-House of Representatives to shutdown if…
By Jerromie S. Walters
Imminent friction between the House of Representatives and the Executive branch of government appears predictable as House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa smells strangulation by the Executive.At the 10th Day Sitting of the 2nd Quarter of the 1st Session of the House of Representatives (HoR) of the 55th Legislature, Tuesday, June 18, 2024, Speaker J. Fonati Koffa expressed disappointment in the Executive, after being informed by the Commissioner General of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) James Dobor Jallah, that the LRA has generated three hundred and sixteen million, four hundred and forty-nine thousand dollars, even though members of the House of Representatives (HoR) have not received more than two months of their benefits.
Jallah: “Our year-to-date budget, as at yesterday, we were supposed to raise three hundred and eight million, six hundred and twelve thousand dollars. To date, what we have been able to raise so far is three hundred and sixteen million, four hundred and forty-nine thousand dollars. So we are actually doing about seven point eight million more than budgeted.”
Enraged and astonished by the LRA Commossioner’s disclosure, Koffa threatened a potential closure of the House, if both branches (Legislature and Executive ) of government can not reach a reasonable resolution. He said, “I will tell you this, if we can not come to a resolution pretty soon, we will shut this House of Representatives down.”
Koffa: “Mr. Minister, everybody comes here under oath so we are going to take the testimony of the Commissioner General as true until you or anyone can provide information that his testimony is false. It’s astonishing to me that the Commissioner General will explain to me that he is overperforming on revenue, yet the House of Representatives which is a part of the first branch of government is unable to receive benefits budgeted in an outstanding faction.”
He noted, “We should not be in the position to go in the streets to be crediting money from money changers to provide our members gas. We should not be in the position where the instruments that lawmakers use to come to work can’t be provided for them because your (government) said no money at Finance Ministry when the Commissioner General is reporting that he is overperforming.”
Smelling an act of strangulation by the Executive, Koffa stated, “We can not be in the position when you fund the Senate retreat yet we have postponed our retreat and we are running behind NGOs to help the House of Representatives to host our retreat. We should not be in the position when the Co-Chair on Ways, Means, and Finance spend days and days in your office and we can’t get a complete and correct answer as to when you will host this body”
He told the Acting Finance Minister, “Mr. Minister, the attitude of the Ministry of Finance toward this House is leading us to a dangerous conclusion, one which we must not make in the interest of coordination of the branches of government. I’m disappointed and we are prepared here at the House of Representatives to make any sacrifice. If the Commissioner General comes and say revenue is not performing, we will be the first to say ok, we understand. But for him to come here today and say he is overperforming and the Senate is well taken care of but the House of Representatives has almost two months’ worth of benefits and can not even get money for retreat (that) we have to beg NGOs, and stationaries.“
Foko alerts
Recently, Montserrado County District #9 Representative Frank Saah Foko alerted the Public of alleged plans by President Joseph Nyima Boakai to strangulate the House of Representatives to anger lawmakers to remove the Speaker.
He wrote via his official Facebook page. “For over five months, members of the House of Representatives are yet to get their benefits as passed in the National Budget. While this unwholesome practice is ongoing, our colleagues from the Senate are enjoying every benefit and privilege due them, given they have a Protem that’s a member of the Rescue Mission. To add insult to injury, Boakanites are running articles and disinformation that we CDCIANS are contemplating removing our own Speaker we elected and have explicit confidence in. How can this be possible?”
The Montserrado County District #9 Representative added: “The deliberate strangulation of the House is an attempt to disappoint lawmakers and make it appear that Speaker Koffa is responsible for all the misfortunes some members of the House are faced with. Why is President Boakai not giving our benefits, it’s concerning! The Executive cannot be holding unto our benefits and putting up candidates in our districts by giving.”
Noise About Koffa’s removal
Since his (J. Fonati Koffa) ascendancy to the Speakership of the House of Representatives of the 55th Legislature, there has been noise about strives by the Executive to have him removed. Amid the speculations, Koffa has repeatedly said he doesn’t think President Boakai will ever do such.
Chapter five (V), article 49 of the 1986 constitution of the Republic of Liberia says the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, and other officers so elected may be removed from office for cause by resolution of a two-thirds majority of the members of the House.
It states: “The House of Representatives shall elect once every six years a Speaker who shall be the presiding officer of that body, a Deputy Speaker, and such other officers as shall ensure the proper functioning of the House. The Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, and other officers so elected may be removed from office for cause by resolution of a two-thirds majority of the members of the House.”
Speaker J. Fonati Koffa is a member of the opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC). He slightly defeated the Unity Party-backed candidate Rep. Richard Nagbe Koon in the speakership election on January 15, 2024. Since his election, he has expressed a commitment to work with the UP-led government to advance its legislative initiatives, and it has been seen through the approval of the US$41 million special budget and the House position in the establishment of a war and economic crimes court in Liberia, among others.
Regardless, there have been reports of the UP-led government financially influencing House members and covertly canvassing to attain the majority number to unseat the Speaker. Following a meeting in Tubmanburg, Bomi County, in April of this year, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and top officials of his cabinet met with members of the Unity Party Alliance in the House of Representatives. Speculations arose that the gathering was intended to strategize on gaining majority support to remove the Speaker.
The inception
In January of this year, the Unity Party withdrew its Petition for Declaratory Judgment against the National Elections Commission (NEC) as first respondent and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the 55th Legislature, Grand Kru County Representative Fonati J Koffa as second respondent in which the UP wanted Speaker Koffa removed from the Legislature on account of allegations that he possesses Dual Citizenship.
But the ruling party somersaulted Wednesday, January 17, 2024, when its legal counsels issued a “Notice of Withdrawal” to the Civil Law Court undoing its legal action after massive criticisms from the pundits of the former ruling Coalition for Democratic Change and other diaspora Liberians.
In a “Notice of Withdrawal” issued addressed to the Clerk of the Six Judicial Circuit Court, the Civil Law Court of Montserrado County, the lawyers of the Unity Party wrote, “You will please take judicial notice and spread upon the record of the Honorable Court that petitioners in the above-titled case has on this date and day withdrawn its petition for Declaratory Judgment with reservation”.
Signed by four legal counselors for the party including Cllrs. Benedict K. Sagbeh, Moiffie Kanneh, Neto Zarzar Leigh, and J. Cole Bangalu, the party said in its notice of withdrawal that “for so doing this shall constitute your legal and sufficient authority in the premise.”
The Unity Party, through its Chairman Luther Tarpeh and Secretary General Amos Tweh, earlier filed a petition for Declaratory Judgment seeking the removal of Speaker Koffa from the National Legislature for dual citizenship.
