Liberia’s President Joseph Boakai has said he will reduce his salary by 40%. His office wants to show “responsible governance” and support for Liberians.
Many Liberians are upset about the high cost of living. About one in five people in Liberia live on less than $2 a day.
In February, Mr Boakai said he earns $13,400 a year, With the cut, his salary will be $8,000.
This follows a similar move by former President George Weah, who cut his salary by 25%.
Some people in Liberia like Mr Boakai’s decision. But others wonder if it really affects him since he still gets other benefits like daily allowances and medical cover.
The presidential office’s budget this year is nearly $3 million.
Anderson D Miamen from the Centre of Transparency and Accountability in Liberia welcomed the pay cut.
He hopes the public will see where the saved money will go to help people.
W Lawrence Yealue II, who also promotes government transparency, praised Boakai’s decision.
He said leaders need to set good examples and hopes Boakai’s benefits will be reviewed next year.
Besides cutting his own pay, Mr Boakai wants to strengthen Liberia’s Civil Service Agency.
This is to make sure public workers get fair pay for their work.
Recently, some lawmakers complained they didn’t get their official cars on time.
They came to parliament in tuk-tuks as a protest. These are common vehicles for ordinary Liberians.
Boakai became president in January after beating George Weah in an election.
He promised to fight corruption and improve money management.
Since taking office, he declared his assets and ordered an audit of the presidential office, although the results aren’t out yet.
Boakai also made the General Auditing Commission and the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission stronger.
Weah’s government had problems with corruption and spending too much money.
This led to big protests as living costs went up for regular people.
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