By Amos Harris
The ruling Unity Party (UP) has announced that it raised US$1.3 million in the first phase of its nationwide fundraising campaign an achievement party leaders are celebrating but one that has triggered public criticism over Liberia’s political spending priorities.
UP executive Cornelia Kruah disclosed that the funds were collected through mobile money platforms, cheques, and direct cash contributions from supporters both in Liberia and abroad.
According to the party, Lofa County topped the list of contributors, followed by Bong, Nimba, Montserrado, Margibi, Grand Bassa, Bomi, Grand Cape Mount, River Cess, and Sinoe Counties.
Party officials say the money will finance internal operations, political programs, and the long-delayed construction of the UP’s national headquarters an infrastructure project the party failed to complete during its previous 12-year stay in power, and again during its two years since returning to leadership.
Despite the party’s celebration, the announcement has sparked frustration among many Liberians, who question why political institutions can mobilize large sums while public hospitals, schools, and clinics remain grossly underfunded.
“How can parties raise over a million dollars for office buildings while our hospitals can’t get medicines and our schools lack chairs?” a concerned resident told this paper.
Critics recalled that the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) also failed to build a functional headquarters during its six years in power, despite amassing considerable resources.
“This is not about UP or CDC,” another resident said, “It’s about politicians who keep investing in themselves while the country stays poor.”
The criticism underscores a widening disconnect between political elite priorities and the daily challenges faced by ordinary citizens.
Liberia continues to grapple with youth unemployment, rising prices, poor healthcare delivery, and inadequate educational facilities problems many citizens believe deserve urgent financial intervention.
Observers say that while party headquarters are part of organizational development, such investments rarely translate into improvements in people’s lives.
“This headquarters won’t put food on the table or create jobs,” said a market woman in Monrovia. “Leaders should be raising money for community development, not buildings for themselves.”
At the fundraising ceremony, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, who also serves as the party’s Standard Bearer, delivered a lengthy speech praising UP loyalists, recounting the party’s history and highlighting the administration’s diplomatic achievements.
Boakai described the return to the Broad Street headquarters previously lost during internal leadership disputes as symbolic of the party’s “resilience and unity.”
He honored deceased partisans and praised committee members who worked on the headquarters project.
However, his speech drew criticism from some civil society groups, who argue that the president did not address the central public concern how political fundraising benefits the nation beyond party interests.
Some observers also noted that while the president highlighted Liberia’s diplomatic resurgence including membership on the UN Security Council and re-election to IMO Category A he gave limited attention to ongoing domestic hardships such as joblessness, rising transportation costs, and slow improvements in public services.
The fundraising controversy reflects a deeper national conversation about how political parties in Liberia should operate and whether they should be legally required to channel a percentage of their internal revenues toward social or community projects.
For now, the UP’s US$1.3 million announcement is seen by supporters as a sign of party strength but for many ordinary Liberians, it stands as yet another reminder of the persistent gulf between political leadership and the struggling population.
As the ruling party moves ahead with the construction of its headquarters, critics continue to ask a question that no major political leader has yet answered:
