MONROVIA – First month in the year (2025) nearly gone yet again, the cancer which has torn the nation apart – which arguably lacerated the Constitution, which caused the passage of national budget without the traditional broad-based scrutiny, which distracted public service providers from delivering on their obligations and leaving the population in chronic want, which perhaps led to “arson attack” on the Capitol Building, which displaced lawmakers from homes to hotels, which generated so much noise and hate amongst political leaders and citizens – the endless fight over House Speakership – is still alive and well. In fact, from the look of things, signs are that the situation is worsening this year, the division it caused is deepening fast. One solid evidence is that, for the first time in several decades, the President of Liberia is taking the revered podium of the Legislature to report to the Liberian people on the stewardship of his government eclipsing only one year, and nearly half of the hosts will be absent. The Analyst reports.
When President Joseph Nyuma Boakai visits the grounds of the Capitol Building January 27, where due to the charring incident there he would be delivering his annual address, 29 to 30 lawmakers will not be seated.
The President’s would-be absentee hosts, representing nearly 50 percent of the total number of lawmakers in the House of Representatives, announced in a press statement they would certainly not be there.
Calling themselves the Rule of Law Caucus of the House of Representatives – a nomenclature they conferred upon themselves because they have been calling on their colleagues, aka, “majority bloc” seeking the illegal ouster of Speaker Jonathan Fanati Koffa to follow the rule of law – the group said in a press statement it has decided to stay away from the constitutionally sacred occasion in protest.
This decision was not made lightly, the Rule of Law Caucus said. “It reflects our deep concerns over the ongoing erosion of legislative independence and the increasing interference of the Executive branch in the affairs of the Legislature.”
Unable to compel the rebellious bloc to come to constitutional order for the last six months, even with the intervention of the Supreme Court, the group voluntarily decided recently to join the “majority bloc” for sessions, leaving the public confused why the gameplan was since they and their principle, Koffa, were still in court.
Yet in the release issued yesterday, the 30 protesting lawmakers said there were boycotting President Boakai’s state of the nation address because of the “Executive’s recognition of Honorable Richard N. Koon as Speaker, despite the legitimate Speaker still being in office.”
The described it “a blatant violation of democratic principles and legislative autonomy.”
“This unprecedented action not only strips the legitimate Speaker of his authority and dignity but also humiliates the Legislature as an institution,” the Rule of Law Caucus asserted further, adding that attending the SONA under such circumstances would amount to tacit approval of this illegitimacy—”a position we categorically reject”.
The group said their concerns are further heightened by the recent aggression against members of the Rule of Law Caucus by law enforcement officers.
The 30 lawmakers added: “In addition, we will resist, in the court of law, any attempt to fabricate evidence against our colleagues [linking them to the Capitol Building fire incident] as a means to quell our resistance to the erosion of the rule of law.”
They however expressed commitment an impartial investigation of the matter and would continue to cooperate with the authorities during the investigations.
By boycotting the SONA, the lawmakers said, “we are sending a resolute message: we will not acknowledge the authority of a speaker who has not been legitimately elected. The matter is currently under judicial review, and any recognition of Honorable Richard N. Koon prior to a final court determination undermines both the rule of law and the democratic process.”
The lawmakers further claimed their constitutional duty to uphold the sanctity of the Legislature, stressing that participating in an event organized by an Executive that flagrantly disregards legislative independence would compromise their integrity and perpetuate the illegality.
They called on members of the Senate and other lawmakers who share their concerns to join them in this “principled stand”.
“Together, we must reject any actions that degrade our institutions, erode the rule of law, and threaten Liberia’s democracy,” the protesting lawmakers said, vowing that they remain steadfast in their commitment to justice, legislative independence, and democratic governance.
“This boycott is not an act of defiance but a firm and principled stand against actions that threaten the very foundation of our democracy,” concluded the released by Nimba County District #7 Representative Musa Hassan Bility, Chairman of Rule of Law Caucus.
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