By Grace Q. Bryant
Representative Nyahn G. Flomo of District 2, Nimba County, has written a communication to invite the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs to provide a comprehensive list of appointed cabinet ministers along with their counties.
Rep. Flomo said, “I also wish to remind this august body of its constitutionally enshrined oversight responsibility for ensuring good governance for the sole purpose of peace, national unity, and reconciliation,”
“I write craving the indulgence the Honorable House of Representatives to invite the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs to provide a comprehensive list of appointed cabinet ministers along with their counties of origin, to establish whether Section 10.2 of the Executive Law Captioned “Appointment of cabinet ministers from all counties” is being observed relative to the ongoing appointments of cabinet ministers in the current administration.
According to Flomo, the referenced Section 10.2 of the said Executive Law states: “As far as practicable, the President shall appoint at least one member of the Cabinet from every county of the Republic”.
He added that it is imperative that the House closely monitors the ongoing appointments of cabinet ministers in compliance with the above quoted section of the Executive Law, noting that the crafters of the above provision of the Executive Law were backed by Chapter Il of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia, captioned: “General Principles of National Policy”.
He furthered specifically that Article 5(a) of the said Chapter Il states that the Republic shall “Aim at strengthening the national integration and unity of the people of Liberia, regardless of ethnic, regional or other difference, into one body politic; and the Legislature shall enact laws promoting national unification and the encouragement of all citizens to participate in government”.
Article 5©: “Take steps by appropriate Legislation and executive orders, to eliminate sectionalism and tribalism, and Such abuses of power as the misuse of government resources, nepotism and all other corrupt practices”.
He stressed that it is pursuant to those provisions of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia and in line with the above quoted section of Executive Law that Section 59.23(d) of the House’s Rule was derived, thus giving the Committee on Good Governance and Reform the oversight government, as well as geo-political balance, in the appointment of individuals in Government.
The oversight power that the Constitution has given to the Body, if and when accordingly, and appropriately exercised, will go a long way in ensuring that the people enjoy the beauty of democracy as a government by the people (instituted by them), of the people (their right to participation in government), and for the people (government’s duty to work for them).
It can be recalled that on February 27, the President of Liberia commissioned Cabinet Ministers and Advisors.
