MONROVIA – Prior to the ascendency of the Unity Party and its Alliance of political parties’ Administration to state power, several of their supporters, partisans and followers criticized the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) government of former President George Weah that, he was engaged in wasteful spending of tax payers’ monies by taking huge delegations on international trips to the loss of Liberians and the state.
It can be recalled on May 29, 2019, then opposition politician Abraham Darius Dillon of the Liberty Party (LP) that later joined the Unity Party (UP) alliance that now governs Liberia posted on “THE DARIUS DILLON CENTER FOR INTELLECTUAL EXCHANGE” political platform on Facebook that: “President George Forkay Klon Weah and his 24-man delegation going to ball and gig in Senegal next week for a week. LRA na collect more of our taxes. Hahaha!” Dillon’s post back then was intended to call the Weah’s administration attention to wasteful spending against the interests of Liberians and the state.
Fast forward in 2025, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai heads a ‘Rescue Government’ that came to state power through the Unity Party and its alliance after promising Liberians that there would be ‘no business as usual’ in the governance of the state. But the very wasteful spending the former CDC government was accused of by Dillon and others, the UP government has engaged in similar fanfare, according critics and opposition politicians, who have also stated that Dillon who is now a Senator and chairs the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs is part of a 23-man Liberian government delegation to Japan just to attend a two-day trade fair, were hundreds of thousands of United States dollars of tax payers’ monies are being expended while Liberians remain in abject poverty. “Sen. Dillon has not spoken against the very ugly wasteful spending he spoke against when the CDC was in power,” one opposition politician states.
One of such a critic of ‘wasteful spending’ in government is exiled Liberian activist, Martin K.N. Kollie, who has called the ‘Rescue Government’ of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to book for indulging in similar fanfare that former President George Weah’s administration was accused of when he held state power for six years – 2018-2024.
According to activist Kollie, who is a known supporter of the Unity Party’s Rescue Government due to how much he campaigned for it to take state power, to the point he was tagged as “Rescue Rambo”, stated in his post: “Mr. President, traveling with over 23 persons on a single trip is a public waste, and we do not support it – This is a violation of Rule #3 and Rule #4 of the Revised Travel Ordinance Law of 2025.”
The renowned critical Liberian activist says, “over US$110,768 of public money is about to be spent just on a single foreign trip. This is excluding plane tickets. We do not support this, Mr. President. This is not “Rescue”. We did not support it yesterday. We won’t today. This is public wastage.”
Martin notes that The Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) is just for 2 days (August 20-22, 2025) https://www.mofa.go.jp/region/africa/ticad/ticad9/index.html. ‘Why are you traveling with over 23 persons, Mr. President, when you promised in 2023 to run a modest government’?
He points out that President Boakai and his over 23-man delegation are even travelling far before the time of the conference, four days ahead. He questions who pays for this? “Mr. President, this is a public waste especially at a time when hundreds of U.L. faculty members have not taken pay for 8 months now.”
Martin stresses that the State-run University’s infrastructures are collapsing in ruins. The quality of education is declining across public tertiary institutions largely due to budgetary constraints but yet the ‘Rescue Government’ is ignoring that and decided to be wasteful as its predecessor, the CDC government of former President George Weah.
He also highlights in his post to the President that thousands of civil servants, including health workers, public school teachers, security personnel, etc., are either not on payroll or most of them are paid a non-living wage of US$150 and below. Joblessness in Liberia is a crisis right now.
“We are also faced with a serious drug crisis amid heightening insecurity and rights violations due to a logistically unequipped security force and limited manpower. All of this falls on a tight fiscal space (no money). Health facilities and public schools are also financially constrained,” Activist Kollie alerts.
He questions why is President Boakai traveling with over 23 persons amid extreme hardship underpinned by rising prices and declining purchasing power, which the President admitted to, on July 26, 2025 during Liberia’s 178th Independence Day celebration in Monrovia.
Touching on TICAD, the exiled Liberian activist says TICAD is just a business expo or what book people (the educated) often call “a trade fair” where Japanese companies and firms will be showcasing their products at different programs/seminars coupled with trade engagements. “So, why are you traveling with over 23 delegates? Does Liberia even need more than 23 persons or delegates to make a case at a single international event or conference, least to mention a trade fair in Japan”, He questions.
According to ‘Rescue Rambo’ Kollie, If Liberians are to estimate here, at least 40 people are traveling with President Boakai the Executive Mansion press statement says, “…In addition, the president will travel with his communications, protocol, security, and attendant teams.”
