The government of Liberia, through the Civil Service Agency (CSA) has paused the National Retirement Exercise until otherwise rescheduled. A memorandum from the CSA dated November 12, 2024 signed by its Executive Director Hon. Josiah Jokia has instructed all government spending institutions to retain the names of all retirees on the national payroll until the process is properly finalized.
By Shelton Gonkerwon, contributing writer
Certainly, this means that more than 2,000 retirees will continue to hold onto their positions on the payroll until they’re finally and expeditiously transitioned to the NASSCORP payroll. It means most homes that were shaking if not breaking will be restored once again to peace and harmony. It means the kids that were forced to drop from schools can now harvest the hope of returning to schools. It can be recalled that on July 31, 2024, the CSA announced the retirement of all retireable employees from all spending institutions and instructed them to remain at homes and receive three months salaries styled ‘handshake’.
At the expiration of the so-called handshake period, the government deemed it politically wise to pause the entire exercise, especially at a time when economic and political crises are germinating by the hours, thereby brewing tension in the society. Wisdom is the greatest national working tool which seeks to neutralize legal and political tension in any society. Wisdom is the lifeblood of politics. Politics is the trigger for wisdom. wisdom heals any society and redeem it from the grip of stupidity.
Wisdom has spoken and the retirement measure which came less than six months following the enthronement of the rescue government is hereby paused. The process was being described in so many quarters as premature and ill-advised given that it would negatively contribute to poverty creation strategy which has the possibility to create more political enemies as opposed to prosperity creation means which could create domestic economic and social sanity.
Done abruptly, the exercise certainly uploaded pains into the hearts of the multitude of bread winners, broke many homes, kept droves of kids from schools and made the government to appear ghostly in the eyes of the public.
The decision by the government to pause the retirement process tentatively is commendable that it will politically benefit the government itself, especially at such a time when political crises has engulfed the society. For instance, the House of Representatives is at war with itself; the national budget is held hostage in the political web while the opposition class seems to be doing everything possible to keep the government on its knee.
By the day poverty is growing bigger horns while the rescue agenda is getting pale given the many rescue crooks or leeches that are intentionally stalling it. It can be safely said that we, as nation and people, are held hostage simply because the wisdom to raise prosperity over poverty, unity over disunity, love over hatred, nationalism over nepotism, tribalism and sectionalism, etc. has yet to be discovered.
This is the reason why the Boakai/Koung adminstration should do everything possible to bring social, political and economic peace in the land. The fact remains that if the needle fails to go through, obviously, the thread is not expected to pass. It goes to say that if and when Boakai fails the Liberia people, Koung should just know that his desire to become the next president come 2029 will be as difficult as letting the horse pass through the ears of the needle.
It makes no sense to be recruiting recycled or outdated politicians in government while at the same time planning to dishonorably retire those who have honorably served the nation over the years. The uphill task now is to defeat the culture of corruption, impunity, class system, nepotism, tribalism, and sectionalism. The government is expected to create jobs for young people, bring economic stability so that the nation can truly rise again instead of stepping on the already wounded toes of the poor civil servants who sacrificed their time and energies to vote this government in power. President Joseph Nyuma Boakai should look through the eyes of wisdom to know that most of his lieutenants are nothing but wolves in sheep’s clothing, whose intent is to siphon wealth for themselves. The prevailing heightening rate of corruption in almost all ministries and agencies are telling examples. Very sad day in Liberia!!
I wish to advise the government to indefinitely halt the retirement process until the economic situation in the country can take a balance. Instead of taking bread from the mouths of thousands of people, it should focus on clipping the wings of the boastful corrupt guys who have and continue to keep the society bleeding socially, economically and politically. It should seek to put life into the life of the asset recovery team which is spinning of the ice. It should begin to realize that the hand that holds the spear cannot be as feeble as the worm. It should know that power belongs to the people and it’s intended to champion the cause of the people.
It’s hereby recommended to the government and by extension the CSA and NASSCORP that: 1. consider a retirement package to include one-month salary for each for number of years served 2. write all retirees notifying them that they will be retired one year from now. This will create a sense that retirement is not a hell but a place of peace and harmony, a place where one will only rest in peace and reap the fruits he/she had sowed.
Let it be known that retirement is not a hell!!
