The Best & Worst Lawmakers on Capitol Hill -The Analyst’s Perspective on the OK FM Opinion Poll

MONROVIA – Opinion polls often help national leaders to know how the people feel about the work they do, as well as the policies they craft to improve the lives of their constituents. With the electronic media being the biggest platform for mass communication, Liberians have been acclimatized to participating in most end-of-the-year performance rating talk shows to provide their candid feedback on the working of their national leaders, whether elected or appointed. In this special report, The Analyst provides its own perspective on this year’s most controversial opinion poll conducted by OK FM Radio Station on Tuesday, December 24, 2024, which is an eyeopener into how the Liberian public perception of their national leaders’ performance is being gauged mainly through the lens of the unfolding political events on Capitol Hill which are having a wide-ranging ripple effect on the nation’s bread-and-butter issues.

Citizens Perception vs Legislators – Best and Worst Performing Representatives

The Liberian Legislature, comprising 73 representatives and 30 senators, remains the hotbed of a leadership crisis emanating from the House of Representatives and spreading over into the Senate. With the House now fielding two Speakers for the first time in the history of Africa’s oldest republic, the public appears frustratingly angry over the ruckus that has left the Capitol Building burnt and the House membership completely fragmented. Compounding the crisis is the perception of the Executive and the Senate now opening siding with the Majority Bloc, all of which might be affecting public perception on how individual representatives and senators performed their fiduciary duties for the Year 2024.

For someone who is facing the toughest political battle of his career, it would seem astounding that Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa would to be chosen as the Best Representative of The Year 2024 on the OK FM Radio Talk Show polls which saw 9 out of the 25 persons voting for the embattled House Speaker. Koffa’s insistence that the Majority Bloc follows the rule of law to remove him constitutionally has obviously endeared him to the public.

On the other hand, Speaker Koffa’s nemesis, House Majority Bloc Speaker Richard Koon, was voted as The Worst Representative for the Year 2024 as he garnered 11 out of 24 votes for that ignoble distinction.

Interestingly, other lawmakers who came out with shining stars as The Worst Representatives of the Year 2024 include Representative Samuel Kogar, leader of the Majority Bloc (four votes); Deputy House Speaker Thomas Fallah (three votes). Montserrado County District #10 lawmaker Representative Yekeh Korlubah also received two votes, while representatives Foday Fahnbulleh, Zinnah Norman, Dixon Seboe and Moima Briggs Mensah each received one vote. 

Citizens Perception vs Legislators – Best and Worst Performing Senators

As for the Senate, most callers who broke through the long queue of calls voted Margibi Senator Nathaniel Fallo McGill the Best Senator of the Year 2024 with six votes, while Senators Edwin Snowe, Augustine Chea, and Darius Dillon followed with four votes each.

On the other hand, Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon was overwhelmingly voted by 12 out of 21 persons as the Worst Senator of the Year 2024. Senator Prince Moye of Bong County came close to Dillon as the worst performing senator with three votes.

While the public’s perception on the best and worst performance of their senators has been generating a lot of controversies; with many critics vociferously angry over the votes that made Senator McGill the Best Senator of the Year 2024, and Dillon the Worst Senator of the Year 2024, an analysis into the deteriorating political events up Capitol Hill could provide a hindsight into how the public voted.

Senator Abraham Darius Dillon came to political prominence because of his strong advocacies against the rot within the National Legislature. As a freshman senator when he won the Montserrado County byelection in 2019, Dillon drew the wrath of his colleagues by openly campaigning to have salaries of lawmakers reduced. He had even vowed that if he won, he wouldn’t be riding the expensive jeeps that are customarily procured for lawmakers. His proactive stance against government waste and corruption would earn him “The Light” of the National Legislature moniker.

But in recent years, the public’s high esteem of their beloved senator started to wane, amid a series of controversies that attended his performance, especially the issue where he lied about riding economy class on a flight when he had upgraded his ticket to business class. Amid the current House leadership crisis, Senator Dillon’s name has been heard in many corridors about his role in surreptitiously mediating a graceful resignation for embattled Speaker Koffa, an offer that Cllr. Koffa has reportedly refused.

Dillon Responds with Humility

For those who would have expected the tough-talking Montserrado County senator to flare up over his selection as Liberia’s worst senator for 2024, Dillon’s response was humbly soul-searching.

“So, callers on OK FM (99.5) “Afternoon Conversation” show yesterday voted my Colleague Nat McGill of Margibi County as “Best Senator of the Year (2024), and me as “Worst Senator of the Year (2024)! Whatever informed their opinions, I acknowledge and embrace in good strides to do better going forward! Constructive critique and self-evaluation – good for the soul,” Senator Dillon remarked.

How Could a Sanctioned McGill Top “The Light”?

That is the question that has left many wondering how someone who is still fresh in the National Legislature and haunted by the US-imposed Magnitsky Sanctions could come out as the best performing senator for 2024 over his colleague whose rise to political fame became a nightmare for the past George Weah regime? Well, the answer could be found right on Capitol Hill, beginning with the unsettling leadership crisis.

It is no secret that Senator McGill has been actively involved with addressing the contending crisis on Capitol Hill by pulling his weight for the rule of law which Koffa and his estranged bloc of Minority lawmakers espouse. McGill has openly criticized what he terms as attempts by the Executive Branch to stage a coup on Capitol Hill, and the apparent miscarriage of justice for his fellow senators to accept the legal opinion of Justice Minister Oswald Tweh as law and gospel against the December 7, 2024 Supreme Court ruling.

