Cllr. Gongloe Proposed Lifestyle Audit And Tackling Corruption in Liberia
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Loading... - Alice Ankomah
- 16 Aug 2022
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Appearing on the Focus on Africa Talk Show On Tuesday, the 24th of May 2022, Presidential aspirant Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe named corruption, mainly in the public sector as one of the main reasons responsible for the backwardness of Liberia and its citizens. According to him, the main cause of Liberia’s underdevelopment is due, in large part, to the collective failure of Liberians to work for, demand, and make the necessary hard choices and sacrifices for good governance. Cllr. Gongloe argued corruption has become so embedded in Liberia. He declared corruption as a threat to national security, arguing that it was crippling the economic and social development of the country.
In 2020, Transparency International rated Liberia as the fifth most corrupt country in Africa. Liberia's audit general office which tracks the spending of public funds has conducted numerous audit reports showing most of the funds spent by various government institutions over the years could not be properly accounted for. Corruption in Liberia occurred through the diversion of public funds, irregular payments, unauthorized expenditures, staff fraud, and bribery denying the citizenry crucial services like access to affordable healthcare, employment, and affordable education for the country’s young ones, etc.
But Liberia has found its saving grace in a new model that Cllr Gongloe is proposing which is quarterly Lifestyle Audits for the public employees which involve an intensive probe into their lifestyles in order to detect sudden and suspicious affluence that may suggest fraud. According to Cllr. Gongloe, the salaries, and benefits of the President and all officials of the government in the three branches of government shall be published, and that any official of the government that interferes with the functions of the police or any law enforcement officer shall, upon summary fact-finding, be immediately dismissed. Cllr. Gongloe argued that the chronic deficit of leadership characterized by greed, a thirst for illicit wealth, and self-interest, as opposed to the welfare of the nation, is a significant factor in the current state of Liberia. Read More...
