There is an old saying many Liberians know well: "If the load is heavy, everybody must help carry it." You cannot ask the smallest person in the line to carry the heaviest end while the strongest stand aside watching.
That is the heart of the debate around government salaries today.
When leaders talk about harmonizing civil service pay, many workers hear something different. They hear cuts, freezes, or small increases that do not match the rising cost of living. What makes it harder to accept is not just the money--it is the feeling that sacrifice is being demanded only from those who already earn the least.
This is why Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon's call for lawmakers to cut their own salaries struck a chord. For once, someone said plainly what many ordinary people have been thinking: "Let those at the top tighten their belts too." That is not politics. That is fairness.
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You cannot fix a leaking roof by only patching the floor. If the problem is unfair pay across government, then the solution must reach the top offices as well as the bottom desks. Harmonization that starts and ends with civil servants, while lawmakers and top officials remain untouched, will never feel just--no matter how well it is explained.
But there is another truth we must also face.
Pay alone does not fix poor service.
Anyone who has paid for fuel and still waited hours or visited an office only to be told "come tomorrow," knows this. If salaries go up but work does not improve, the public will feel cheated. And if workers are paid without clear expectations, frustration grows on both sides.
Here is another simple parable: If you increase the driver's pay but never ask him to service the car, don't be surprised when the engine still breaks down.
A good salary system must answer two questions at the same time. First: Is the pay fair? Second: What does the country get in return?
Civil servants want dignity and stability. That is reasonable. But citizens also want teachers who teach, nurses who show up, revenue officers who do not extort, and regulators who do their jobs without fear or favor. When pay is clearly linked to responsibility and performance, everyone knows where they stand.
This is why "Beyond Equal Pay" matters. Equal pay without shared sacrifice feels like punishment. Equal pay without accountability feels like waste. But fair pay, shared across all branches of government, and tied to real work and results--that builds trust.
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In villages, when a community plans a big task, the elders lead by example. They arrive early. They carry something. They do not only give instructions. That is how respect is earned.
The same rule applies to government.
If lawmakers truly want morale to rise in the civil service, they must show that no one is above restraint. If they want better service delivery, they must help build systems that reward good work and correct poor performance. And if they want the public to believe in reform, they must be seen sharing the same burdens they legislate for others.
At the end of the day, salary reform is not just about money. It is about trust. And trust is built when people see that fairness starts at the top, and responsibility runs all the way down.
That is the conversation Liberians are ready to have.
