Cllr. Gongloe writes
“Frugality, not Exravegance: Tiawan Saye Gongloe s statement on the President Boakai’s trip to the Japan for TICAD 9 and Expo 2025.
Fellow Liberians, good day.
I welcome Liberia’s engagement with Japan at TICAD and Expo 2025. These platforms can open doors—for investment, technology, tourism, and jobs. We should be there. But we must also travel lean, lawful, and focused. It is a misstep for Liberia, the tenth poorest country of the world, without its own plan, to travel with an official delegation of 23 officials of government, twelve of whom are cabinet ministers! What sense does it make for a minister, deputy minister and assistant ministers to travel from the same ministry or for subject matter advisors to travel with ministers with statutory responsibilities for those subject matters.
The recent reports suggesting a very large delegation for this trip, with figures like dozens of officials and a wider cohort of travelers is annoying to most Liberians.
Let me be clear: I support the mission, but oppose the apparent extravegance.
Liberia is a poor country with poor healthcare and educational systems as well as poor infrastructure and high food insecurity. We cannot afford jumbo entourages. Our people are demanding medicine in hospitals, desks for schools, and clean water in communities. Every dollar must work for the people.
Here’s what I’m calling for today:
Publish the facts. Release the full delegate list, stating who is funding what, and the purpose of each official. If Japan or other partners are covering costs, say so for Liberians to be at ease.
We can represent Liberia with pride and prudence at the same time. Our message to the people of Liberia and the world at all times should be that the Liberian Government is serious: serious about investment, serious about reform, and serious about protecting taxpayers’ money. Modesty stimulates public trust and international sympathy and support. Expensive traveling combined with the very high salaries of some Liberian government officials that in some cases are even higher than officials holding comparable positions in the US amounts to extravegance, not prudence. In fact, it amounts to legalized theft.
I support international engagements that are strategic, lawful, and frugal. I oppose waste, wherever in any form, shape or manner. Wasteful spending on high salaries and benefits as well as foreign trips, whether or not budgetted is a form of legalized theft.
Government is a place to serve, not to steal.
“A better Liberia is possible”
May God bless Liberia.”
