LIBERIA: Removal Of Speaker Chambers Heats Up At The Capitol

Speaker Bhofal Chambers

Some aggrieved members of the House of Representatives have formed themselves into a group called ‘Independent Legislative Caucus of the 54th National Legislature’.

The group chaired by Nimba County Representative Larry Nyounquoi.

According to an insider, their aims are to ensure and bring about independence and credibility to the House of Representatives.

Another member of the ‘Independent Legislative Caucus of the 54th National Legislature’ Representative Nagbe Sloh, Sinoe County, told the Independent Probe that ‘they are not going to fight against the interests of the Executive or hatch a plan to remove House Speaker Bhofal Chamber’.

“We intend to resurrect the Legislature from its current state of partisanship Legislature.”

“This group is intended to bring back credibility and sanity to the House of Representatives, he added

Rep. Sloh stated that they have observed over the last twelve months that the House of Representatives has become a partisan place and think this is wrong in the tripartite arrangement of Liberia’s governance system.

Rep. Sloh: “We are not established to fight the Executive but to remove the Speaker.”

“We feel when it is about party, it should be and when it is about the Legislature and representation it should be about the interests of the people we represent and ourselves.”

An Independent probe observation during the 53rd sitting of the House of Representative observed that House Speaker Bhofal Chambers has always been under serious pressure from some his colleagues for the manner he presided as presiding officer, including his intolerance against other opposition colleagues, especially those who criticizes him or have opposite views.

It can be recall, during the administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Speaker Chambers, than Representing the people of Pleboo saw nothing positive about the administration of the former Liberian president, including drafting an impeachment bill against the former President because of his opinion that Madam Sirleaf was wrongly proceeding over the state.

Now, the clock has turned with some his colleagues now placed under investigation for speaking boldly against what they see as his wrong leadership style.

Recently, Representative Nagbe Sloh of CDC, Sinoe County Dist. #2, Adolph Lawrence of CDC, Montserrado Dist. #15 and controversial Mpntserrado County district #10 representative Yekeh Kolubah of the NPP) are all being investigated by the Committee on Rules, Order and Administration, whose Chairperson is being accused as well.

According to Montserrado Dist. #9 Representative and a supporter in her communication dated January 17, 2018, she pleaded with the Speaker and her colleagues’ indulgence to refer the concerned lawmakers to the Committee on Rules, Order and Administration to provide proof in line with the houses rules.

One of the aggrieved lawmakers in person of Sinoe county district #2 Representative Nagbe Sloh in a press conference at his capitol building office last Thursday told journalists that they have in their possession documents, which show that some lawmakers, with the consent of the Speaker, have over the months received and disposed personally “huge quantity” of duty-free gasoline that was intended for that august body.

To inflame the situation further, lawmaker Sloh’s allegations were trigged by fire burn Rep. Yekeh Kolubah, when he told legislative reporters in plenary that the aggrieved lawmakers have documents is their processions which showed that Representative Mariamu Fofana, Chair of the House Rules, Order and Administration Committee, received a huge consignment of duty-free gasoline on behalf of the House.

According to an investigation conducted by independent Probe some lawmaker are yet to receive gasoline and other benefits for almost a year.

Source: Independent Probe

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