The Pro Tempore of the Liberian Senate and Grand Kru County Senator, Prof. Albert T. Chie, has warned the electorate to digest well what they hear and read before believing it, noting that political lies, character assassinations, rumors, fabrication with the intent to deceive the masses will be the order of the day.
Pro Temp Chie’s warning was contained in his statement delivered during the opening of the second segment of the sixth session of the 54th National Legislature on Tuesday, May 16, 2023.
As the nation approaches the general and presidential elections in October, in which fifteen Senate seats and seventy-three (73) House seats are up for contestation, Prof. Chief underscored the importance of reflecting on the role of the National Legislature in the framework of practicality and under the existing circumstances, especially meeting the high expectations of the people.
He said sometimes he laughs when he hears utopian statements from new aspirants and others who have never had the opportunity to serve in the very hot Senate and House seats. “While the cardinal role of the legislator in all parts of the world is to make law, clearly, other expectations of our people on the African lawmaker are quite different from the one in the Western World. I believe the latter started where we are now and synergy will be achieved in the future,” he disclosed.
The Pro Tempore recalled, “In February last year, while sitting in my office on Capitol Hill, I received a visitor, a well-respected Counsellor-At-Law, who came to inform me that she had a donor-funded project that requires her going to the southeast. I told her I would be there in March and she said she would pay a courtesy call.
“In late March last year, while sitting in a palava hut meeting with my people in my hometown in Grand Kru, it was announced that a visitor from Monrovia had come to see me. Behold it was the same Counsellor.
“She informed me that she had scheduled a town hall meeting with the people of my hometown and she wanted me to grace the occasion. I then asked her what was the agenda of the meeting. She said she was moving from place to place in the southeast, explaining what the role of a legislator should be; that it was not the role of the legislator to build roads, bridges, schools, clinics, etc., etc., etc.
“I told her I was unable to grace the occasion. She then asked why. I replied that I did not want to commit political homicide and suicide, voluntarily taking away my own political life and that of others. Although that project is of importance and we encourage various organizations to sensitize citizens on the role of a legislator, it will be difficult for Legislators themselves to partake in said activity due to our people’s perception on how they view the role and what they expect or want the role of the legislator to be.”
