From Crisis to Hope: Liberia’s Journey Beyond Tweah’s Dis-Harmonisation Policy

By The Editorial Board of Democracy Watch

It appears that lately, Samuel Tweah has been expending so much effort—work in futility, one must note—to compensate for the self-inflicted damage done to his reputation both nationally and internationally at the expense of Honourable Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan.

But sadly, Tweah seems to be oblivious to the fact that Liberians know him barebone and recognize that, despite the veneer he shields himself behind, he possesses no redeeming qualities to reel himself into their good graces. The sidesplitting rampage he has embarked upon to draw parallels between what Ngafuan announced as this government’s income-increasing measures and what CDC did in its harmonisation (a rather dis-harmonisation) scheme is only the last swing of a beaten boxer. Perhaps egotism is his fundamental character flaw, or he might simply need to work on his self-esteem.

Unlike Tweah, who succeeded in brewing animosity between CDCIANS and Liberians of other political identities, Ngafuan dons the cap of non-partisanship when crafting fiscal and economic policies intended to bring relief to the Liberian people en masse. However, Tweah, who suffers from tunnel vision, only sees the CDC from the moment he rises from his restive sleep. His crippling myopia causes him to problematise even where no problems exist.

Instead of preparing to fight for his freedom in the court of law, Tweah, who sits on tenterhooks, vaunts about the so-called success of the CDC government’s harmonisation policy. But how does he explain the fact that, due to this very harmonisation policy, thousands of civil servants were made to be paid below their harmonised pay grades? Many civil servants who were already making salaries within their proper pay grades had their salaries reduced in dissonance with their actual legally required earnings. For example, the Auditor General’s Report on the Civil Servants National Payroll for the period January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2021, found that about 32,759 employees in 90 entities of government, representing 48.7 percent of the civil service, were earning below their harmonised pay grades. Because of the flawed execution of the harmonization process, these employees lost, every month, an aggregate of US$5,710,026.97.

Furthermore, almost four thousand (3,970) employees, representing 5.9 percent of the total employees of government coming from 80 ministries and agencies, as a result of the flawed execution of the harmonisation process, began earning, in some cases, two to three times above what the government is legally obligated to compensate them based on their harmonised pay-grade salaries. Cumulatively, this category of people earns in monthly salaries a total of $581,439.15 more than they should be receiving according to their pay grades.

As ever the callous and sneaky person he is, Samuel Tweah thought to steal the thunder from the announcement a few days ago that, beginning January 2025, no civil servant will earn below $150 consistent with the Decent Work Act of 2015.

He did this by criticizing the announcement while Liberians, mostly civil servants whom he had victimised through his so-called harmonisation scheme, jubilantly welcomed the news and bellowed applause to the government.

Tweah cannot deny, nor can he minimise, the fact that there are still some people on the government payroll making below US$150. For this administration, even 100 persons are too many to be left below US$150. Interestingly, or rather shockingly, as of this very day, there is a person in River Gee who is making US$53. This person is a living being, a father with a family, and above all, a Liberian who deserves to be treated better by his country. Tweah and his resident ambassador of evil, Del Francis Wreh, who walked around from ministry to ministry cutting workers’ salaries, need to disabuse their minds of the warped persuasion that this administration’s implementation of the Decent Work Act of 2015 is a follow-up on the CDC’s dis-harmonisation scheme. This administration is acting consistent with an act of the legislature done in 2015—long before the CDC ever obtained power to have bequeathed the disaster it did to Liberians.

Unlike the CDC, this government is only increasing civil servants’ salaries and giving them more disposable income, not cutting their salaries. CDC’s sham harmonization—or dis-harmonisation—policy is incomparable to what this government is doing.

Moreover, the disastrous policies implemented by Tweah have had far-reaching consequences beyond the civil service. Under his stewardship, the Liberian economy languished in stagnation, as small businesses faced dwindling consumer spending due to the erosion of disposable incomes. Market women, who form the backbone of Liberia’s informal economy, found themselves unable to sustain their businesses, thanks to the cascading effects of reduced earnings. It is not enough for Tweah to tout numbers and percentages when the lived realities of Liberians paint a picture of despair and deprivation.

What is even more appalling is Tweah’s audacity to claim credit for measures aimed at rectifying the very mess he orchestrated. This government’s decision to ensure that no Liberian civil servant earns below the legally mandated minimum wage represents a break from the CDC administration’s legacy of exploitation and disregard for labor rights. Unlike the CDC, which prioritised political patronage over governance, this administration is demonstrating that it values every Liberian worker, regardless of their political affiliation or station in life.

Samuel Tweah must realise that his attempts at re-writing history will only strengthen Liberians’ resolve to hold him accountable for the hardship they endured during his stewardship. The people demand justice, not excuses. They want to see perpetrators of economic sabotage answer for their actions. Tweah, instead of seeking refuge in propaganda and deflection, should prepare himself for the day of reckoning, when the full weight of the law will address the injustices he meted against the Liberian people.

Liberians have spoken. They have rejected the CDC’s leadership, its deceitful policies, and its empty promises. Samuel Tweah represents everything that was wrong with that government. His tenure will forever be remembered as a dark chapter in Liberia’s history, one that future administrations must learn from to avoid repeating the same catastrophic mistakes.

The narrative of a new Liberia is already being written. It is a story of hope, resilience, and progress—a narrative that has no room for individuals like Samuel Tweah, whose actions have betrayed the trust of the very people they were supposed to serve.