MONROVIA – Though the Unity Party administration has clearly unveiled its lack of neutrality in the political melee taking place at the Legislature over Speakership, including its Justice Minister’s misinterpretation of High Court’s opinion in the matter, many have still attempted to mask their position with pretentious overtures. But as the Liberian maxim goes, when you don’t know how someone had taken a bath, you can take cue from how it happened by the way greases his skin. This is how embattled Speaker J. Fonati Koff appears to be catching righthanded those who are his sworn adversary and are disguising in neutral robes. By Vice President Jeremiah Koung’s “twisted lies and distortions” of what was said and done at the recent meeting at President Joseph Boakai’s Rehab resident, that Koffa had offered to resign upon certain conditions, the Speaker thinks Koung has unveiled himself the chief mastermind of the rebellion on Capitol Hill. But what exactly did Koung say that has provoked the ire of the Speaker? The Analyst reports.
The battle for the coveted House Speaker position at the National Legislature is taking interesting twists and turns by the day, as rumors continue to circulate within the public sphere about a meeting that recently took place at the residence of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai where embattled House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa was reportedly asked to resign.
In an attempt to provide clarity about the Rehab meeting, Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung was called upon telephone on the Spoon Live Talk show over the weekend where, among other things, he disclosed that Speaker Koffa had recently sent word to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai through Senate Pro Tempore Nyonblee Kargar-Lawrence to negotiate for his dignified exit.
But reacting in a blistering social media post early Sunday morning, Speaker Koffa has termed Vice President Koung’s assertions as twisted lies and distortions regarding what was actually discussed at that meeting at President Boakai’s residence.
What Did VP Koung Say?
On the Spoon Talk Live Show last Saturday evening by telephone, Vice President Koung narrated how President Boakai had invited him to his Rehab Community residence for a meeting with emissaries from embattled Speaker Koffa to discuss issues relating to the ongoing legislative crisis.
“What I know is that I was called by the President to be at his house by 1:00pm because there was a meeting,” Vice President Koung disclosed to the Spoon Talk Live panelists and the thousands of viewers glued to the show.
He further narrated that the Minister of State, the Minister of Justice and other prominent government officials were in that meeting, and that the President asked the Pro Tempore to explain her mission.
“The Pro Tempore said Fonati asked us to see how we can work to give him a dignified exit. That was the way they put it,” VP Koung said, noting that President Boakai then asked him to go and meet with the parties involved, which also included the leadership of the majority bloc.
According to Koung, Fonati through his emissaries had made three requests as a precondition to soft land his exit.
Koffa’s first request was for the majority bloc to lift the suspension placed on the pro-Koffa legislators, the VP further said.
Another request, according to him, involved reinstatement of the legislators to their respective committees, and lastly, that he, Koffa, should preside over session and turn the gavel over to Koon.
“That was his request. Those requests were presented to Kogar and Richard Koon. They accepted two: that they will lift the suspension; and they will put the people with Fonati on committees. But they could not agree for Fonati to preside because they had removed Fonati already,” VP Koung told his Spoon Talk panelists and audience, noting that It was at that juncture that they sent for Speaker Koffa.
“Fonati came with Musa Bility. Fonati was told that two of his requests were accepted but one wasn’t accepted. But he said the last request is the main one. ‘If I cannot preside then it means we cannot have a bargain among ourselves. I have to preside,’” Vice President Koung quoted Speaker Koffa to have said at that meeting which reportedly ended in deadlock.
Speaker Koffa Reacts
In minutes of Koung assertions regarding the Rehab meeting, Speaker Koffa fired, reacting immediately, saying at no time did he discuss anything with anyone about his “dignified exit”, stating in unequivocal terms that VP Koung’s disclosures are ‘lies, twisted lies and distortions’.
Resorting to his social media page, Koffa said: “I listened to the distorted and inaccurate comments made by Vice President Koung on Spoon TV a few minutes ago. At no time did I negotiate with the Vice President nor the President to resign.”
