In his commentary, activist Martin K. N. Kollie criticized the excessive spending of Liberia’s Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung and contrasted it with the dire economic conditions faced by the country. Despite Liberia relying heavily on foreign aid and struggling with poverty and food insecurity, VP Koung earns a higher salary than the U.S. Vice President, raising questions about the appropriateness of such wages in a struggling economy.
Koung’s budgeting shows that he received $7.5 million in two years, significantly more than President Boakai’s budget of $5.4 million. Kollie highlights discrepancies in spending, such as Koung receiving over a million dollars for special services while local hospitals and health teams receive drastically lower amounts. He argues that this indicates waste and greed rather than genuine efforts to improve the lives of Liberians, calling it a “rescue or re-use” situation.
He emphasizes that public funds should be invested in the welfare of the people instead of lavish salaries and benefits for government officials. Kollie advocates for capping salaries across the government and investing efforts to alleviate the population’s suffering, alleging that the current administration is misusing public resources. He concludes by urging the government to prioritize the people’s needs over excessive compensation for officials.
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