By Gideon Nma Scott, Jr.
et tu, Brute? (pronounced [?t ‘tu? ‘bru?t?]) is a Latin phrase literally meaning “and you, Brutus?” or “also you, Brutus?”, often translated as “You as well, Brutus?”, “You too, Brutus?”, or “Even you, Brutus?”. The quote appears in Act 3 Scene 1 of William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, where it is spoken by the Roman dictator Julius Caesar, at the moment of his assassination, to his friend Marcus Junius Brutus, upon recognizing him as one of the assassins. The phrase is often used apart from the plays to signify an unexpected betrayal by a friend or closed ally.
There is no evidence that the historical Caesar spoke these words, but it is believed that they are his last words before he fell. But the Roman historian Suetonius, a century and a half after the incident, claims Caesar said nothing as he died, but that others reported as Caesar’s last words were the Greek phrase Kaì sý, téknon (?a? s?, t?????), which means “You too, child” or “You too, young man” to Brutus.
On March 15 (the Ides of March), 44 BC, the historic Caesar was attacked by a group of senators, including Brutus, who was Caesar’s friend and protégé. Caesar initially resisted his attackers, but when he saw Brutus, he reportedly responded as he died. Suetonius mentions the quote merely as a rumor, as does Plutarch who also reports that Caesar said nothing, but merely pulled his toga over his head when he saw Brutus among the conspirators.
If brought home, these could be the direct quotation from the embattled Speaker of the 55th Legislature, Fonati Koffa when, unlike Caesar who was stabbed in the back by his friend, he saw his trusted friend and deputy, a partisan who has been in the political struggle with him for nearly 10 years, stabbed him in the face.
In early September of this year, group of representatives signed and notarized a petition for the removal of Hon. Cllr. Jonathan Fonati Koffa for several reasons including conflict of interest, mismanagement, and procedural violations among others.
However, Koffa has dismissed these accusations as unsubstantiated, noting a lack of factual basis in the resolution. He has suggested that the motivation behind the ouster may be linked to his decision to commission an audit of the House of Representatives, which could uncover irregularities involving key figures, potentially impacting the political landscape in Liberia.
The 47 representatives include 11 of the 21 lawmakers from the congress for Democratic Change (CDC) who unanimously voted for Koffa over his rival Richard Koon of the ruling Unity Party in a tight race for the Speakership.
But interestingly, while President Boakai is enjoying the confidence of a Speaker from the opposition camp, majority of his colleagues, from both the ruling party and opposition camps, casted a vote of no confidence in the Speaker, while he was away with the president.
Soon, one of the signatories, Gbapolu District 3 representative Luther Collins, revealed through a Facebook post that they (the 47 persons) received US$15k out of US$25k each to remove the Koffa as Speaker before receiving the balance US$10k. He displaced some American money and their signatures on a sheet as evidence for his claims and challenged his colleagues to deny receiving the amount. He charged that US$200 was given as signature fees for the amount and in total they received US$14,800 in cash.
This revelation subjected the 47 lawmakers to the court of public opinion with fingers pointing to President Boakai and his Unity Party for wanting to unseat a legit Speaker. Many citizens who weighed in on the issues expressed dismay in an eight-month-old government that promised to rescue to people and country from bad governance and economic hardship, but is championing the cause for disunity among the people.
On October 17, 2024 former President Weah joined thousands of Liberians to accuse the Unity Party-led government under President Joseph Boakai of making concerted and criminal efforts to undermine the democratic and constitutional institutions by using ill-gotten funds from the National Coffers to influence the unjust removal of Speaker of the House, Honorbale J. Fonati Koffa.
He described that ‘scheme’ as a blatant act of political chicanery that do not only threatens the integrity of constitutional legislative process but also sets a dangerous precedence for governance in our beloved nation.
he said, “I want to make it unequivocally clear; such actions will not be tolerated. The attempt to manipulate the legislative branch for partisan gain is a direct affront to the principles of democracy and the will of the people,” noting that Koffa has served with dedication and integrity, and any effort to remove him illegally under the guise of political expediency is a desperate and cowardly tactic that must be condemned by all who value the rule of law, and warned members of the CDC legislative caucus to stand firmly against this insidious plot and should not allow themselves to be swayed by pecuniary gains and the siren song of those who seek to destabilize the governance process for their own selfish interests.
“We must remain steadfast in our commitment to democratic principles and the right of the people to choose their leaders without interference. Let us slso remain vigilant and united in our resolve to protect our national institutions and defend the integrity of our democracy,” Weah stressed.
Following Weah’s speech, the original 47 signatures soon dropped to 43 with Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah still hanging on with his boss and co-partisan in the fight, which gave hope to many persons that with the two speakers on a team, they would have used their legislative connections and influences to pull their colleagues over, especially those from the CDC.
But as Caesar said when he realized this his protégé, Marcus Junius Brutus, was one those senators who betrayed him, I believe that Koffa said these same words to his trusted friend Thomas Fallah-“You too Fallah” when he, Fallah joined the majority bloc to make them 44, with only five persons left to constitute the two/third vote to remove the speaker.
Though it was a shock to many persons who never thought that Fallah could have betray his party-not the least Koffa, whom he fought to bring to power as Speaker of the House of Representatives, he joined the majority bloc and presided over their parallel session on Thursday, October 31, 2024 where he clarified that his decision to align with his colleagues criticizing Speaker Koffa was not a betrayal of his loyalty to the CDC or Koffa, but a commitment to ensuring the House’s effective operation.
“My decision to join the call for resolving this deadlock is not a repudiation of my support for Speaker Koffa or the CDC,” Fallah noted, “Instead, it is a demonstration of my unwavering commitment to our democracy, which must transcend any one individual or faction.”
He disclosed that he made a lot of consultation before arriving at said decision. “In my 19 years with the CDC, I have never betrayed my party, and I do not intend to do so now.”
He emphasized that his support for resolving the deadlock was rooted in upholding democratic principles above individual interests, after consulting widely on the matter. Fallah stated that he did not instigate the campaign against Speaker Koffa but felt obliged to address the concerns raised by his colleagues based on his responsibilities outlined in the House’s Rules and Procedures and the Liberian Constitution.
“It is not a choice against my party or the Speaker, whom I continue to respect and support. I cannot ignore my responsibility to act when the legislative body is at a standstill, and the functioning of the national government is at risk,” he asserted, while expressing his respect and support for the party and the Speaker. He emphasized that it is his duty to act when government functionality is at stake.
Their rig-ma-roe has brought legislative works for which they were elected to a stand-still as the Koffa which is the legitimate group does not constitute a quorum to do legislative business whereas the now 44 including Deputy Speaker Fallah is not legitimate to do legislative business. This is evidence that the Executive was forced to postpone the submission of the 2025 fiscal budget to the House of Representatives for passage.
Many Liberians on the fence, including myself thought that Fallah would have stay with Koffa, now that he is needed than ever, to pressure or persuade their colleagues to forgo their plan in the interest of the Liberian people who have not found any fault with Speaker Koffa.
I personally see Fallah’s alignment with the majority bloc not as a betrayal of trust and confidence to the former ruling CDC, but a signal to President Joseph Boakai that these lawmakers are desperate and could target him or anyone in government.
*The Thought of the son of a professional Kru woman
