Africa-Press – Liberia. Calls to restore civil servant salaries and reduce lawmaker pay sparked debate in the Planery of the Senate on Thursday.
Bomi County Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe has written the Senate Planetary requesting the abolishment of the government’s salary harmonization policy, while his colleague Montserrado Senator Abraham Darious Dillon is calling for a reduction in lawmakers’ salaries to US$5k.
The harmonization policy was instituted by former President George M. Weah under the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC). This policy has resulted in significant pay cuts for government employees, particularly impacting civil servants
Sen. Snowe, in his communication, commended the government for the timely submission of the draft budget, describing it as a landmark in post-war economic governance, amounting to US$1.21 billion.
He argued that the budget’s growth provides a unique opportunity to address the negative impacts of the harmonization policy on civil servants.
Snowe advocated for restoring salaries to pre-harmonization levels, asserting this would boost public service confidence and demonstrate the government’s commitment to improving livelihoods.
He urged the Senate Plenary to prioritize civil servant welfare and tasked the Committee on Ways, Means, Finance, and Budget with reviewing the issue during the budget appropriation process.
In response, Montserrado County Sen. Dillon proposed an amendment that the committee also consider reducing senators’ and lawmakers’ salaries to US$5,000. This move sparked immediate debate.
But Lofa County Senator Joseph Jallah objected, arguing that Senate rules prohibit addressing two subject matters within the same motion.
However, Snowe linked his proposal to President Joseph N. Boakai’s recent address and the economic hardships faced by Liberians, referencing a popular election slogan: “You harmonized my salary, I will harmonize your vote.”
“A sincere return to pre-harmonization levels would not only restore confidence within the public service but will reinforce the government’s commitment to improving livelihoods and productivity across all sectors. Therefore, I request that Plenary seize this opportunity, and mandate its committee on Ways, Means, and Finance & Budget to take appropriate actions at this stage of the budget appropriation for the good of our people,” he submitted.
He concurred with Sen. Dillon that if restoring civil servant salaries requires lawmakers to accept pay cuts, they should do so for the greater good, warning that ignoring this issue would invite harsh judgment from future generations.
Meanwhile, Bong County Senator Prince K. Moyee recommended that Snowe’s communication be forwarded to the Committee on Ways, Means, Finance, and Budget for review.
In the meantime, Sen. Dillon argued that he would support the motion if his proposal for salary reduction was included and both matters were considered together.
But Sen. Jallah maintained that combining the two issues violated Senate procedures, while Sen. Moyee agreed with Dillon, noting that the bill to cut lawmakers’ salaries had lingered in the committee room for too long and needed to be brought before the full Senate.
To this end, the Presiding Officer and Senate Pro Tempore Nyonblee Kangar-Lawrence bang her gavel to send Snowe’s communication to the Committee on Ways, Means, Finance, and Budget, based on the decision of the plenary.
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