By Gideon Nma Scott, Jr.
Please allow me to take you on tour as to how we got to what Comedian Julius described as “One House, Two Speakers, One DJ,” in one of his new online comedy series. In fact, I would like to add, “RIGHT-HAND, LEFT-HAND Speakers” since Koffa raised his right hand when he took the oath of office and Koon raised his left hand while taking the oath of office as speaker… my name o…
This may sound laughable but it is a real political drama with different scenes unfolding each day right before our eyes in real time at the Lower House of the National Legislature in Liberia. One would say, “The fight for supremacy, is a fight to the death.”
On October 17, 47 members of the House of Representatives, including 12 lawmakers of the 21 lawmakers from Koffa’s party, the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), affixed their signatures to and notarized a resolution that aimed to remove, investigate and punish their leader, the Right Honorable Cllr. Jonathan Fonati Koffa, Speaker of the 55th National Legislature, on six counts including conflict of interest, over spending of his budget as deputy speaker in the CDC government, among others.
The actual drama began when the 47 lawmakers along with their supporters made their way to the chambers of the House of Representative to present their claims to Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah, who was presiding over the House in the absence of Koffa but were bodily prevented by loyalists of speaker Koffa like Bong County District 3 lawmaker, Melvin Cole and Montserrado District 13 lawmaker Edward Papee Flomo (Color Green) who sealed the entrance of the main chamber and bad mouthed their colleagues for attempting of overthrowing their leader. Representative Flomo was captured on camara for using strong vulgar language, like we would say in Liberia “real ma curse” against his colleagues and their supporters during the altercation, something he has not denied nor apologized for doing. Well, all these political muscles flexing happened in the absence of the Speaker who had accompanied President Boakai on one of many trips abroad. Anyway, the displaced lawmakers sought refuge in the joint chamber in the main building on the Hill and began to put their acts together.
Soon, one of the original signatories to the resolution, Representative Luther Collins of Gbapolu County, informed the public through his official Facebook page that the 47 signatories including himself received US$15k each as upfront payment and would receive the balance US$10 should they succeeded in removing Koffa. This revelation against his colleague was grave, something that the media and public ran with, each providing different interpretations of the purported bribery scheme to remove the speaker. By far, it put the 47 persons in harm’s way and against the public who had rendered personal and collective judgements against them. Some of the quasi judges even suggested that they resign and avail themselves for prosecution, while other called on their various constituencies to take punishable action against. Still others called for their immediate removal from the HOR and as well described them as thieves and unfit to represent the Liberia people. Following the heavy backlash from the public, three members, including Montserrado County District 1 lawmaker and Gbapolu County District 2 representative disassociated themselves from the group, without ensuring that their names be removed from the notarized list. Still, 43 out of 73 was a good number for quorum. The group stood firm and resolute.
On the other side of the ale, 30 lawmakers, including his abled deputy, Thomas Fallah, vowed to support Fonati to the death and remained in the main chamber, but the group could not do legislative business as they did not have the numbers to constitute a quorum as their colleagues in the joint chamber of the Capitol.
Few days later, media practitioners, including myself, who believe in the working of the law, joined the public to speak to the conscience of the 43 persons to see the law as supreme mechanism in addressing constitutional issues and encouraged them to respect the law. But the group paid deaf ears to the many pleas, the comforts of their families and gang at a hotel in Paynesville to solidify their bonds.
For me, I see the removal of Koffa is illegal, unconstitutional and unfriendly. But it is one my view that I know will die on arrival (DOA) because, those guys have said that the House is a house of politics and number. Remember, Fonati benefitted from the same politics and nmber when he won Koon on a simple majority in last December. But I still blame the 47 or what number they were, for allegedly receiving bribe to unconstitutionally remove a sitting speaker, for refusing to sit under his gavel to present whatever they had against and give us the opportunity to hear his side of the story, bla, bla, bla…
Speaker Fonati Koffa and Speaker Richard Koon all of the House of Representative in Liberia
For my man, the embattled speaker, he is holding tight to the constitutionality of the issue and continue to challenge his attempted illegal removal by the majority bloc at the Supreme Court, that appears to be a toothless dog in the entire matter as it always calls on the legislator to do the “honorable thing” and return to ‘Status Quo Ante’. But the response to the ‘do the honorable thing’ and return to ‘Status Quo Ante’ plea from the court was met with a hash argument that the National Legislature is the first branch of government that coordinates with the other two branches, the judiciary and executive, in running the affairs of the state and that the Supreme Court will not interfere in its working as it would not do to any of the two branches. Moreover, they are in the majority and doing the business for which they were elected by their various constituencies, and if anybody was to do the honorable thing would be the Speaker Koffa. The ‘renegade lawmakers’ as they are being refer to by supporters and sympathizers of Fonati also informed the Supreme Court that the House is a House of politics and politics is numbers, thereby proffering another argument-the majority versus legality.
