PHOTO: One scene during the confusion during the House session
By Mark N. Mengonfia, mmenginfia@gmail.com
The Chambers of the House of Representatives was another dramatic scene when Montserrado County District #10 Lawmaker, Yekeh Kolubah started raining invectives in open plenary.
Rep. Kolubah insulted President Weah, describing his administration as corrupt and lacking the ability to lead Liberia.
“The only thing that is good for this government is demonstration. This President needs to go” he loudly said outside of the subject under discussion.
During the appearance of Public Works Minister before plenary to respond to questions surrounding road projects by some lawmakers, the Montserrado County lawmaker did not hold back his emotions against the President.
We cannot allow this Minister to always come here and lie to us”.
He was subsequently prevented from talking and asked out of question, but refused to be contained.
That might have sparked a furious response from House Speaker Bhofal Chambers to order Sargent -at-Arms, General Martin Johnson to put the Montserrado County Lawmaker out of session.
Rep. Kolubah’s posture was met with mixed reactions from colleagues, with some hailing him and others terming his behavior as absolute rudeness.
Montserrado County District#7 Representative Solomon George who is also member of the ruling CDC, said the Public Works Ministry has always lied when it comes to providing information on road projects.
“The minister lied”, Rep. George said in a very angry mood pointing at Mobutu Nyenpan.
Representative George said” I think it will be good for some of those contractors who provide substandard works for the people of Liberia to be jailed.”
He lashed at the current and past governments for building substandard roads.
Nyenpan had earlier briefed members of that body on progress made by the Ministry under the Weah led government intended to remedy the problems of bad roads in the country.
He referenced current projects in Nimba, Grand Gedeh and other parts of the country, saying they are sourcing funding to complete those projects.
He said “our budget is like a drop of water on a hot stone” adding they have too many areas to focus on when it comes to road connectivity in the country.
According to the minister, Liberia has the total of 12, 000 km of roads 10,000 km remain unpaved.
During the deliberations, he told members of the House of Representatives that River Gee to Happer is ongoing, Fist Town to Kalukan is near 80 percent, from Maryland to the border of Ivory Coast is nearing completion.
He additional indicated that recourse have already been mobilized for the pavement of those major corridors indication that the bidding process were ongoing when COVID-19 broke.
He also said they have started the pavement of streets in some counties Capitols.
Major members of that body spoke expressing their dissatisfaction of how the Ministry of Public Works have conducted its works over the years.
Representative Mariamu Fofana of Lofa County raised issues sounding the road fund but responding to the inquiry of the female lawmaker, Minister Nyenpan said, “the Road Fund is overstressed, we are using the money for road projects.”
After much deliberations a motion was raised mandating the Minister to provide the listing of all the contracts the Ministry has provided since 2018 to present so as to give them (lawmakers) the opportunity to make an informed decision.
A time frame of weeks was given to the minister to provide those documents.