By: Mark N. Mengofia-mmenginfia@gmail.com
Officers of the Executive Protective Service (EPS) officers who were planning a wide cat protest abandoned their quest shortly when some of them were spoken with by their bosses to relax their planned action.
The officers were planning to draw the attention of their bosses to their plight by protesting through different forms and means for their salary to meet up with what their colleagues are being paid.
The dissatisfied men and women in the executive service are contending that their colleagues are being paid the sum of US500 or more while they are making as little as US200.00 and when taxes are deducted, it is reduced to 120.00 or 106.
This, according to the officers who are providing VIP services for top government officials is nothing for them.
The dissatisfied officers were recruited on September 20, 2020, with the promise that they would have been paid US$200 or expect lower than that but will get their full salaries upon the passage of the National Budget.
As it stands, the budget of the EPS has increased from a million to US$10.4 million according to the 2022 budget year, but these officers are yet to fulfill the promise made to the Agents.
According to our source, the officers were reportedly recruited from the Sabu Unit and the VIP service of the ruling party- Coalition for Democratic Change.
The delay and promises according to some officers had led them to be beggars in their respective communities and planned to protest.
Their bosses intervened and the protest was not done because they were again promised salary retroactively.
Since the pronouncement, the officers are yet to get their salary as promised.
Since their first plan didn’t work, the officers are again planning to carry out their protest through different means, and by that, and according to them the President and those responsible for their salary will do the needful.
According to our source, the unwillingness to have the officers paid has created dissatisfaction among the securities assigned with President George M. Weah and other VIPs in the Weah administration.
“Having over hundred EPS officers who are armed carriers being dissatisfied is a serious security risk to the President and the government in general” the source said.
According to our source, all of those who are disenchanted are part of important shafts (assignments) as some have started desertion the post at night to meet other needs.
The source said, for example, in a shift of over 15 persons, only a few will serve their post because they are unhappy with how they are being treated.
“The payment thing is demotivating them and because of that they are not taking the work seriously source added.
Executive Aware of Agents Dissatisfaction.
Philip Moore, Media officer of the EPS said, “We are aware of the problem and we are working on it. We are doing everything possible so the problem can be solved.”
When he was quizzed about what has been done about the delay in payment of the officers, the EPS media officer said, “You know it is an intergovernmental business and I cannot say more than this.”
Although Moore declined to say what the real problem was, our source said their bosses have also said the Ministry of Finance has been the reason why they have not been paid because they are yet to officers included in the regular salary of the EPS.
According to him, the issue of the bodyguards that protect the President in keeping with security cannot be discussed in the public.
When he was further questioned he said, “I told you that we are working on it and that’s it! We do not manufacture money here, we do not pay salaries here! We got agencies that are responsible for that and pretty soon.
When he was asked how soon was that “pretty soon”, Moore was not definite about the time.
“This is how they have been promising us since October 20, 2020, and we are now in July of 2022. Look, my friend, we will not allow them to make fun of us again as they have been doing” an officer who asked for admonitory said in an angry tone.
It is rare to see men in armed expressing their dissatisfaction through protest or boycott of work, but if what sources have hinted is anything to believe, it means that Liberia is expected to set another record that will go down in history for a long time.
