Monrovia – Alexander Cummings has entered the nationwide dialog on President Joseph Boakai’s controversial use of personal jets, saying the controversy ought to focus much less on the mode of transport and extra on authorities efficiency.
By Selma Lomax [email protected]
Cummings, political chief of the Collaborating Political Events (CPP), made the feedback Thursday in an announcement following President Boakai’s BBC interview by which the Liberian chief defended his use of personal plane, citing effectivity and time administration.
Drawing on his personal expertise in company management, Cummings mentioned personal air journey may be justified in sure contexts.
“As somebody who’s labored at a really senior degree earlier than and due to this fact flew and managed a fleet of personal jets, I perceive the worth of time — particularly for somebody answerable for operating a rustic,” he said.
Cummings famous that whereas business flights are appropriate for brief regional journeys like Monrovia to Accra or Abidjan, locations with lengthy and sophisticated transits comparable to Abuja or New York might necessitate personal flights because of time constraints and logistical inefficiencies.
“Spending 10+ hours in airport lounges, coping with lengthy layovers and unreliable connections, doesn’t make sense when that point might be higher spent doing the precise work of governing—whether or not in Liberia or overseas,” he added.
Nevertheless, Cummings cautioned that the notion of luxurious at a time when many Liberians are dealing with financial hardship might undermine public belief.
“Liberia remains to be hurting. Persons are struggling. And when the common particular person can’t afford an honest meal or primary healthcare, seeing leaders fly personal can really feel like a slap within the face,” he mentioned.
He instructed that beneath higher nationwide circumstances, the federal government may even take into account buying its personal plane for official use and leasing it commercially when idle. “If the nation was in a powerful place, it’d even make sense to spend money on a government-owned aircraft,” he mentioned.
Cummings added by urging the general public to deal with outcomes relatively than appearances. “On the finish of the day, what issues most isn’t the flight—it’s the outcomes. If the President is concentrated on delivering actual progress for the Liberian individuals, then how he will get to the following assembly turns into so much much less essential,” he mentioned.
