Letter to President Joseph Boakai Martin K. N. Kollie Exiled Liberian Activist Spui 70, The Hague, Netherlands Western Europe

Letter to President Joseph Boakai Martin K. N. Kollie
Exiled Liberian Activist Spui 70, The Hague, Netherlands Western Europe

August 4, 2025

H.E. Joseph Nyumah Boakai
President
Republic of Liberia 🇱🇷

Ref: Please Reverse This Decision. It is Time for a “Radical Shift” as Promised – Cut Down on Public Waste Including Huge Budgets, Salaries, and Benefits of “Big Shots”.

Dear Mr. President,

We thank you for the strides that you are making in some areas. However, you promised a “radical shift” from the old order in 2023 under the maxim of the “Rescue Mission”. That “radical shift” is yet to be seen so far. The society remains largely unequal, poverty-stricken, aid-dependent, and job stressed.

The 2024 W.H.O (H6) Joint Mission Report asserts, “1,100 women and 8,510 newborn babies die every year in Liberia as of 2024.” Predicated upon these chilling figures, the government cannot transfer the costs of running JFK and other Hospitals to Jobless Liberians and Underpaid Civil Servants while a few “big shots” continue to pocket millions of USD 💵 every year.

Those in authority know the real problem; yet they pretend not to know. Mr. President, the truth is that your government is spending far more money on the politicians “big shots” than you are spending on the people who elected y’all to power (e.g.; healthcare, education, security, electricity, safe drinking water, job creation, etc.).

No child should die or no woman should be turned down simply because she does not have at least US$200 for delivery. Mr. President, this is unacceptable. This was never what we settled down for in 2023. Please reverse this decision. The people are already suffering amid rising prices, as you admitted. Extra financial burden cannot be transferred on them simply because the government does not want to cut down on huge public waste.

Mr. President, we give you an instance: Employees at the Ministry of Internal Affairs are still earning US$53.66 and US$105.09 per month (Ref: Employee ID#s 45642 and 40960). How does the government expect them to pay for these medical services? Furthermore, tens of thousands of civil servants are still earning US$150 and less.

Out of this same US$150, they have to pay for transportation, feeding, rent, communication, tuition for their kids, clothing, water bill, LEC bill, etc. Imagine asking them again to pay at least US$200 which is even far more than what they earning. Mr. President, I don’t want to even talk about the tens of thousands who are jobless.

How do they cover these new charges? Public policies should take into account the suffering, pain, and misery of the ordinary, marginalized, and underprivileged people of our society. This is what our definition of “Rescue” meant in 2023 when we supported you, Mr. President.

Again, Mr. President, this is my fifth time since January 2024 asking you to cut down on the prevailing public waste in your government (e.g.; fat budgets, salaries, and benefits for big shots).

In conclusion, I admonish you to review the attached table. I did a comparative summary of what you, the VP, the Speaker, the Pro-Temp, and the Deputy Speaker received in 24 months versus what the largest referral hospital that should carter for the critical health needs of all the people in the country received (FY2024-2025).

The offices of just 5 of you got US$22.07 million while the JFK got US$15 million. The truth is that public health facilities are underfunded while politicians are pocketing more money. Hence, the people’s lives remain at risk, and extra costs are now being transferred on them to compensate for the prevailing public wastage.

Again, we call for a “radical shift” from the old order. This would mean that no “big shot” including lawmakers and ministers should be allowed to earn more than US$5,000. The rest of the money (savings) should be diverted to improving the lives of the ordinary people (e.g.; public transport, quality education, safe drinking water, improved health, better housing, security, electricity, employment opportunities, social security, etc.). This was our definition of a “radical shift” when we joined you to campaign in 2023 as the Chairman on Research and Policy Response.

Let’s put the people first, and not the politicians. This is all we seek. Hence, we call for a reversal of these new medical charges. Thank you, Mr. President.

Signed: Martin K. N. Kollie
Exiled Liberian Activist