*As Hospitals and schools lie in ruins
By Kruah Thompson
The Political Leader of the Liberia People’s Party (LPP) and former presidential candidate, Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe has sharply criticized the Boakai-led administration for prioritizing luxury vehicles for government officials while hospitals lack basic drugs and schools remain in deplorable conditions.
Speaking at the second anniversary celebration of the Reformers National Congress (RNC), the former presidential candidate and political leader of the Liberia People’s Party (LPP) expressed outrage over what he described as the government’s misplaced priorities.
He lamented that while ordinary Liberians struggle to access healthcare and quality education, public officials are reportedly traveling in private jets and expensive vehicles worth $1.2 million.
“It hurts to see officials of government riding business class and in convoys of such expensive vehicles, while families go hungry and hospitals are without basic drugs,” he said.
Describing this as more than just mismanagement, Gongloe termed it as “reckless disregard” for the welfare of Liberians.
He cited the dire conditions in the health sector, where many clinics across the country lack medicines for common illnesses, and infant mortality remains high due to the absence of essential drugs.
“Women are dying in childbirth because of the lack of simple medical supplies,” he noted.
He urged all officials in the Boakai administration to relinquish their luxury fleets in favor of single, fuel-efficient vehicles to help redirect resources toward critical needs, such as school desks and medical supplies.
“We need leaders who will forgo the luxury fleet and ride in single, fuel-efficient vehicles if it means saving money for school desks and medical supplies,” Gongloe asserted.
Delivering the keynote address under the theme “Selflessness is the Key to Good Leadership” during the second anniversary celebration of the Reformers National Congress (RNC) over the weekend in Old Road, Sinkor, Gongloe emphasized that true leadership is not measured by the size of a motorcade or the cost of private jets.
He stressed that “True leaders measure success by the lives they uplift, the schools they build, and the clinics they stock with quality medication,”.
According to him, the current culture of extravagance in government is a demonstration of insensitivity in a country grappling with widespread poverty.
He questioned how public officials in a poor country like Liberia could justify earning more than their counterparts in wealthy nations.
Gongloe disclosed that in 2024, the President Pro Tempore of the Liberian Senate reportedly earned $254,000 annually, an amount significantly higher than the $193,000 earned by the U.S. Senate Pro Tempore.
“How can the President Pro Tempore of the eighth poorest country in the world earn more than her counterpart in the richest country in the world? It doesn’t make sense,” he said.
Calling this disparity a failure of governance, Gongloe said leadership must be about service and sacrifice, not selfishness and indulgence.
“When leaders put self above country, the nation suffers. But when leaders put people above position, the nation prospers,” he said.
He called for a new kind of leadership rooted in humility and commitment to the public good.
“We need leaders who will swap private jets for seats in the economy class if it means funding youth job training programs and other national priorities,” he declared.
Meanwhile, he urged the government to forgo the use of expensive vehicles and prioritize redirecting funds to hospitals and schools that are struggling with teachers and lack well-equipped facilities.
In conclusion, Cllr. Gongloe reminded leaders that “power is trust, not a trophy.”
