By Bill W. Cooper
The 19th Street Parliament, a non-for-profit organization, has inducted into office a new breed of leadership to steer the affairs of the organization for the next two years.
Those inducted into office are Valerie Jones-Pelham, Speaker; Siatta Scott Johnson, Deputy Speaker for Administration; Felecia Jagbe, Deputy Speaker for Operation, and Elsi Lawrence Oniyama, Treasurer.
Others are Alphonso Belleh, Secretary General; Jowel Ama Hansford, Deputy Secretary, and Bill Diggs, Chaplain.
Delivering her inaugural address during the organization’s 4th Inauguration in Monrovia, Speaker Jones-Pelham vowed to foster the culture of reconciliation and collaboration amongst her colleagues.
She said, “Today is the day of reassurance to all parliamentarians that our promise of peaceful coexistence shall be a reality; and the fun we want as we serve our communities will be a reality, just as our deliverables on community services, welfare of fellow parliamentarians, and our usual gathering.”
According to her, it has been long since they last had functions at members’ houses, emphasizing that those days are back, urging all members to be prepared to join in and make their presence felt.
She maintained, “So, under my stewardship, we want to cultivate a spirit of reconciliation; but we will not sacrifice the continuous existence of Parliament for those who would not want to be with us.”
“In the spirit of unity, we will go back to the books and open our arms to those who were here and are ready to return. This is a great group of unique professionals and we want to keep it going in the interest of our country,” Speaker Jones-Pelham asserted.
The Parliament Speaker, at the same time, pleaded with the body to welcome back home past members, ranging from Madell Marfar, Eugene Nagbe, to Senator Abraham Darrius Dillon and Raphael Sonkalay.
She added, “As I earlier said, the doors are wide open for reconciliation. Come let us work together, as we have so much to restore and so much to add on for our common good.”
Earlier serving as the guest speaker, Cllr. Neto Z. Leigh congratulated the newly inducted officials in their election victory, with a call to serve with distinction, integrity, honesty, and commitment, for the betterment of Parliament.
He also called on the team to focus on dialogue and mutual respect, aims at creating an environment that welcomes healthy debate, while ensuring that all members of the Parliament have an equal voice in decision-making processes of the organization.
Cllr. Leigh also stressed the need for the new speaker and team to foster increased communication and cooperation between parliamentarians, establishing regular engagement and programs that will not only benefit parliamentarians, but the community as well.