Violating Rule #3 and Rule #4 of the GOL Revised Travel Ordinance Law of 2025
To checkmate President Boakai, Kollie points out that the Liberian leader is violating his own law that he adopted and passed in January 2025. “You are violating Rule #3 and Rule #4 of the GOL Revised Travel Ordinance Law of 2025 which took binding effect on January 2, 2025.”
Martin then legally justifies why the President’s action to travel with over 23 persons is wrong:
1) Rule #3: “Total GOL funded representation at any program or event held outside Liberia shall not exceed five (5) persons in total regardless of how many entities are involved.”
2) Rule #4: “For Specific Trips like High Level Meetings such as the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Africa China Summit, Korea Africa Summit, and Commission on the Status of Women Conference, maximum number of delegates shall not exceed Seven (7).”
Activist Kollie says, TICAD falls specifically within or under Rule #4 of the 2025 Revised GOL Travel Law. It says, delegates shall not exceed seven (7). Furthermore, Rule #3 says, “total GOL funded trip shall not exceed 5 persons.”
He then questions the Liberian leader again: “So, Mr. President, why are you traveling with more than 23 delegates. Does Liberia need more than 23 delegates at a trade fair or an expo to make a representation or a case?”
Rough Summary of DSA, Per Diem and Hotel Rates according to 2025 GOL Travel Law
Kollie asserts that he did a rough summary of what will be spent for DSA, per diem, and hotel rates according to the same 2025 GOL Travel Law. For Japan, per person or delegate according to the GOL Revised Travel Ordinance law, DSA is US$344, per dime US$110, and hotel US$234 per day. So, on this single trip to Japan, Liberian taxpayers will be spending US$688 per delegate every day.
From August 16 to August 22 is a total of 7 days. So, Liberian taxpayers will spend at least US$4,816 on each delegate excluding plane ticket. “First, multiply this amount by 23 delegates. It’s US$110,768 excluding plane tickets for them. But it’s even going to be more than 24 delegates. Perhaps, around 40 delegates. This is US$192,640 on just a single trip, excluding plane tickets. Why this waste? Imagine 5 persons/delegates just from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs alone to the same conference. What economic sense does this make? This is fiscal indiscipline,” Activist Kollie laments.
Concluding his reaction to President Boakai taking over 23-man delegation to Japan Trade Fair, Activist Martin K. N. Kollies, reminds the ‘Rescue Government’ that “Liberians are suffering. The youth are jobless. Drug trafficking is eating our nation up. We are losing our future to drugs right before our own eyes. Civil servants are underpaid. Liberian-owned businesses are struggling. Public infrastructure is declining. It’s time to effectively and efficiently apply public resources. Spending huge money on foreign travels is a wastage. We do not support this. This is not “Rescue”. Please cut this delegation down, Mr. President.”
Political Pundits Reaction to Activist Kollie’s Reaction on the Wasteful Spending
Meanwhile, political pundits as well as other opposition politicians have lauded Activist Kollie for his courageous stance against the UP-led ‘Rescue Government’ despite campaigning and supporting them to ascend to state power. Calling the UP-led ‘Rescue Government’ to book for violating the laws of the land and repeating the very same things the CDC-led government of former President George Weah did, is commendable and this is what more supporters of the Unity Party government need to do the ‘Rescue Government’ because it campaigned to better the lives of Liberians.
According to pundit, what the Holy Bible says about hypocrisy is being demonstrated by the current ‘Rescue Government’ of President Boakai in plain view and sadly, those who spoke against these things yesterday are the perpetrators of them today. “Yesterday, it was wasteful for the CDC government to travel with over 25 men delegations but today, it is okay for the rescue government to travel with over 30 men delegation The economy was in the toilet yesterday when the CDC government did similar wasteful travels but today; the economy is no longer in the toilet; The economy is flying to Japan, perhaps, it in a first-class seat.”
The pundit further states that: “The Holy Bible tells us that a hypocrite is someone who puts on a mask and pretends to be something he is not. Hypocrisy is to claim to know and follow certain beliefs but to behave in a way that counteracts those beliefs. While we should have the wisdom to discern words and actions that do not match, we also need to remember that God is the ultimate judge of character. ~ Galatians 6:3 ‘If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves’” Therefore, Activist Kollie is spot on to raise these cardinal issues against the ‘Rescue Government’ led by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai. The ball now falls in the court of the Liberia Chief Executive to heed or not to heed. If he heeds, for future foreign trips then he has to obey the laws of the land or if he fails to heed then there is no need to continue to blame the former CDC government of president George Weah, who they accused of wasting tax payers’ monies on foreign trips just for fanfare and nothing more at the disadvantage of Liberians. Bookmakers are watching.
