day sitting, Tweah told lawmakers that 55,000 civil servants’ pay were not cut but remained constant, while US$15,000 was given in order to initiate a ‘pay rise’ for civil servants.
The controversial “harmonization” scheme was greeted with mixed reviews from civil servants who were forced to adjust their living conditions to keep their heads above water.
Now, the debate has turned on elected members of the national legislature.
For the immediate future, it appears the Dillon bill may be evolving into a topical campaign ahead of the December elections, even as the budget reaches its point of conclusion. Political observers say, the chatters of political stunt in a highly-polarize campaign season may put the budget debate in the public glare for Liberians to dissect. But whether Senator Dillon gets his way remains to be seen. What is certain for now, is that many of his peers and the government, appear ready to resist any attempts to cut salaries and benefits.