Monrovia — Former Minister of Finance and Development Planning Samuel D. Tweah Jr. has strongly rejected claims by current Finance Minister Augustine K. Ngafuan that the government has reversed salary harmonization at the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) and the General Auditing Commission (GAC).
Tweah insists that neither institution was ever part of the harmonization policy introduced under the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) administration, describing Ngafuan's assertions as inaccurate and misleading.
Ngafuan Claims Harmonization Has Been Reversed
Speaking during a live appearance on the Class Reloaded podcast, Finance Minister Ngafuan said the Unity Party-led government has begun undoing salary harmonization across several public institutions.
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"We have reversed harmonization at LACC. This year, in this budget, we have reversed harmonization at the GAC. For the Supreme Court bench and judges, we have also reversed harmonization. Workers of the LDEA will receive pay increases this year. In this budget, we are moving gingerly," Ngafuan stated.
Tweah: LACC and GAC Were Never Harmonized
In response, Tweah countered that the LACC and GAC were never subject to harmonization because they already operated under unified, rule-based salary and hiring systems.
"Firstly, LACC and GAC were never harmonized. These institutions already had one pay system. The harmonization reform only applied a standard pay grade to their existing pay structure," Tweah said.
He explained that, as integrity institutions, the LACC and GAC were excluded from the discretionary pay practices that applied to more than 100 central government entities.
"They were not part of the arbitrary discretion of paying outside a generally enforced, equity-enhanced, rule-based pay grade," he added.
Criticism of Government's Advisory Team
Tweah further criticized the Finance Ministry's advisory team, suggesting that the Minister had been poorly briefed before making the public claims.
"Your staff and consultants may have to do better work in having you speak about reversing harmonization," he said.
Harmonization Increased Wages, Not Suppressed Them
According to Tweah, the harmonization policy was designed to raise salaries while ensuring equity across government institutions--not to depress wages.
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"In its first year, harmonization increased the salaries of 15,000 workers. Over the next three years, about 45,000 Government of Liberia workers received pay increases, including University of Liberia instructors whose pay rose by more than 60 percent," he noted.
What 'Reversing' Harmonization Would Actually Mean
Tweah argued that reversing harmonization does not automatically translate into salary increases. Instead, he said it would require restoring the Basic Salary and General Allowance system that was abolished under the CDC government.
"Reversing harmonization means bringing back the Basic Salary and General Allowance systems that harmonization ended," he explained.
Without such a full reversal, Tweah warned, the tax structure introduced under harmonization would remain intact.
"Without going back, the harmonization combined tax effect would remain permanent until Jesus Christ returns," he remarked.
Judiciary and Taxation
Tweah also noted that harmonization eliminated preferential tax treatment for the judiciary--a change he says the current administration cannot undo.
"This is one reason why the Unity Party cannot stop the judiciary from paying taxes on any portion of their salary," he said.
Legal Basis for Harmonization
Citing the National Remuneration and Standardization Act, Tweah argued that the law mandates regular salary increases while maintaining pay equity across public institutions.
"In increasing salary, you are following and reinforcing the mandate of harmonization, not reversing it," he concluded.
