Disagreements Over Control of House’s Central Administration -Speaker Koffa’s Political Officer Sheds Light

MONROVIA- The Political Officer in the office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives has joined the debate between the leadership of the House and the administration of the Civil Service Agency (CSA) over who manages government workers or civil servants at the National Legislature.

The CSA under President Boakai has edging on the 55^th Legislature as to have a large say on the administration of central administration, specifically civil servants. The House administration headed by Representative Fonati Koffa appears hesitant.

Meanwhile, as the disagreement rages, the political officer in the office of the House Speaker thinks the ongoing dispute between the House of Representatives and the Civil Service Agency (CSA) over the CSA’s role in the employment and regulation of staffers in the House’s Central Administration highlights a fundamental issue that has long been overlooked.

Menipakei Dumoe says the disagreement should be viewed as an opportunity to address critical flaws within the CSA, starting with its very name and the enabling statute that governs its operations.

“First and foremost, the 1986 Liberian Constitution established a Civil Service Commission, not a Civil Service Agency,” the legislative political officer said in a write-out, adding that this distinction is not merely semantic but speaks to the very heart of the CSA’s legal standing.

He argued that the CSA has yet to produce any legislation that explicitly grants it authority over staffers within the Central Administration of the House of Representatives, thus raising serious questions about the legitimacy of the CSA’s attempts to exert influence over hiring decisions within the Legislature.

Furthermore, he noted, the CSA’s efforts to assert control over who is hired in the Central Administration of the Legislature are in direct contradiction to Article 3 of the 1986 Constitution, which explicitly bars any individual from exercising power in more than one branch of government.

“By attempting to dictate employment within the House,” Dumoi said, the CSA is overstepping its bounds and infringing on the autonomy of the Legislature, not only violating the principle of separation of powers but also undermines the very checks and balances that are meant to safeguard our democracy.

The disagreement is more than a mere administrative tussle, he said. “It is a constitutional crisis that demands immediate attention.

“It is time for our lawmakers to revisit the enabling statute of the CSA, align it with the constitutional provisions, and ensure that the CSA is restructured—or even renamed—to accurately reflect its intended role.”

The Speaker’s political officer opined that it is time for the lawmakers to give full faith and credit to the constitution article 89 by passing law governing the civil service commission.

“Only then can we resolve these conflicts and preserve the integrity of our democratic institutions,” he asserted.