By Mark Mengonfia, mmenginfia@gmail.com
Members of the House of Representatives have entered their second day of deliberations into the State of Emergency (SOE) plan placed before them by President George M. Weah, with health workers insurance and media stimulus packages topping their discussions.
A week ago, President George Manneh Weah, in keeping with Articles 85, 86, 87, and 88 of the Liberian Constitution, declared a State of Emergency throughout the Republic of Liberia for a period of three (3) weeks. It is renewable until the threat to Liberia from the Covid-19 virus no longer exists.
Under the constitution, the Liberian leader had seven days to submit his State of Emergency proposition with a lockdown to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic, while the Legislature has 72 hours to endorse or reject it.
The President told the Lawmakers that as a first step under the powers hereby granted him under the State of Emergency, members of that legislative body are to endorse the State of Emergency by Joint Resolution, in accordance with Article 88 of the Liberian Constitution.
President Weah also presented a stimulus package to be approved by members of that body to affect Liberians It is in keeping with this, that members of that body have returned and started discussion on the State of Emergency and all the issues that have to do with the Constitutionality. During deliberation members of that body said the proposal from the President was welcoming.
But majority of them were concerned about the full implementation of the stimulus package as laid down in the president communication to them.
Part of the modification majority members of that body repeatedly mentioned during their deliberations were the reintroduction of three days free calls, payment of civil servants salaries, paying of incentive package to health workers, the media as well as proper distribution of the food provisions to ordinary citizens.
Among other things, members of the House stressed the need to concur with the President on the State of Emergency, but said they need to take time to investigate the stimulus package component of the President’s communication.
For two days (Wednesday and Thursday), members of this body discussed the President’s proposal, with each Lawmaker given 5 minutes to make their points.
They are expected to conclude discussions on the matter, tomorrow, Friday, April 17, 2020, if majority members of that body agree.