Eyebrows Being Raised About Happenings At Liberia’s Legislature
Putting The Cart Before The Horse…Another Cash Cow?
By Frank Sainworla, Jr., fsainworla@yahoo.com
Dramatic incidents in the past week at the Capitol Building—seat of the Liberian Legislature—have left many citizens and political observers spelled bound.
It is not only the now protracted leadership feud at the House of Representatives which sparked a bloody street protest, but the huge fire that engulfed a large section of the Capitol and official moves in response that has been raising eyebrows in some quarter.
Two factors that apparently sparked the raising of eyebrows: 1. Utterances coming from government circles pointing to act of arson, 2. Senator Prince Moye’s (ruling Unity Party) pronouncement less than 48 hours after the fire disaster that lawmakers have decided to allocate US$1.8 million in the2025 draft national budget for the renovation of the destroyed joint chambers. The Chairman of the Senate Ways, Means and Finance Committee said the nearly two million US dollar allocation was an initial amount in the absence of a feasibility study of launch of a comprehensive assessment by a technical team of construction engineers, something that has prompted cynics to amount to “putting the cart before the horse”.
This strangeness of the moves was even exacerbated further over the weekend, when the Senate announced that in the wake of the excruciating leadership impasse at the lower House, the 2025 draft national budget has got the concurrence of both houses and would be sent to President Boakai to be signed into law. Many are asking, was there due diligence done?
The latest stocking up of huge cash for renovation would cause many to reflect on the marathon renovation of the Executive Mansion which was hit by fire on one of the floors of the 8-story building in 2006, which cost more than US$40 million Liberian tax dollars and still counting. Liberia Mansion Renovation Continuous Cash Cow: Weah Gov’t Pumps Nearly US$7M In 2 Years – News Public Trust
Pres. Boakai convinced it was arson even before investigation?
Although there is yet to be forensic investigation to establish the cause of the Wednesday, December 18, 2024 fire that completely destroyed the joint chambers, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai indicated shortly after that it was the handiwork of “hooligans”, warning that his government will not tolerate hooliganism and violence.
“We will not condone hooliganism or any act intended to undermine the operations of our government,” President Boakai made this utterance while ordering the Justice Ministry to launch a full investigation into the incident. At the same time, the Liberia National Fire and Rescue Service has raised a strong possibility that it was arson.
The joint security has said one thing that raised the possibility of arson is a container with certain chemical/liquid found in a container at the Capitol Building which has for the past days been heavily guarded by armed police and other state security forces. State radio ELBC reported at the weekend that fire experts at the Fire Service are examining the liquid/chemical discovered, while some Liberian citizens are calling on government to invite international independent experts to assist with the investigation of the shocking Capitol fire. Minutes after the incident, Police Inspector General, Gregory Coleman announced a US$5,000.00 reward for anyone who will come forward with information that would give clue to who may have been behind the blaze.
Prior to the fire, one of the former ruling CDC party lawmaker, Frank Saa Foko made a public threat to burn down the Capitol, legally prompting the national police to invite him for questioning as a “person of interest” after last Wednesday’s incident. A Facebook post made by embattled House Speaker Cllr. Fonati Koffa before the fire disaster struck also provoked concerns in some quarters, prompting police to also invite him as a “person of interest’ in the aftermath of the fire disaster.
Liberian security expert questions Police handling of the fire incident
A Liberian security expert has accused the Liberia National Police (LNP) of being sluggish in its approach towards handling investigations into last Wednesday’s fire disaster at the Capitol Building.
The Liberian security expert, who asked to remain anonymous, told www.newspublictrust,com that if the security forces see a strong possibility of arson in the fire disaster, then this points to intelligence failure since the Capitol has been barricaded and guarded by the LNP in recent times.
He attributes the whole scenario to “gross incompetence by both the police and Lawmakers”.
“How did that happen without police intelligence. Police failed to deploy prior to that fire incident when it is understood that they were deployed at the Capitol long enough prior to the first fire incident,” the experienced Liberian security officer told this news outlet.
With no word yet on the Supreme Court’s position regarding the recent Bill of Information filed to the full bench by embattled Speaker Koffa (CDC party) on what he says is his “illegal” removal by the “majority bloc” and the Executive branch’s open endorsement of the Speakership of Rep, Richard Nagbe Koon (Unity Party) punctuated by the destruction of the joint chambers by fire, normal legislative business at the Capitol Building remains fluid.
During his visit to see for himself the scale of the fire that gutted the joint chambers were members of the “majority bloc” had been holding their series of meetings, President Boakai did not pull his punches.
The ruling Unity Party’s Standard Bearer said the Liberian Legislature is ‘no place for hooligans’.
Historically, the joint chambers is the venue where Liberian Presidents deliver their annual message, the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on the fourth working Monday in January every year to lay out their legislative Agenda for the new year.