Well, this argument, which seemed more logical, was based on the constitution and the rule of Lower House basis that embattled speaker Fonati Koffa was elected by majority members of the House of Representative, they needed two-third which constitute 49 lawmakers to remove. He challenged his colleagues that if they attain the 49 votes as required by law, he would resign his post. It was also speculated that he would even resign as a lawmaker for his constituent in his native Grand Kru County. Article 49 of the 1986 constitution of Liberia states, “The House of Representatives shall elect once every six years a Speaker who shall be the presiding officer of that body, a Deputy Speaker, and such other officers as shall ensure the proper functioning of the House. The Speaker, the Deputy Speaker and other officers so elected may be removed from office for cause by resolution of a two-thirds majority of the members of the House.”
While the speaker is invoking this constitutional provision, the 43-member remained resolute that quest to remove him by the two-third as reqired by law. They decided not to sit under his leadership and threatened to make the seat of the deputy speaker vacant if Thomas Fallah did not join them. A day after the threat was issues, the deputy speaker betrayed and abandoned partisan Koffa and joined the majority bloc, making them 44, with five more left. 44 down, five to go. Koffa is left with 29 faithful colleagues on his team, which make his fight, as in the words of Clara Jones, “From frying pan to fire.
In about five sittings, Fonati could not do the work of the Liberian people due to the lack of a quorum and the reduction of one of its members added more salt to the soup. Still not deterred and being on the side of the law, Koffa still holds on. But in his truest though, he felt betrayed by fellow partisans-people who stood by him in his quest for the speakership, especially, partisan Fallah, whom he thought would have stayed with him, even if everyone else left, stabbed him to his face.
Anyway, Fonati being a man from my village still holds on and uses his appointees at the ECOWAS Parliament to seek foreign intervention. The ECOWAS team came but it appeared that its visit was another fanfare trip and the mission was another vacation with free daily substance allowance (DSA) and sight-seeing, like meeting with President of Liberia and other key national leaders.
Fast forward, on Thursday, November 21, 2024, one of Liberia greatest and most successful disc jockeys, Representative Benard Benson alias DJ Blue of District 17, a member of the CDC and Zinnah Norman of Gbapolu County joined the majority bloc and increase the volume for the Speaker to resign. At least, with the joining of DJ Blue, the majority bloc will surely be entertained with the latest musical vibe in town. His presence has pump up the volume in the Left-Hand Speaker’s House. I wonder if he wore the same US$1,500 suit, that he wore on Inauguration Day.
Beside the call from the Left-Hand Speaker’s chamber for Koffa to do the honorable thing and resign, many legislative pundits and former representatives called on Koffa to put away his personal ego and pride and resign. In his face as speaker of the 55th Legislature, President Boakai availed two of his ministers, Water and Sewer and Internal Affairs to the majority bloc, which in my mind was the group that the president had recognized as legitimate and would do business with. Few days later, the president, again, submitted the 2025 National Budget to the same body for passage, which is a clear definition of his role in the case.
Following President Boikai submission of the budget to the majority bloc, they declared the office of the speaker vacant and without delay, unanimously elected Montserrado District 11 lawmaker, Richard Koon, who was sworn in with his left hand, as second speaker of the 55th National Legislature. While they were in their side of the building electing Koon as speaker, Fonati still held on to the law and is being recognized by his bloc as the legitimate speaker. This is how we have one house, two speakers, one DJ at the National Legislature.
With all this huffing and puffing, on Saturday, November 23, 2024, the Supreme Court ordered the House of Representatives to do the honorable thing and return to Status Quo Ante, which I know is either telling Koffa to safe all his energy, bury his ego and resign or that Koon who took the oath of office with his left hand to disengage and take his followers to the main chamber and put forth his grievances for deliberation and accord Koffa due process. But just in closing, I want to say in passing that whether Koffa goes or not, or whether the House remains a “One House, 2-Speakers, 1-DJ”, I join the Supreme Court to call on the National Legislature to return to Status Quo Ante.
The thought of the son of a professional Kru woman.
