–Former Rep. Neufville Says
Former Montserrado County’s district #8 Representative, Ambassador Rufus D. Neufville, has observed that, if the impasse among members of the House of Representatives persists up to the State-Of-The-Nation Address (SONA), the military will have no option but to take control and enforce order, with the power to remove officials from the hall for disruptive behavior.
Article 58 of the Constitution instructs the President to present the administration’s legislative program for the ensuring session and report on the economic condition of the country. This program, which takes place on the fourth working Monday in January of each year, is usually characterized by celebration in the presence of international partners.
The Speaker presides over this event: he calls the Special Session to order and direct the protocol and entertains all motions, including adjournment.
But in Ambassador Neufville’s opinion, this simple procedure will get very complicated if two lawmakers continue to battle for legitimacy. He stated that the embattled Speaker, Representative Fonati Koffa, may rely on the Supreme Court’s opinion to demand the gavel, while Majority Speaker, Representative Richard Koon, on the other hand, may exert his authority on three grounds: support from the majority, including the Deputy Speaker; the concurrence of the Senate; and the unwavering backing of the Executive Branch.
The former lawmaker made the analysis on the day that members of the “minority bloc” decided to join the “majority bloc” in their chambers to settle the dust once and for all.
In a statement issued by the Rule Of Law Caucus, headed by Representative Musa Hassan Bility, the “minority bloc” members vowed to return to session with their counterparts because they have waited for the Supreme Court to clarify its last ruling but to no avail; as such, they are taking a different approach to resolve their differences.
“We intend to use this legislative engagement to express our objections to the following: the election of a Speaker when there is a Speaker who was legitimately elected in accordance with the Constitution and our rules; the suspension and withholding of the salaries of our colleagues in total contravention of our rules; the dissolution and reconstitution of all Committees in violation of our rules; and the refusal to release benefits due to members of the Rule of Law Caucus, which the MFDP has fully remitted into the account of the House of Representatives,” the Rule of Law Caucus noted.
They vowed to remain committed to the rule of law, which includes taking further appropriate legal actions while pursuing legislative resolutions on the floor of the House of Representatives.
However, sources closed to the “minority bloc” are saying that, in the coming days or weeks, a certain motion will be made by members of the Rule of Law Caucus, to be placed on the floor of the House’s plenary and compel the “majority Speaker”, Koon, to act.
According to the sources, the motion will compel Representative Koon to re-evaluate the decision that led to the suspension of heads of committee members under Speaker Koffa by the “majority bloc” and replaced by new heads.
The sources added that another motion will be made to demand the House of Representatives to give embattled Speaker Koffa due process to end the on-going debacle since the legal process of his removal has not been fully completed due to the Bill of Information before the Supreme Court.
This, the sources said, will trigger a serious debate, and the political egg will hatch. Already, there are 30 members from the “minority bloc” of Representative Koffa in the midst of the “majority bloc”, who are prepared to support this debate in support of their colleagues, who were illegally removed by the “majority bloc”.
The sources claimed that if Koon insists on disregarding the motion, a certain number from the “majority bloc” who were promised lucrative positions under Koon’s Speakership but were sidelined, will join the Rule of Law Caucus and the Koon Speakership will be dumped.
According to them, those disgruntled lawmakers are about eight (8), and if the number adds to the 30/29 members of the Rule of Law Caucus, it will be enough to return to the main chambers to conduct legislative activities under Koffa’s gavel.