The controversy surrounding the Salary Harmonization Policy and the exact roles played by key lawmakers has heightened the debate.
River Gee County Senator Francis S. Dopoh II has come under intense scrutiny and criticism following his denial of involvement in the creation and implementation of the controversial Salary Harmonization Policy introduced by the Coalition for Democracy Change (CDC) government.
The policy, which has significantly affected the disposable income of many civil servants, has sparked a heated public dispute between Senator Dopoh and Bong County District #6 Representative Moima Briggs Mensa.
The Salary Harmonization Policy was launched by the CDC-led government as an attempt to standardize and rationalize the salaries of government employees.
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The policy, however, faced backlash for reducing the take-home pay of civil servants, especially those in lower salary brackets. It has become a flashpoint for debate within the Liberian legislature and among affected workers.
On Wednesday, January 14, 2026, Senator Dopoh publicly asserted that he was never involved in the formulation of the CDC's Salary Harmonization Policy.
He distanced himself from the process, claiming that he neither attended nor was aware of any meeting, specifically referencing the so-called Farmington Consensus that birthed the policy.
However, Representative Mensa strongly rejected Senator Dopoh's claims, siding instead with former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah. Minister Tweah, in a statement posted on his official Facebook page, welcomed the Senate's decision to review the policy and described the process as both "timely" and "important" to combating "harmonization propaganda."
He maintained that Senator Dopoh was instrumental in drafting the National Standardization and Remuneration Act, which codified harmonization as Liberia's civil service reform law.
Minister Tweah's account credits the so-called Farmington Consensus for establishing key principles of the harmonization policy, such as protecting healthcare workers and teachers from salary cuts and ensuring equitable contributions from other branches like the judiciary and legislature. Tweah specifically mentioned Senator Dopoh's role in drafting the legal framework that gave the policy its legislative backing.
In response, Senator Dopoh flatly denied the existence of any Farmington Consensus meeting related to salary harmonization.
He insisted that while he did sponsor the National Remuneration and Salary Standardization Act, this was intended to rectify issues he observed in the policy's early implementation, not to create the policy itself.
Sen. Dopoh argued that the CDC government began implementing harmonization in March 2019, months before the passage of the Remuneration Act in October 2019.
He emphasized that the Act aimed to correct defects and ensure standardized government pay, not to endorse the original approach taken by the Ministry of Finance.
However, Sen. Dopoh acknowledged that meetings with the Ministry of Finance and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) took place, but he maintained that these discussions were primarily about budgetary concerns rather than the harmonization policy specifically.
He highlighted that the harmonization policy was developed in response to IMF recommendations regarding Liberia's unwieldy wage bill. Nonetheless, he was adamant that there was never a singular, decisive agreement--such as the Farmington Consensus--on the policy's details.
He further explained that the Joint Budget Committee, which included legislative members, did meet with the Ministry of Finance, but he insisted these were routine discussions tied to the budgeting process and not exclusive to salary harmonization.
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Contrary to Sen. Dopoh's account, Representative Mensa asserted that those named by Minister Tweah, including Dopoh himself, were all involved in the policy's formulation. She recounted that there were consultations and meetings where the policy was agreed upon, and she lamented that the policy ended up disproportionately impacting members of the House of Representatives while sparing the Senate. Mensa expressed disappointment that decisions made in those meetings led to policies that continue to affect her colleagues in the House.
According to Mensa, "They went to meetings, and they agreed on this thing and came back. The government was able to use the former Speaker Bhofal Chambers, Rep. Edward Kaffia, Dopoh, and the rest of the team. Few government entities did the harmonization...all the names he calls are involved, and they indeed agreed on this."
