By Bill W. Cooper
The continuous protest by staffers of the Liberian Senate regarding their extra sitting fees and other benefits is affecting that august body’s extension by President George Weah.
The request for extension which is believed to cover confirmation hearings of presidential nominees as well as the passage of other laws from the President’s desk suffered serious setback upon the appointment of Frank Musa Dean to the Supreme Court bench and Samora Wolokollie as Commissioner General of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA).
With less than two days to the close of the 54th Legislature, the agitating staffers vowed that, if not addressed, there will be no legislative session and have even expanded their actions to prohibiting vehicles from entering the premises of the Legislature.
The situation, according to our legislative reporter, has since created uncertainty and doubt, triggering a significant delay in the confirmation process, thus leaving the fate of these ministerial appointments hanging in the balance.
The Senate staffers began their protestation on Thursday, January 4, 2023, on the grounds of the Legislature, causing a blockade that prevented lawmakers, precisely Senators, from performing legislative functions.
The fees are the entitlement of the staffers, some of whom have no chance of returning due to the election defeat of their bosses, including those from the central administration, who also fear that any delay by their bosses to pay them before January 10, 2024, they might not get it all.
They argued that their dedicated efforts deserve proper compensation, especially so that information has it that House Speaker, Bhofal Chambers, has promised to pay the staff of the House of Representatives two months’ benefits for their extra sitting.
Our legislative reporter added that the protestations paralyzed the Senate’s operations, lasting through Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday affecting the confirmation hearings for Ministers Dean and Wolokollie, which were scheduled to take place on Thursday.
The Chairman of Staffers Association, Charles Brown, said, “We are protesting for our benefits for the extra sitting because we are not sure that lawmakers will commit to paying us after the expiration of their sitting on January 10 and until our concerns are addressed, there will be no legislative activities, including confirmation.”
It can be recalled that in December of 2023, the outgoing President recalled the Legislature from their constituency break, in-line with Article 32 of the Constitution, to conduct confirmation hearings for both Cllr. Dean and Wolokollie, coupled with acting on other legislations of urgency.
Article 32 of the Liberian Constitution gives the President the right to recall the legislature from break to perform certain legislative functions, as well as also provides that certain benefits shall be allocated for each lawmaker for the special sitting.
Following the issuance of the Proclamation, the President, in the same month and year, nominated Justice Minister, Cllr. Frank Musa Dean, as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia to replace Associate Justice Joseph Nagbe, following his ‘controversial’ resignation due to period of illness.
In that same vein, the President on Tuesday, announced the nomination of Wolokollie to replace Thomas Doe Nah, who died a few days ago.
Also, he nominated one Alieu Massaquoi as Ambassador-designate to Saudi Arabia, with these three last-minute 4G nominations pending confirmation by the Liberian Senate.
The President, in his communication to the Senate, expressed his confidence in both Ministers Dean and Wolokollie, as well as Massaquoi’s abilities to contribute meaningfully to the promotion of peace, reconciliation, and the overall development of the country.
However, Ministers Dean and Wolokollie’s nominations by the President have since been met with mixed reactions from the public, with some Liberians against and others in favor.
Many view Minister Dean’s nomination as a means of protection, a “spy” for President Weah, as part of his exit plans after serving his six years tenure as Justice Minister for the Weah-Taylor administration, while others see him as competent and fit for the job.
Likewise, Deputy Finance Minister Wolokollie’s fate hangs in the balance and will need a majority vote from both the ruling and opposition Senators to be confirmed, but with the public and some political pundits calling for rejection, it seems tough for Minister Wolokollie to sail through the Senate.
Meanwhile, the staffers have threatened that there will be no inauguration of the President and Vice President-elect, Joseph Boakai and Jeremiah Koung, on January 22, 2024, if their demands and concerns are not mutually resolved.
The Staffers, adding three more counts, ranging from the procuring of two new buses, the provision of their six months’ gasoline slips, and the insurance of their lives, added, “We are serious about this and no amount of intimidation will scare us away.”
“We remain resolute, resolved, and unbending in our quest to ensure that we as staffers of this August body get our constitutional benefits. So, we will continue our protest on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and beyond,” they added.
As the controversy intensifies, only time will tell how the disruption will impact the political landscape and shape the path forward for Liberia and the incoming administration of President and Vice president-elect, Joseph Boakai and Jeremiah Koung.
