The Political Leader of the Liberian National Union (LINU), Dr. Clarence K. Moniba, has launched a blistering critique of President Joseph N. Boakai’s Annual Message, arguing that while the speech “sounded good,” the real verdict on the government’s performance is found in the proposed 2026 National Budget, which he says exposes deep failures in priorities and leadership.
In a statement, Dr. Moniba described budgets as “moral documents” that reveal who the government truly serves, insisting that speeches cannot substitute for concrete investment in people.
He said the Annual Message focused on claims and narratives, while the $1.2 billion 2026 budget tells a more troubling story of consumption over production and political comfort over national development.
Moniba questioned government claims of creating nearly 70,000 short-term jobs, noting that most were generated by the public sector, not by private enterprise.
Without transparency, sustainability, or a pathway to permanent employment, he warned, such job figures amount to “a recipe for disaster,” not economic transformation.
He further criticized allocations in the 2026 budget, pointing to what he called glaring contradictions: less than $10 million combined for more than ten public colleges and teacher-training institutions, compared to about $11 million for six top political offices.
He also condemned the decision to allocate $500,000 for scratch cards while assigning just $200,000 to the Maryland Vocational Training Institute, labeling it “malpractice.”
He warned that continued emphasis on recurrent spending, which he said has consumed nearly 90 percent of government expenditure since 2006, will keep Liberia trapped in poverty despite its vast natural wealth.
“Liberia is too rich for Liberians to be this poor. History will judge harshly any government that confuses rhetoric with progress,” Moniba declared.
