-Speaker Koffa rebukes Rep. Wongbe‘s accusation of connivance
By Jerromie S. Walters
In response to accusations made by Nimba County District #9 Representative Taa Wongbe, House Speaker and Grand KruCounty Representative J. Fonati Koffa has spoken out against allegations of conniving with the Executive branch, budget alterations by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) without action by the House, the lack of a full audit of the House, reckless statements made by the Speaker, delays in members’ benefits, and the presence of cliques and blocs within the House.
He described Wongbe’s allegations as “juvenile tantrums and public outbursts”. In his direct letter addressed to House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa, Nimba County District #9 Representative TaaWongbe over the weekend expressed disappointment in what he perceives as a failure on the part of the Speaker to fulfill promises of being a different kind of leader. However, Speaker Koffa clarified the different points raised by Representative Wongbe, including his remarks at a working dinner with the President. He emphasized that he had urged the President to stop pushing bills through a partisan outfit and reminded him of the need for coordination between branches of government.
In his rebuttal note, Speaker Koffa noted: “On your allegation of “Reckless Remarks at Working Dinner: Firstly, you have greatly misunderstood or intentionally misrepresented and misquoted my remarks at the working dinner with the President. At that function, I boldly told the President to stop trying to push bills in the House through a partisan outfit dubbed “Rescue bloc” and reminded the Chief Executive that the 1986 Constitution requires us to coordinate and that the right thing to do is to send Executive Bills to the Leadership of the House which controls agenda.”
He clarified: “At no time did I commit to pass everything that was sent to the House without scrutiny or regards to the interest of the people and the rule of law. As you may recall, my exchanges with the executive on this matter emanated from a complaint filed by the House Committee on Executive. How can we be conniving with the Executive and be on the frontline of the “yellow machine” issue which I first raised at the dinner you referred to and which pressure subsequently led to presidential response. To date, the only official response to this issue has been from the house under my gavel in the relentless pursuit of transparency and accountability.”
Koffa also addressed concerns about audits and transparency at the Legislature, noting that steps are being taken to ensure audits were conducted. “Also, on the issue of audits and transparency at the Legislature, you will be hard pressed to show me another Speaker in our history that signed up for audits of the House. If you were following developments around this issue carefully, you would know that the Auditor General advised that a system be put in place before the actual audits are conducted. I have no control over the pace of the GAC work, and I am assured that steps are being taken to ensure audits are done. I advise you as a member of leadership to familiarise yourself intricately to the issues. And while we embrace open governance, it would be chaotic to try to run government by Facebook. Our people are counting on us to do right by them, work together across all branches of government, and turn all that we do into tangible progress for them.”
Regarding members’ benefits, Speaker Koffa acknowledged that this had been an ongoing issue and assured that the House Committee on Ways, Means, and Finance was working to resolve outstanding payments.
“Yes. Members’ benefits have always been an issue at the legislature. As a matter of fact, I have entertained countless members from the 53rd and 54th on benefits outstanding. I have even threatened to shut down the house on this benefits issue. As the House Committee on Ways, Means and Finance has developed a schedule and briefed the plenary in executive on last Thursday, I am sure all the remaining benefits will be paid soon. Unfortunately, you did not attend session and so you are not informed.”
He denied allegations of conniving with the Executive and emphasized his commitment to working in the best interest of Liberia, regardless of political affiliations. “I would be interested in the bill or instrument that we have passed on the floor, which you do not think is in the interest of Liberia and represents connivance with the executive. My management of the plenary is usually void of bloc or partisanship, and it is quite unfortunate that you present no support for this unfounded claim.”
Koffa reminded Representative Wongbe, “Hon. Wongbe, the constitution provides for three separate but coordinate branches of government. Therefore, I will continue to coordinate with the executive and judiciary. As long as a measure or legislation is in the interest of Liberia, I will work to see it comes to fruition no matter who the proponent is. As I often remind all, I am the speaker of the national legislature, not a speaker for a bloc or party. I am a CDCian and a proud one too, but I am also patriot who tries to reach across the aisle to ensure that the work of the Liberian people is carried out and that our people’s suffering arenot made worse by our partisan rivalry. Similarly, when you recently traveled with the president to South Korea and genuflected before him in Abuja, were you conniving or collaborating? Were you performing a statutory role? As the 4th ranking member of the House, did you raise the benefits issue with him?”
The Speaker of the 55th Legislature also addressed the issue of budget alterations, stating that discrepancies had been identified and reported to the MFDP. “Because there were discrepancies nthe House’s budget, we instructed the Legislative Budget Office (LBO) to conduct an analysis of the entire document to find additional discrepancies because my concern should not just be the house’s budget but the entire document and process. We then notified the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) of the initial findings, which led to them removing the document from the website. As soon as LBO finishes its analysis, plenary will be informed. Sorry Hon. Wongbe, but my training as a lawyer and my experience as a Legislator will not allow me to proceed with half-baked information,” he noted.
He stressed the essence of thorough analysis before making decisions and encouraged Representative Wongbe to participate more actively in legislative meetings. “I am not perturbed by the baseless and reckless claims that you made because I understand this is what Facebook politics require, and it’s the nature of this business. We have leadership meetings every Monday at 12 noon, and I will encourage you to start to attend these meetings so that you may properly understand the workings of the legislature. Ordinarily, I won’t respond to Facebook posts, but because of your leadership position, I yield to those who advised that I do set the record straight. I won’t be responding further,” Koffa tells Representative Wongbe.
Taa back down
Hours after the Speaker’s rebuttal, Representative Wongbebacked down, citing inventions by those who believe in him. He said, “It is said that those who know better should do better and I have come to realize that doing better or doing the right thing is hard. You will get insulted and go through many challenges, but if you allow the same failed system to work on you, your mandate for transformation will not be achieved. Today, I have heard the calls of many to disengage and I will drop arm and await the Speaker’s response to my grave concerns. As a leader, I must listen. I have listened and I submit. I have also reached out privately to the Speaker. I reminded that when I supported him, it was on these principles: “According to Taa, his support for an Opposition House Speaker is not merely a political stance but a commitment to the principles of separation of power, checks and balances, and accountability and will work with him to achieve this. I also reminded him that loyalty is not stupidity and doesn’t mean one must be a sycophant.”
The Nimba County Lawmaker further stated: “To those of you who believe in me and felt disappointed in my actions for publicly holding the Speaker accountable, I am sorry. I am growing and maturing as a leader and learning how to balance my passion for change and doing what’s right, while still pushing for transformation. It’s a difficult balance that I must learn. I still remain committed to positive transformation in this country we love so dearly, and I know the system will revolt, for WE ARE THE SYSTEM.“
