–Provides Budget Analysis to Backup Claims; Urges Liberians Not to Be Deceived by Sen. Dillon’s Bill
Exiled Liberian activist and former student in Liberia, Martin K. N. Kollie says Senators in the 55th Legislature still earn US$15,000 every month, and he has backed up his claims with budgetary analysis.
According to activist Martin K. N. Kollie, alias ‘Rescue Rambo’, what he and other Liberian advocates are seeking is to Cut or Cap all salaries and benefits for all top brasses, including lawmakers of the 55th Legislature in Liberia at US$5,000 per month.
“They are still earning more than US$15,000 every month, and here’s our evidence. Like 29 Senators, Did Senator Abe Darius Dillon Receive It, too? Yes – Budget Analysis #5”, activist Kollie kicked off his argument.
See below his full budgetary analysis on the Senators salaries and benefits that they still receive:
“I) Salary for 30 Senators
II) Benefits for 30 Senators
This is not politics. Take some time off and read with an open mind. Fellow Liberians, please pay attention. It’s easy to expose their deception and hypocrisy. What are we advocating for? Cut or Cap all salaries and benefits of top brasses, including Lawmakers, at US$5,000 per month. Please take note. We are not only saying, “salary.”
We are saying that no one should get more than US$5,000 per month in both salary and benefits. That’s what we are fighting for.
Do not be deceived by what the Senators did yesterday as in the “re-introduction of a salary reduction bill”. That is a fiasco only intended to buy public sympathy ahead of 2029. As usual, it was intended for the camera. Why are they, including Sen. Dillon, only talking about “salary” and not benefits.
I) Salary for 30 Senators
1) FY2024: US$3,500,259
2) FY2025: US$3,319,265
3) FY2026: US$3,319,265
4) Total FY2024-2026: US$10,138,789
Imagine a whopping US$10.1 million just in salary alone for only 30 persons while millions of Liberians including the youth, remain jobless. Each Senator got US$337,959 on average. This is US$9,387 per month just in salary excluding all other benefits, while tens of thousands of civil servants got just US$150. Did Dillon receive it, too? Yes.
What the guys (lawmakers) on Capitol Hill cunningly and clandestinely did was to divert/convert a huge portion/part of the money into “benefits” since there was a continued public outcry about them receiving over US$15K in salary every month. This is what we want to open our people’s eyes to. They are still earning way beyond US$15,000 every month.
II) Benefits for 30 Senators
We will list only two (2) lines from more than a dozen of wasteful benefits for just 30 of them:
a) Constituency Visit:
1) FY2024: US$1,408,375
2) FY2025: US$290,000
3) FY2026: US$95,826
4) Total 2024-2026: US$1,794,201
Imagine just 30 persons got almost US$2 million for so-called constituency visit. Each Senator got US$59,806 on average. This is US$1,661 per month. Did Dillon receive it, too? Yes.
b) Legislative Committee Hearings for 30 Senators:
1) FY2024: US$3,988,202
2) FY2025: US$2,177,245
3) FY2026: US$2,900,000
4) Total 2024-2026: US$8,342,692
Legislative Hearing or Meeting is part of their work. Why are we paying them over US$8.3 million for it? Imagine just 30 persons got over US$8.3 million just to have meetings excluding their exorbitant salaries. Each Senator got US$278,089 on average. This is US$7,724 per month. Did Dillon receive money for committee meetings/hearings, too? Yes.
We don’t want to even mention other benefits: US$45K car each, fuel for vehicles, entertainment, furniture allowance, DSA, incidental allowance, vehicle insurance, repair and maintenance, fuel for generator, operational expense, stationery, printing, etc. Did Dillon receive it, too? Yes.
Dillon promised to only receive US$5K. That’s why he was elected by the people. For almost 7 years now, he has been receiving just everything that other Senators have been receiving including huge salaries and wasteful benefits. He has not rejected anything. Dillion cannot be “advocating” against over US$9K in salary when he’s also receiving it even though he promised not to receive it.
Note: We are in 100% favor of any bill or any action that cuts or caps all salaries and benefits at US$5K. But did Senator Dillon even read Article 34(1) of the Constitution or he is ignorant to the law or he just wants to “eat show” as usual? Haha.
Article 34(i) of the 1986 Constitution says, “All revenue bills, whether subsidies, charges, imports, duties or taxes, and other financial bills, shall originate in the House of Representative…” A matter relating to reducing salaries is considered a ‘financial bill’.
Does a bill need to be passed too for Dillon to stop receiving wasted public resources including constituency visit and 45k car? You promised to only take 5K. Just a letter to the MFDP to divert the rest to Montserrado as promised is enough. You don’t even need a bill for this. Start doing if you want others to do (Leadership by example). Action, and not talk-talk. Dillon can’t receive everything that every Senator has received and is receiving, and then be pretending to be advocating for “reduction”. That’s a farce. And we won’t allow such hypocrisy to suffice. The People deserve to know the truth.”
Martin K. N. Kollie, alias ‘Rescue Rambo’ is a Liberian activist in exile and a former student leader in Liberia, who is noted for saying truth to power. He has conscientized Liberians in all aspects of governance as it relates to their wellbeing as part of the society.
He played a key role in campaigning for the Joseph Nyuma Boakai administration ascendency to state power, and he remains one of its strong critics who always points out the misdeed and mishaps of the government relative to governing Liberians and the country.
