Written by:
Foday N. Massaquoi
A columnist and civil rights political activist
“Each House shall adopt its own rules of procedure, enforce order, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds of the entire membership, may expel a member for cause. Each House shall establish its own committees and sub-committees.” Article 38 of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia is crystal clear, but why did the Liberian Senate choose to undermine the law yesterday?
Article 29 of the 1986 Constitution emphasizes the establishment of two Houses in the Legislature, which shall operate “SEPARATELY.” The Senate and the House of Representatives are not the same, especially in such a visible political matter.
The recent mediation committee announced by the Liberian Senate to interfere in the House of Representatives Speaker’s debacle is a complete miscalculation that could exacerbate the current political tensions among the Representatives, potentially leading to further instability within the Legislature. This move also undermines the doctrine of separation of powers, as stated in Articles 41 to 49 of the 1986 Constitution of the Republic of Liberia.
Impeachment and Speaker removal are purely political processes. Allegations against Hon. Jeremiah K. Koung, Vice President of the Republic and President of the Senate, claiming he is the hidden paymaster behind efforts to oust the Speaker, represent a suspicious political indictment that should not be ignored. This allegation positions the Senate as a party involved in the already unholy process. A suspect cannot and must not be a witness or judge if the ambiance of fairness is to be respected.
The announcement of a committee of Senators, with the President of the Senate accused of using financial influence to evade scrutiny from his time in the House of Representatives, could be seen as direct interference favoring certain factions—and this should not be allowed to happen.
When did the Senate become a House of mediation?
A few months ago, the Boakai administration funded a Senate retreat in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, with over $700,000 of taxpayer money for an elaborate lecture series and funfair, neglecting the economic hardships faced by the majority of Liberians. When it was time for the House of Representatives to have its retreat, the Boakai administration showed reluctance to provide similar funding, necessitating international partners to sponsor the House’s retreat with less than $40,000. Why didn’t the Senate intervene to mediate between the House of Representatives and the Executive?
On the same footing, the Ministry of Finance provided the Senate with necessary benefits worth millions of taxpayer dollars but refused to allocate operational funds to the House of Representatives, intending to weaken the House and render it ineffective. This situation angered the Speaker, who threatened to “SHUT DOWN” the House if their operational funds were not made available. Why didn’t the Senate step in to mediate?
It is obvious that the Senate has shown no interest in sharing the difficulties and challenges faced by the House of Representatives over the months, largely due to significant political alignment with the Boakai administration. Therefore, witnessing a “Yes Sir” and executive-friendly Senate plotting to interfere in House matters, especially when the Executive Mansion ordered Cabinet members (Mo Ali, MD of Water and Sewer, and Tyler Sirleaf, Minister of Transport, accused of giving $750,000 to bribe lawmakers to remove the Speaker), must be prevented before it escalates. The Senate, notorious for supporting the Boakai administration on almost all issues for personal reparations and for facilitating violations of the laws of the Republic to satisfy the Presidency, has no stake in the House crisis other than to deepen it. Such a move must be stopped. We, the people, must not allow the Boakai administration, accused of doing everything to remove the Speaker, to use the Senate to facilitate Hon. Koffa’s removal, just as the Senate was used to undermine Article 34(d) of the Constitution and the Public Financial Law of Liberia, enabling the Minister of Public Works to escape accountability for the $22 million road corruption scandal and the colossal waste of taxpayer money that remains unaddressed.
We, the people, urge the Senate to abstain from interfering in the House of Representatives’ issues and allow Speaker Koffa, the Presiding Officer of the 55th Legislature, to fully utilize all the rules and legal rights on the books to resolve the House situation.
While collaboration between the two chambers of the Legislature is necessary for governance and legislative issues, the current unholy interference from the Senate in the Speaker’s removal is unacceptable and could further exacerbate the wounds, undermine legislative integrity, and worsen a constitutional crisis. The Senate’s President and the Presidency are suspects to this melodrama. They cannot be mediators. Speaker Koffa Must Be Given the Full Courtesy as Presiding Officer of the National Legislature—a Fact the Liberian Senate Should Honor.