Addressing a news conference recently, McGill criticized the administration of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai for what he described as its failure to adequately manage the House crisis. “The Executive’s decision is a coup, and the opinion has no serious basis,” McGill asserted. He further noted that the Senate’s majority decision does not align with what he believes to be the proper interpretation of the law.

“This is a recipe for chaos. Our colleagues are saying we should follow the decision despite several violations of our laws,” McGill said, noting, “history will judge Cllr. Tweh for reducing his constitutional authority to serve the interests of the presidency, rather than the Liberian people”.

Public Reactions

Since coming up with their opinion poll, OK FM has generated tons of mixed reviews, with former Assistant Information Minister Matthew Nyanplu leading the charge aboard the criticism circuit.

Mr. Nyanplu states in his own opinion that the “Government Official of the Year” radio talk show opinion polls could be skewed and biased towards the ultimate outcomes, using his media background as a case study.

“We talk show hosts are not always fair to the listening audience and the calling public. Those who you hear on air are most likely those who know us personally and have our personal phone numbers. Because the numbers announced to the public are generally jammed given the high number of calls at one time, a public caller using the general line is less likely to get through and be heard on air. Their chance is generally put at 20%. So those who have our numbers do not take that stress, they call the talk show host directly and they are put through to the airwaves; the public callers who are representative of the general public sentiments get through about 20% of the time. The chance to be heard on air increases with your relationship with or knowledge of the host.

“So, if that is the case, a government official could arrange a talk show opinion poll with a talk show host. To skew the data and bias the results in their favor, only those who want to vote such officials as “person of the year” will get through to the airwaves, using the host’s direct phone lines. The public views will be suppressed by “I know the host” privilege.

“So Mo Ali, or Augustine Ngafuan (current OK FM afternoon conversation officials of the year) could arrange a radio talk show opinion poll with the host and their select callers who know the host, or the host’s numbers are shared with them, calling the show through the host’s phone lines and vote them overwhelmingly as “Government official of the year.” This is the skewness and bias effect.

“This is why the talk-show opinion poll is not a credible representation of public sentiments and those who are hailing the results may have staged it. Our people should not be misled in such a way, nor should a positive rating be imposed on them by talk show opinion poll tyranny. If people are interested in their public opinion rating, they should commission a representative opinion survey, not talk show caller opinion polls that are already biased by the host’s and the officials’ interest,” Nyanplu stated recently in a rebuttal to the OK FM opinion poll results which also listed Finance Minister Augustine Ngafuahn as Best Minister of the Year 2024, and Mo Ali as Best Managing Director of the Year.

Meanwhile, for that same poll result, Public Works Minister Roland Giddings won the Worst Minister of the Year 2024 accolade, while the Managing Director of the National Port Authority Sekou Dukuly earned the unenviable distinction of Worst Managing Director of the Year.

Responding to his selection, Finance Minister Augustine Ngafuahn effusively stated: “The host of OK FM/OK TV Afternoon Conversation, Mr. Julius Jeh, informed me earlier today that I was voted MINISTER OF THE YEAR by callers who participated in live poll conducted during yesterday’s, (December 24, 2024) edition of the program.

“I bow in humble appreciation and gratitude for my selection by the majority of the callers. I consider the trust in me, despite my “perfect imperfections”, an unequivocal charge to work harder in the interest of our dear Motherland.  Merry Christmas to all Liberians and friends of Liberia.”

But Liberia’s former Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization, Atty. Isaac W. Jackson, Jr. took serious exception to Minister Ngafuahn’s humble acceptance of the distinction bestowed on him by the Liberian public.

“Ngafuan is coming across as an aggrandizer – desperately seeking accolades. I can’t fathom why a Minister who wants to be taken seriously would take time off to write a ridiculous post acknowledging a group of sponsored callers, ie, brainless Unity Party’s brigade members, naming him as Minister of the Year. It’s palpable nonsense that having the brainless brigade members of the Unity Party to call on OK FM, Ngafuan would shamelessly celebrate being selected as Minister of the Year by the group of sponsored callers. Why is Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan desperate to outshine others?  He has been at the Ministry barely a year. Is it not mind-boggling that the Minister of Finance remains unmolested by the fact that he presides over a National Budget that does not meet minimum standards of transparency? The budget was not thoroughly or openly debated?” Atty. Jackson fumed in his recent rebuttal on social media.

Other responses

Even up to press time, the internet is still abuzz with how people are reacting to the radio talk show’s best and worst performing public officials.

“Darius Dillon deserves the worst senator of the year. The dude is a scam!” yells Brazilian Kay.

“McGill dat Senator of the Year, country is not correct,” lamented Nessie Golakai-Gould.

“What makes sanctioned McGill the best senator? Anyway Cdcians voted their own. This country has lots of interesting folks,” Terry Martin exploded.

“Worst Senator of the Year da who? Chay… The Light na burst?” Moriah Yeakula-Korkpor jested.

But according to James T Tarplah, people have the right to their opinion and votes. “Let no man lash at these people who voted. If we are against their votes especially for those in the worst categories, I advise that we listen to OK FM next time and be able to call and give our opinions too. While I don’t agree with some voters, I believe they are entitled to their opinion. I also believe those who won best in their categories deserve it except for McGill.”

The OK FM Talk Show opinion poll is a regular fixture for several years on the “OK Conversation” on OK FM 99.5 targeting different sectors of government for the best and worst performers.

“We got calls on our two local numbers, international calls from the US, UK and France, and we also read the comments on our Facebook live feed. Not all callers and commenters voted in all the categories. The results are contained in the screenshot as recorded by our producer,” host Julius Jeh said.