Refrain From Supporting‘Absentee Lawmakers’-Leadership of HOR Reiterates Warning to Executive Branch

MONROVIA – The clearest of signs yet that eloquently unmasks the farce of President Boakai and his Unity Party’s pretense and denial about their neutrality in the House of Representatives’ crisis just showed faced. As if it were a gallant show of support and/or a legitimization conquest, two top officials of the Executive Branch of Government walked into Capitol Building yesterday and appeared in the Joint Chambers of the Legislature being used for “unconstitutional” deliberations by lawmakers seeking the removal House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa professedly under the guise of reporting to the body on their operations. This comes as national and international stakeholders continue to stress adherence to the rule of law process in attempts by dissident lawmakers to unseat Speaker Koffa.

Apparently clear like the sky in the summer, the visit by appointed officials of President Boakai has drawn the ire of the leadership of the House of Representatives who has sent out a telling press release written extremely diplomatically. THE ANALYST reports. It seems now that the denials and debates over the neutrality of President Joseph Boakai are settling down, exposing in real time the true color of the government in the ongoing crisis rocking the House of Representatives of the 55th National Legislature.

Though pundits had questioned President Boakai’s reluctance the other day to submit the draft National Budget for 2025 to the Speaker of the House as required by the Constitution and Liberia’s long governance tradition, others baffled the move as indicating the impartiality of the President and the Executive Branch. But then came two top officials of the Unity Party administration making appearances before the group of 43 rebellious lawmakers, even in the unkempt edifice of the Joint Chambers as if to say to the dissenting lawmakers, “The Executive Branch is with you in your subversion of Speaker J. Fonati Koffa; you have our unflinching support”—something many think has clearly unveiled whatever pretense that had earlier attended the government’s approach in the crisis. The House Leadership is not taking the situation lying down, as the leadership immediately penned a few but powerfully instructive communication quoted by a press release.

The release, dated November 13, 2024, stated: “The leadership of the House has expressed deep disappointment over the presence of executive officers at a recent meeting held by absentee lawmakers.”As a coordinating branch of government, the release emphasized, “the Executive Branch must avoid actions that could be perceived as taking sides in a budding constitutional crisis, which is far more consequential than a mere schoolyard dispute.”“It is essential to act decisively in upholding our constitutional democracy and the rule of law,” the release further noted. “We continue to urge our colleagues to resolve this crisis by returning to session and following the grievance procedures as outlined in the House Rules and the Constitution of Liberia.

”The press statement also reiterates administration’s appeal to the executive branch “to refrain from providing any form of support or encouragement to actions that contravene the Constitution, as such actions could ultimately endanger the stability of our democracy. Liberia is our shared heritage and responsibility.”