Liberia: ‘Zero Progress in the Rule of Law’
Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe, 2023 Presidential Candidate of the Liberian People’s Party (LPP) and former Solicitor General, has asserted that the Unity Party (UP) government has made zero progress in upholding the rule of law, mirroring the performance of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) during its six years of administration.
In a comprehensive analysis titled “LIBERIA’S MCC RULE OF LAW SCORE: A Wake-Up Call for Constitutional Governance and a Better Liberia,” Gongloe emphasized that Liberia’s poor performance on the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Rule of Law indicator for Fiscal Year 2026 should serve as a serious wake-up call for national reflection, institutional reform, and courageous leadership.
“Liberia’s score of 44 percent under President Joseph Nyuma Boakai in 2026 and 44 percent under President George Manneh Weah in 2023 reflects no measurable improvement in Liberia’s rule of law performance under the MCC. In simple mathematical terms: Weah’s 44 percent minus Boakai’s 44 percent equals zero progress in the rule of law,” Gongloe argued.
He noted that Liberia’s score of 44 percent, with a raw value of -0.06 under the MCC Rule of Law indicator, is deeply troubling. Even more concerning, he added, is that Liberia’s poor rule-of-law score has remained virtually stagnant for nearly a decade.
Drawing a comparison between the CDC and UP governments on enforcement of the rule of law, Gongloe pointed out that in both 2017 and 2023, Liberia recorded raw scores of -0.04, with percentile rankings of 45 percent and 44 percent, respectively, after declining from 48 percent in 2016.
He emphasized that this prolonged pattern of weak performance should remind Liberians that no nation can achieve sustained peace, meaningful development, economic transformation, or lasting prosperity where constitutional governance and respect for the rule of law remain weak.
Gongloe further explained that the MCC Rule of Law indicator, which relies substantially on the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, measures public confidence in the courts, law enforcement institutions, property rights, contract enforcement, judicial independence, and the fairness and consistency with which laws are applied.
The former President of the Liberian National Bar Association warned that a poor score in the rule of law is not merely a technical governance issue; rather, it reflects declining public confidence in national institutions and growing concern about corruption, impunity, weak accountability, and the unequal application of the law.
“The Ministry of Justice and the Judiciary carry a major institutional responsibility for improving Liberia’s poor rule of law performance under the MCC. However, the responsibility does not rest upon those institutions alone.
The Executive, the Legislature, public officials, law enforcement agencies, anti-corruption institutions, and indeed all actors within the governance structure share collective responsibility for strengthening constitutional governance and restoring public trust in the rule of law,” he concluded.
By New Dawn.
