MONROVIA – Conversations amongst supporters and partisans of House Speaker Jonathan Fonati Koffa, even within rival political groups and ordinary citizens, have been heating up in recent days about alleged attempts by some of his colleagues to oust him from the prestigious position. Anonymous sources even hinted that a meeting of his CDC party’s legislative caucus was pending this week to consider dissensions and bad blood amongst members regarding accusations that some were behind the ouster. But in an interview with a journalist, the House Speaker said there was no such thing as individuals organizing or speaking loudly in the House about a plot against him, except for some folks “throwing talks” in the corridors of the House, perhaps out of personal grievances—something he says does not amount to decisive, planned and serious attempt to get at him. The Analyst reports.
Contrary to widespread rumors that some members of the House of Representatives in the 55th Legislature were opting to dethrone Speaker Jonathan Fonati Koffa from office, the Speaker said he doubts such reports.
Though the rumors have so far generated fiery words and emotions from some Liberians, particularly from the Speaker’s Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) supporters who think the governing Unity Party was out to over-assert itself and take siege of the country, the Speaker has calmed the tension in an interview that has been flooding the social media. In that interview, he is heard saying the reports or rumors about ejection were not credible.
He said while the Capitol Building is a highly politically charged environment, rumors about his removal were far from the truth.
Koffa said there are always agitations and political filibustering, at time intimidating words by one lawmaker or another on issues, such as government’s failure to deliver on the budget requirements for things like vehicles and gas and other things, but such legislative gymnastics cannot be equated to rebellion against his leadership.
“When people get upset, they tend to make any statement they want to make. Anyone who follows the Legislature will know this,” he said. “There is no credible, serious attempt to change the leadership or to destabilize this building. It’s simply not credible.”
The Speaker said he was sure and positive about that no plot was in the making against him.
“If I was not sure about it, I will be there in the fields fighting battles; we couldn’t have conducted a session peacefully today,” he continued. “We conducted a session that probably had one of the highest members of attendance since we came into office. We had nearly 70 members showing up yesterday after these rumors. There was no disruption of our proceedings; there was nobody to say ‘we came because we want to move you.’”
He told his interviewer: “If you follow the session yesterday, it was conducted in the form and manner with the House’s 73 persons, we had everybody quiet and orderly, as there was no attempt, there was no way, there was no need, there was no means that anyone would try anything funny. These rumors are in fact false.”
To further back his perception on the plot issue, Speaker Koffa said “Even the deputy speaker who was accused of seeking my job and is considered the chief plotter came up to say the information is not true.”
The House Speaker however divulged that there is a figment of imagination on the part of some lawmakers who want to see the house of legislature destabilized for political purposes but he was quick to add that “the 55th Legislature is smarter than that”.
He said there are lawmakers who are independent, who he thinks would not be swayed by anyone.
He spoke of legislative gymnastics: “Some colleagues may get vex or envious and say, ‘oh, we will move that speaker. Of course, some will say that, but when they say that it does not mean they have operational agenda. No!”
According to him, sometimes some lawmakers get disgruntled and go to the press to ponder how they will move the speaker, “and you press people run with it and people take it seriously.
“But when they tell me, I just laugh, then they say to me that I should not take such things seriously. The day someone or some group is ready to move me, and I know it’s a serious thing, I will call you to tell you that ‘oh, my men are coming to move me’. But until that time, don’t believe anything as being credible.”
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