IPNews-Monrovia,Liberia-7 June 2018: Grand Cape Mount County Senator Varney Sherman has once again set himself apart from a number of Lawmakers, by the introduction of a new bill seeking the placement of restriction on sitting members wishing to contest pending by-elections.
The bill which was submitted at Tuesday’s plenary session calls for minimizing the frequency of by-elections in a bid to relieving National government from the burden of finding money to fund by-elections.
Senator Sherman’s bill comes in the wake of recent announcement by the National Elections Commission calling for the postponement of the senatorial by-elections for Montserrado and Bong counties which was originally slated for March 9, 2018, due to the lack of needed funding to facilitate the Process.
Currently, two sitting members of the House of Representatives, Reps. Saah Joseph and Marvin Cole, have expressed interest to contest the vacant seats at the Senate.
Rep. Joseph is revered for his humanitarian gestures and was re-elected in the 2017 elections and with few months into his second term, he has opted to enter the Senate.
Rep. Cole was elected to the House for the first time in the 2017 elections, but the legislative newcomer is being favored by Vice President Taylor to fill the vacancy she created at the Senate.
The National Elections Commission (NEC) had requested US$3.9 million for the conduct of the by-elections in both counties. It has been rescheduled for July 31, 2018, pending legislative approval.
Cllr. Sherman’s proposed bill titled “Proposed Act to Regulate Eligibility of Sitting Senators and Sitting Representatives for Ensuing Elections During Their Terms” seeks to curb such incidences in the Legislature that would lead to creating more vacancies in both Houses and alleviate the financial burden on the government.
Senator Sherman argues that the inability of the government to fund the frequencies of by-elections due to the unrestricted participation of sitting lawmakers in by-elections.
Senator Sherman pointed that the three years from now when members of the House would be halfway in their tenure, the Senate would be going for mid-term elections and room would be created for sitting members of the House to contest senatorial seats and create vacancies at the House, again.
“If any of these sitting members of the House of Representatives were to succeed in the mid-term elections, a vacancy would obviously occur in the House of Representatives, for which another by-election must be held in early 2021, barely three years into the 54th Term of the Legislature. Where would the money come from to fund these by-elections should any member of the House of Representatives wins any seat during the mid-term elections of 2020?”
The Grand Cape Mount County Senator said while Liberia seeks to strengthen her democracy and uphold the right of citizens to change their leaders, there’s the need recognize that democracy can be messy when the rights encompassed in a democracy is abused and misused.
“The exigencies of these circumstances, therefore, warrant a restriction on the right of a sitting member of the House of Representatives and sitting members of the Senate to canvass for and elected to either of these two Houses at any ensuing election. Liberia needs a law that ensures the right of a sitting legislator to canvass for a seat in the legislature be restricted; which restriction would minimize the frequency of by-elections and thereby relieve this ‘pro-poor’ government,” Senator Sherman proposed bill detailed.
