By Bill W. Cooper
The House of Representatives was a scene of drama as a result of an intense argument between Maryland County Representatives Isaac Roland and Montserrado County Dixon Seboe.
Accordingly, the drama between the two CDC lawmakers all started when Rep. Roland blasted his colleagues for rejecting the retirement and pension schemes bill submitted by the Liberian Senate for concurrence, a statement that agitated his colleagues.
Rep. Roland, in a more aggressive tune, described his colleagues as un-legislative stressed that said decision by that august is also a gross disrespect to their colleagues in the Liberian Senate in which the bill emanated from.
He added that before a bill for concurrence can be rejected in line with legislative best practice, said bill should firstly be sent to committee room for scrutiny of the committee members will then make report to full plenary which is the highest decision is making body for action.
“We proceeded wrongly and out of order for rejecting that bill. We are lawmakers and it is incumbent upon us to do the right thing and our recent decision is a gross disrespect to our colleagues from the Liberian Senate,” he maintained.
Making his argument in open session following a communication from the Liberian Senate for the withdrawal of the retirement and pension schemes bill, Rep. Sebo constantly disrupted Rep. Roland saying, “Stop lying to the people and defending the wrong for your selfish benefits and interest.”
But Rep. in his response said, “We mislead the Liberian people and fail to the right by our decision because election is near and want to buy sentiments from the voting population and this is bad for this legislature.”
“Like I said and will always say, there was a need for us to send the bill to committee room and scrutinize it properly before making any decision but your chose to do the wrong and disgrace the Senators as means of campaigning and buying sentiments from Liberian people,” he stressed.
But Rep. Sebo then became emotional and also accused his colleagues of stealing a church he is pastoring offering, saying “You will not get nothing as pension and retirement benefits. Nobody tell you mismanaged and steal your church money.”
As the tension intensifies, Montserrado County District 8 Rep. Moses Acarous Gray serving as presiding officer further instructed the Sergeant-at-Arms to escort the Maryland County lawmaker out of the chamber as means of calming down the situation.
Rep. Gray at the same time further clarified that the decision by them to reject the Liberian Senate retirement and pension schemes bill was in the right direction and in the interest of country and its citizenry contrary to Rep. Roland clams.
“Let emphatically state for the record that our decision was never to disrespect our colleagues from the Senate or anybody but was to save and protect the image and interest of the country and the people we represent,” he stressed.
Recently, embers of the House of Representatives have unanimously voted reject upon arrival a New Retirement and Pension Benefits schemes submitted by the Liberian Senate for concurrence.
The lawmakers through a motion from Representative Clarence Massaquoi during yesterday’s sitting described the Bill as ‘Unjust and Wicked’ and only intended to exploit the already struggling massive.
Rep. Massaquoi in his motion said, “I move that this Bill transmitted to us by the Liberian Senate discussing pension scheme be rejected and return to the Liberian Senate as of now and that rejection indicate to the Liberian people that we as a House of Representatives do not support such Bill.”
It can be recalled that the Liberian Senate adopted and voted to pass into law an integrated pension and benefits scheme which will ensure that top officials of the three branches of government immediately receive 50 percent of their benefits when they are no longer in powers.
The Senate’s engrossed Bill tilled, “An Act adopting an integrated Pension and Benefits Scheme for certain categories of officials of the government of the Republic of Liberia and to repeal and or amend certain portions of title 26, Legislative Act, Title 12, Executive Law and Title 17, Judiciary (1972) and the 2003 act which amends these laws.
