IPNEWS: STAND Wants Lawmakers Salaries Used To Repair Capitol Building
Solidarity & Trust for a New Day (STAND), one of Liberia’s most vocal civil society organizations, has condemned the legislature’s rapid push for a US$1.8 million allocation to repair the Capitol Building’s joint chambers following a recent fire. STAND denounces this urgency as glaring hypocrisy, highlighting the government’s chronic neglect of countless Liberians who have endured catastrophic fire disasters across the country, leaving entire families homeless and destitute without any meaningful support.
In a statement issued in Monrovia, Solidarity & Trust for a New Day (STAND) slams the glaring disparity in government priorities, decrying the legislature’s relentless push for Capitol Building repairs while virtually sidelining the Liberia National Fire Service (LNFS) in the 2024 national budget, where not a single fire truck was procured. STAND denounces as utterly reprehensible the legislature’s blatant disregard for public fire safety, even as they shamelessly demand taxpayers foot the bill for their infrastructural repairs.
Earlier this year, STAND engaged international development partners, seeking their humanitarian intervention to address the LNFS’s inadequate resources for combating fire outbreaks and ensuring the safety of ordinary citizens—a request that was commendably supported by the United States Embassy near Monrovia.
While criticizing lawmakers’ lack of seriousness towards finding solutions to the ‘Bread & Butter’ needs of the people, the continuous and prolonged internal disputes have also become a burden to the ordinary taxpayer.
Therefore, as the nation awaits the outcome of a credible and comprehensive investigation to determine the cause of the fire, it would be unjust to impose additional burdens on taxpayers by using the national budget—funded largely by their tax dollars—for repair work. Such a demand would reflect extreme insensitivity to the plight of the suffering masses, especially in light of the legislature’s longstanding inefficiency and disregard for the welfare of ordinary citizens.
Responding to the Senate’s request for a US$1.8 million allocation to repair the Capitol Building, STAND firmly insists that all 103 members of the national legislature—both senators and representatives—should fund the repairs through a collective salary reduction. The organization urges lawmakers to demonstrate genuine accountability and compassion by sparing taxpayers this financial burden, particularly during the holiday season, when countless families are struggling with significant economic challenges.
STAND concludes its statement by calling on the government to prioritize the needs of its citizens, stressing for nearly 180 years, ordinary Liberians have always sacrificed for their country without adequate returns. While the people continue to support their government, it is time for the government to provide for its citizens, addressing their economic, healthcare, and educational needs.
