Former Monrovia Mayor and Secretary-General of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), Jefferson Tamba Koijee, has issued a sharp political critique of the ruling Unity Party, warning that the Boakai–Koung administration is rapidly accumulating what he terms a “deficit of incumbency.”
In a strongly worded political commentary, Koijee argues that while incumbency offers control over institutions, narratives, and state resources, it also breeds complacency, arrogance, and detachment when power is mistaken for permanence. According to him, Liberia is once again witnessing a government that confuses authority with legitimacy.
Two years into the administration of Joseph Nyuma Boakai and Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung, Koijee says the promise of national rescue has translated into “structured suffering” for ordinary Liberians. Teachers remain underpaid, civil servants struggle to survive, and reforms are spoken about more than they are felt.
At the center of the critique is Liberia’s swelling national payroll. Koijee notes that when the CDC left office in 2023, the payroll stood at approximately USD 296 million. Today, it has risen to about USD 354 million, an increase of USD 58 million. Yet, he argues, this expansion has not improved wages for more than 20,000 civil servants earning below USD 200, despite public assurances to do so.
Instead, the increase allegedly reflects new political hires aligned with Unity Party structures, many reportedly earning over USD 500 monthly with benefits. Koijee describes this as selective wage harmonization—“preaching equality while practicing privilege.”
Drawing on political philosophy, Koijee invokes Paulo Freire’s warning that oppression often disguises itself as reform, asking the marginalized to applaud policies that deepen inequality. He accuses the government of using fiscal policy as a reward system for loyalty rather than a tool for social justice, warning that institutions are being repurposed, not strengthened.
“History is unforgiving,” Koijee cautions, pointing to Liberia’s past experiences with prolonged dominance, silence, and repression. He argues that no government survives once empathy gives way to arrogance and hunger is met with speeches instead of solutions.
Addressing Liberia’s youth, Koijee frames the moment not as one for despair but for political awakening. He insists that while the power of incumbency fades, the power of a conscious and organized people endures.
“Governments write their own endings when they abandon the people,” he concludes, warning that history is not waiting for the Unity Party—but for Liberians prepared to reject normalized suffering and reclaim their future.
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African Union | U.S. Embassy Monrovia | European Commission | ECOWAS
— By Jefferson Tamba Koijee, former Mayor of Monrovia and Secretary-General, Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC)
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