By Sidiki Fofana/Truth In Ink
From the perspectives of two distinguished female voices: Chief Madam Jewel Howard Taylor, former Vice President of Liberia and current Standard-bearer of the National Patriotic Party (NPP), and Madam Moriah Yeakula, National Vice Chairwoman for Legal Affairs of the Alternative National Congress).
In every democracy, there comes a moment when a society must confront a difficult but necessary question: Should the pathway to public office be completely unrestricted, or should there be minimum thresholds that distinguish those prepared to lead from those merely seeking office?
This debate has recently been reflected in the contrasting positions of two prominent women from different political parties and, perhaps more significantly, from different demographic and social perspectives- former Vice- President Chief Madam Former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor, current standard – bearer of the National Patriotic Party , who is proposing a modest increase in the registration fees , and Madam Moriah Yeakula , current national vice chairwoman of the Alternative National Congress ( ANC), who is opposed to an increase in these fees .
While public discussion has largely focused on whether registration fees should be increased or reduced, the more important question is not the amount itself. Rather, it is the principle behind requiring such fees in the first place.
At its core, democracy is founded upon participation. Every qualified citizen must have the opportunity to engage in the political process, vote, organize, campaign, and seek elected office. A democracy that excludes participation eventually ceases to be democratic.
Yet participation and leadership are not identical concepts.
A society may rightly encourage everyone to participate, but it cannot reasonably expect that everyone is equally prepared to lead. Leadership is a responsibility, not merely a right. It demands competence, judgment, discipline, sacrifice, and the ability to manage resources and make decisions affecting millions of lives.
The debate surrounding registration fees therefore requires a deeper examination.
The Case Against Registration Fees
Those who oppose significant registration fees often argue from the standpoint of fairness and inclusion.
Their concern is understandable.
Many capable individuals come from modest backgrounds. Some possess exceptional intelligence, integrity, and leadership qualities but lack personal wealth. Excessive registration fees can create barriers that discourage talented citizens from seeking office and may leave political leadership concentrated among the wealthy.
Democracy functions best when citizens from all economic classes can compete for public office. If the cost of entry becomes too high, political representation risks becoming an exclusive privilege rather than a public opportunity.
Critics also argue that leadership ability should not be measured by one’s bank account. A poor teacher, farmer, nurse, student leader, or community organizer may possess greater leadership qualities than a wealthy businessperson. In this view, financial barriers can prevent democracy from benefiting from its broadest pool of talent.
These concerns deserve serious consideration and should never be dismissed.
The Case for Registration Fees
However, there is another side to the argument.
Registration fees were never intended primarily as a source of government revenue. Rather, they serve as a mechanism to ensure seriousness, commitment, and a minimum demonstration of organizational capacity.
Public office is not a social club. It is not a badge of citizenship loosely available to be worn. It is a position of immense responsibility.
Consider the 105 positions at the center of Liberia’s governance structure: one President, one Vice President, thirty Senators, and seventy-three Representatives. These are the men and women who seek authority to make laws, approve budgets, conduct oversight, and shape the future of the Republic.
Collectively, they influence decisions involving a national budget that now exceeds one billion dollars.
This raises a simple but uncomfortable question: What is too high a fee for individuals seeking responsibility over such enormous public resources?
If a candidate for the Legislature finds it impossible to secure a registration fee as being proposed for modest increase, either personally or through supporters who believe in his or her vision, what evidence exists that the same individual possesses the organizational capacity required to oversee ministries, scrutinize national expenditures, and provide oversight on a billion-dollar budget?
Leadership requires the ability to organize people around a vision, and by that move them to generate fundings requires for an effective campaign beginning with being able to meet the registration requirements.
In many established democracies, candidates routinely raise funds from supporters, community members, political allies, and citizens who believe in their candidacy. Fundraising itself becomes evidence of public support and organizational competence.
The inability to raise even a minimum registration requirement (as being proposed for legislator between the amount of 3,000 to 5,000 USD) may indicate not merely a lack of money, but a lack of public confidence, political organization, strategic planning, or leadership preparation.
No serious corporation would appoint a chief executive simply because those individual wishes to lead. Likewise, democratic societies should not treat leadership as something that requires no demonstration of readiness.
Leadership Is More Than Citizenship or Participation Right
The reality is that governance has become increasingly complex.
Modern legislators must understand budgets, taxation, public finance, infrastructure, healthcare, education, international agreements, and regulatory systems. They must evaluate policies involving hundreds of millions of dollars and hold public institutions accountable.
Leadership requires capacity. Capacity to raise the needed capital, but must importantly to plan ahead, which then includes fund raising strategy and resources mobilization.
This does not mean that only wealthy individuals should run for office. Rather, it means that individuals seeking positions of national responsibility should demonstrate some minimum ability to organize resources, build support, and manage the practical realities associated with public leadership.
Finding the Balance
The challenge for every democracy is finding the balance between accessibility and preparedness.
Registration fees should never become so excessive that ordinary citizens are excluded from participation. At the same time, they should not be reduced to the point where candidacy becomes a casual exercise devoid of any demonstration of seriousness or organizational ability. How can the cost of a “Kehkeh” be too high a price for a person seeking to be a legislator, whose salaries and benefits would double instantly.
The goal should be inclusion without lowering standards.
Democracy must remain open to all qualified citizens, regardless of economic background. Yet leadership positions carry responsibilities so significant that some minimum threshold of readiness is both reasonable and necessary.
Conclusion
The debate over registration fees ultimately raises a larger question about the nature of leadership itself.
Democracy thrives when everyone can participate. Every citizen should have the right to engage in politics, advocate for change, and aspire to public service.
But while all can participate, not all can lead.
Leadership demands more than ambition. It requires competence, preparation, organization, and the ability to mobilize people and resources toward a common objective.
When elected officials are entrusted with overseeing more than a billion dollars in public resources and helping direct the future of the Republic, it is not unreasonable to expect that those seeking such responsibility demonstrate at least a minimum capacity to organize support, raise resources, and manage the practical demands of leadership.
Participation is a right.
Leadership is a responsibility.
And responsibilities, by their very nature, require standards.