The Speaker continued: “My position is, and has always been, let’s return to legislative normalcy by 1) removing the illegal suspensions 2) restoring the rightful committee heads 3) returning to chambers and discussing all matters including their complaints in session.,” embattled Speaker Koffa caustically retorted in an early Sunday morning post on his social media platform.”
According to Speaker Koffa, Vice President Koung in that meeting had asked for a white ballot for Richard Koon, passage of the budget, and discussion of committee after a new speaker.
“I rejected all that,” he said boldly. “We came to no agreement, and the next day, the Minister of Justice gave his opinion on the court ruling, which was written for him.”
Koffa said the Vice President’s inappropriate comments on a radio talk show exposed him as the principal mastermind of the rebellion against him.
He said: “But the most telling thing is that the Vice President’s appearance and inappropriate comments on a radio talk show exposed his hand as the principal mastermind of the whole unconstitutional saga. I remain firm on the side of the law. The executive can continue to ignore the rule of law, but I will not waver. Thanks.”
Bility’s take on the fateful meeting
Nimba County District #7 Representative Musa Hassan Bility is seen as the closest ally to the embattled Speaker among the entire pro-Koffa legislators. Appearing on the Spoon Live Talk show, Bility made some startling revelations about the meeting.
“In that meeting, nobody asked the Speaker to resign. I want to be clear. We went to that meeting, and they asked us: we have an impasse in this country. Mr. Speaker, what is the solution that you have, so that we move from this impasse? The speaker and his team offered a solution, and we thought that was the solution. Once they realized that we had a position that we were not going to budge on, the next day they had the Minister of Justice authorizing the Executive to do business with the majority group.”
Bility also said during the talk show: “They changed their position. I think the meeting was a setup. They just wanted to know what we were thinking, and they had a nuclear option. Once they left us that day, knowing fully well the Speaker’s position will not change, they decided to deploy the nuclear option, which is to go ahead and recognize the other body and then told the Executive to do business with it because that was the only way they could have executed the budget hearing and everything that they are doing right now.
“That meeting that we had, the Executive was dishonest. They had their plan A and B under their sleeves. What they wanted in that meeting was that Fonati should resign and at the same time, Richard Koon should be presumed to have already become the Speaker. That’s what they wanted.
“When the meeting failed in the night, I got a call from Koffa in the morning that he either met the president or had a phone conversation with the president. He did not tell me the details of that meeting, but he confirmed to me that the president asked him to resign.
“It is the Executive that is causing all the confusion. Because if they believed that Koffa was removed legally, then they were not going to call that meeting. And if they believed that the Supreme Court ruled that the majority bloc sitting was legal and everything they say was legal, they wouldn’t have called Koffa for a meeting; because once the Supreme Court decides that this is it, and what they did was in proper order, then the government, the Minister of Justice and the entire government could never have called Koffa to say let’s find a way out,” Bility stated matter-of-factly.
But besides Koungs foolish behavior, disgusting lies, and criminal mentality further exposed, there is nothing new here. For the peakers position with whether the bastard called Boakai or those two uneducated empty heads … ritualistic killers Koung and Nyonblee Karngar, or whoever, remains the same …return to the status quo and the rule of law.
THE NEXT THING IS THAT BOAKAI SHOULD STEP DOWN OR BE DRIVEN FROM POWER OR OVERTHROWN AND REPLACED BY AN INTERIM GOVERNMENT COMPRISING NEUTRALS WHO ARE DECENT MINDED PEOPLE !
But besides Koung’s foolish behavior, disgusting lies, and criminal mentality further exposed, there is nothing new here. For the Speaker’s position with whether the bastard called Boakai or those two uneducated empty heads … ritualistic killers Koung and Nyonblee Karngar, or whoever, remains the same …return to the status quo and the rule of law.
THE NEXT THING IS THAT BOAKAI SHOULD STEP DOWN OR BE DRIVEN FROM POWER OR OVERTHROWN AND REPLACED BY AN INTERIM GOVERNMENT COMPRISING NEUTRALS WHO ARE DECENT MINDED PEOPLE !
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