By Mark N. Mengonfia-mmenginfia@gmail.com
The recent decision taken by the Liberian Senate is being regretted by many of its members, with Senators Bleh-bo Brown of Maryland County being the latest.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday at the Capitol Building in Monrovia, the Maryland County Senator said “I regret every voting against the former justice Kabineh Ja’neh”.
The Maryland lawmaker was one person who vigorously campaigned against the removal of former Associate Justice Ja’neh, but in his press conference it was shocking when he announced that he voted against the removal of the former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia.
Giving justification for his action, the Maryland County Senator said, “My vote was a protest vote because of the actions of my colleagues.”
He indicated that he and his colleagues resolved to have signed a resolution to discontinue the impeachment process of Associate Justice Ja’nat when they have the numbers to do so.
But he was quick to stress that since they did not get the number, he pleaded with his colleagues that they keep their decision private,until they got the one additional number to make them 10.
He further said that he received a call from members of his bloc asking that they go public with their planned adding that it was shocking to him when he returned to Capitol Building to observe that members of his bloc were engaging him to attend a press conference about going public with their decision.
When they all agreed to ensure that the impeachment process does not work, Sen. Brown said he was taken aback when few of his colleagues announced the decision which they did not agreed upon.
“So when I came the next day, I saw few of my colleagues whose names I do not want to mansion in the chambers, the juries chambers and engaged them about the plan be of our action, they both told me that they were not going my side because other colleagues went public with their earlier decision,” he added.
According to him, after campaigning against processes leading the removal of the Associate Justice, he was stabbed in the back by his colleagues so he had no other option but to carry out what he called protest vote, the decision he been regretting till now.
When he was quizzed by legislative reporters that money allegedly exchanged hands, the Maryland County Senator said “I heard of it, but you know that the side I was on, nobody could not come to me with money business. So for me, I say I did not receive any money for my action to vote against former Justice Ja’neh.”
The Senator indicated that the Liberian Senate has lost his independence to the executive branch of the Liberian government.
According to him, before the 2017 elections, many of them decided to make the Senate ‘ independent’ and had a retreat in that direction.
“But all what we said for which we elected new people is even more than before, things have gone bad and this body has lost its independence to the executive. What some of us were fighting for is for the judiciary to mention its independence, but our colleagues did not see it from the way we saw it,” the Maryland County Senator added.
The unanswered question is: Why Maryland Senator did not register in history as one of the lawmakers who voted against the “bad decision” of their colleagues and did the alleged money that exchanged hands reach him?