Liberian Lawmaker Bernard DJ Blue Benson Threatens to Invoke Juju Over Proposed Salary Cut - FrontPageAfrica

CAPITOL HILL, Monrovia – The long-stretching debate over the salary cut of lawmakers is trenching a different twist as a well-known lawmaker, Montserrado County District 17 Representative, Bernard Blue Benson alias “DJ Blue,” expressing opposition to the proposal.

By Emmanuel Weedee-Conway

A once celebrated disk jockey, Rep. Blue Blue has threatened to invoke juju if anyone ever dares to reduce his salary as proposed.

The District 17 lawmaker’s threat comes on the heels of latest deliberation on the floor of the Liberian Senate regarding the bill that intends to reduce their monthly earnings from US$8,000 to US$5,000.

The bill, “An Act Fixing the Monthly Remuneration of the Legislature,” was originally introduced by Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon during the 54th Legislature in 2020 – and now it has resurfaced in the 55th Legislature.

Rep. Blue, while expressing opposition to Sen. Dillon’s proposal in its entirety, made a Facebook post in which he issued a threat of sending gowah if the bill were to pass.

“Anybody cut my salary I’m sending Gowah… Period!” Rep. Bernard Blue Benson threatened.

Here in Liberia, gowah is a type of spiritual or supernatural ailment that causes swollenness of the leg, throat or some of the body parts. It is not a medical diagnosis in Western medicine but an illness concept rooted in cultural explanations of disease.

His post was widely circulated on social media, especially on Facebook with several users of the platform expressing mixed views – majority expressing disappointment with his position on the debate.  

Lawmakers Unhappy With Proposal

In the eyes of many Liberians, this is a very good proposal on the belief that the cuts will enable the government achieve some of its key priorities in key areas of health and education; however, many lawmakers see it differently – voicing vexing comments on the matter.

Apart from Rep. Blue, many lawmakers in the House, though have not come to the public glare, see this move of reducing their salary not as a necessity, but an attack on personal privilege.

In a tense briefing from Ways, Means, Finance and Budget Committee Chair, Senator Prince Moye, disclosed that while the FY2026 draft national budget still reflects the current US$8,000 salary, the proposed US$5,000 figure would be incorporated into ongoing budget discussions.

But instead of welcoming the update, senators murmured, whispered, and questioned, something that indicates displeasure with the prospect of earning less.

Senator Joseph Jallah of Lofa openly mocked the process:

“Who will sign it? You and who will sign? Your one will sign it. Where is the bill?”

Senators Simeon Taylor and Crayton Duncan of Grand Cape Mount and Sinoe Counties respectively also expressed concerns, while Senator Emmanuel Nuquay demanded that the bill be uploaded in the Senate’s digital chatroom for visibility.

Dillon: “It Takes Courage to Cut Your Own Pay”

Speaking after the sitting, Senator Dillon further made his case for the reduction, arguing that formalizing lawmakers’ salaries through law would end exaggerations and help the government save at least US$4M annually.

“We understand the emotions and sentiments, but a referee can’t give himself a red card. It takes courage to say, ‘In the interest of the country, I will reduce my salary.’ Any of my colleagues who say we should make less than US$5,000—I’m ready. But let’s make the law,” the Montserrado County Senator added.

A Retrospective Look at Former Rep. Acarous Gray’s Proposal For Cut In 2029

In 2019, then-Montserrado District #8 Representative Acarous Moses Gray proposed a 10 to 20% reduction in lawmakers’ benefits, including domestic, travel, and medical allowances as part of an effort to ease pressure on the national wage bill.

Former Rep. Gray at the time argued that the government was under immense financial strain and that lawmakers had to lead by example. He even suggested merging the national census with the 2020 senatorial election to reduce spending.

While his proposal generated headlines, it quietly died in committee room and never reached the House’s Plenary – highest decision making body of that august body for vote.

Mr. Gray’s failed 2019 proposal and Dillon’s struggling bill somewhat send out a signal that the objective of saving the government out of millions might never be achieved – many expressing concerns and asking the country’s most common question: “Will it hold”?

Why Are Lawmakers Rejecting Proposal?

Amid public sentiments, lawmakers have consistently resisted this proposal due to what they claim as high demands from constituents for school fees, funerals, and social obligations, the need to maintain “respectable living conditions” and political fears of appearing weak or financially constrained among others.