By E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor
Opposition leader Alexander Cummings of the Alternative National Congress has challenged President Joseph Boakai’s State of the Nation Address, insisting that Liberia’s progress must be judged not by statistics but by the lived realities of its people: “the fullness of the stomach, the safety of the community, and the dignity of work.”
Cummings dismissed the president’s emphasis on economic growth and lower inflation, arguing that “macroeconomic stability is not the same as microeconomic survival.” He cited the Global Hunger Index, which ranks Liberia 112th out of 123 countries, noting that two in every five Liberians do not eat sufficiently, leaving children vulnerable to stunted growth.
If the economy is truly growing, citizens must feel it. If government is working, hunger should be falling. Liberia has the land, the resources, and the talent. What has been missing is disciplined, competent, people-centered leadership—leadership that delivers measurable results.
“I see resilience in the market woman who rises at 4 a.m. I see brilliance in the student bent over a candlelit book. I see determination in the farmer walking miles to reach a market road. These are Liberia’s strength. The People’s Alternative is more than a critique. It is a promise: integrity, competence, and a government that values its people above itself, While Boakai celebrated a record US$1.2 billion national budget, Cummings described it as a “moral document” that reveals government priorities. He criticized rising allocations to political institutions, pointing out that the legislature’s budget has climbed to over US$51 million, while the National Security Agency’s funding jumped 50 percent to US$22 million. Meanwhile, hospitals lack basic supplies and schools struggle without chalk.
Cummings questioned whether the budget is improving lives, highlighting the US$200 million ArcelorMittal signature bonus that he claims is being absorbed into a bloated system to sustain “luxury lifestyles of the political class.” He outlined the ANC’s “People’s Alternative on the Budget,” calling for caps on legislative and executive spending and a redirection of resources to frontline services—health, education, and security forces.
“If the economy is growing, the people should feel it. If the government is working, hunger should be falling,” Cummings declared, stressing that Liberia’s wealth in land, resources, and talent has been undermined by poor leadership.
He praised the resilience of ordinary Liberians—the market woman rising at dawn, the student studying by candlelight, and the farmer walking miles to reach a market road—arguing that they embody the nation’s strength.
Cummings concluded with a rallying call: “The People’s Alternative is not just a critique; it is a promise of integrity, competence, and a government that loves its people more than itself. The time for empty rhetoric is over. The time for action is now. The time for Liberia to rise is now.”
