IPNEWS: The adage that ‘yesterday’s agitators are today’s oppressors’ has glaringly shown itself in the House of Representatives with the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) lawmakers, including incumbent House Speaker Bhofal Chambers, among others all falling prey to wanting to get rid of some opposition lawmakers who are today critical and vocal against the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) administration headed by President George Weah.
On Thursday, March 9, 2023, session of the 54th Legislature, House Speaker repeatedly asked Montserrado County, District No. 10, Representative Yakeh Kolubah, to leave the house chambers for allegedly using abusive words within the session.
The speaker’s call resulted in the refusal by the lawmaker to leave on grounds that his rights was been violated and the emergence of ‘juggle justice’.
Speaker Chambers further ordered the call-in of three Sargent-at-Arms to have Representative Kolubah out of the House’s chambers.
Article 42 of the Liberian constitution states that: ‘No member of the Senate or House of Representatives shall be arrested, detained, prosecuted or tried as a result of opinions expressed or votes cast in the exercise of the functions of his office. Members shall be privileged from arrest while attending, going to, or returning from sessions of the Legislature, except for treason, felony, or breach of the peace. All official acts done or performed, and all statements made in the Chambers of the Legislature shall be privileged, and no Legislator shall be held accountable or punished therefor’.
The commotion lasted for several minutes in a spryly empty House Chambers, sparking the intervention of other colleagues, and resulting in Representative Yakeh Kolubah’s walkout.
Chapter 7 of the House Standing Rules, sub-section 7.3, states that the powers and duties of the speaker are to ‘preserve order and perfect decorum and shall decide all questions of order subject to an appeal to the Honorable House of Representatives. The Speaker shall see that members conduct themselves in a civil and orderly manner. When necessary, the Speaker may order the Sergeant-at-Arms to clear the aisles and compel members to take their seats.’
It may be recalled, incumbent House Speaker Bhofal Chambers, was a critical voice in the 43rd National Legislature, due to the harsh tone against former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, while the CDC was in opposition, including the used ‘inimical words’ against former President Ellen Johnson, yet they were never asked out of session neither expelled from the Legislature.
Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the 43rd National Legislature, Grand Bassa County Representative Hens Barchue recounts that incumbent Speaker Chambers used to be aggressive in session to the extent he always used inimical words on former President Johnson-Sirleaf that was not expected of a lawmaker.
Rep. Barchue said during the 53rd Legislature, Speaker Chambers used to be aggressive in session to the extent he always used inimical words on former President Johnson-Sirleaf that was not expected of a lawmaker.
The Grand Bassa County lawmaker recalled that Speaker Chambers was one of those lawmakers who disturbed sessions many days under his gavel and former Speaker Alex Tyler’s.
“Speaker Chambers was one of those very aggressive on the floor during the 53rd Legislature; he now needs to be patience with his colleagues; he always raised issues beyond the point that everybody had to hear him,” The NEWS newspaper quotes the Grand Bassa County Representative as saying in Session on Thursday.
Rep. Barchue disclosed they were tolerant of him (Chambers), so he also needs to be tolerant with other lawmakers (Rep. Yekeh Kolubah and others) who will vent aggressive behaviors in an open Session.
He said though Speaker Chambers’ leadership on the floor of the House of Representatives is perfect, but he needs to retrospect on his own aggressive behavior during former House Speaker Tyler’s leadership.
The lawmaker disclosed that at some point in time, President Sirleaf called upon him to advise Rep. Acarous Gray’s attack on her, or else she would have taken court action against him, saying “I came to my office and immediately called my colleague Gray, and advised him.”
Rep. Barchue further stated that if another lawmaker behaves in an unfavorable way, Speaker Chambers should be moderate like they were moderate with him as an opposition lawmaker during the administration of President Sirleaf.
He said for Speaker Chambers, Rep Acarous Gray, and others to always call for the expulsion of one of their colleagues (Rep. Yekeh Kolubah) is not something that is new to them, because they were not expelled during their days for similar misbehaviors as opposition lawmakers during Ellen’s regime.
Yesterday’s Agitators are Today’s Oppressors
Political pundits have meanwhile observed that most lawmakers of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) who when in opposition during President Sirleaf’s administration called her all sorts of names are today not happy now the table has turned and some opposition lawmakers of today are acting tough and make them feel uncomfortable due what they term bad as governance.
It can be recalled the former opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) lawmaker, Acarous Gray of Montserrado County District #8 publicly taunted President Sirleaf’s administration that he did nothing tangle as President of Liberia for 12 years. “But what Gray could not honestly say was that the Sirleaf Administration having inherited a failed and broken country had to start from scratch to rebuild new foundations to take Liberia out of the ashes of the civil war. All those good foundations and the gains that Sirleaf’s administration built that made Liberia recognized internationally, the establishment of integrity institutions – Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LAC), Governance Commission (GC), General Auditing Commission (GAC), Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), Internal Audit Agency (IAA), the Law Reform Commission (LRC), among others are today underfunded by the CDC government because they do not want to ensure transparency, accountability, and integrity in the fight against corruption,” one political pundit told IPNEWS.
