IN THE FACE of the continued impasse at the House of Representatives, about twenty-eight (28) representatives who firmly support the Speakership of Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa met over the weekend and formed what they termed “Rule of Law Caucus”, electing Nimba County’s district #7 Representative, Musa Hassan Bility, to head the caucus. It was reported that Speaker Koffa recommended the establishment of the caucus, with two representatives from the “majority bloc” attending the gathering, summing them up to thirty (30), in addition to other former lawmakers.
THE NIMBA COUNTY district #7 Representative Bility and members of the “Rule of Law Caucus” are expected to hold a major news conference on Tuesday to address the leadership impasse, the annual budget and the up-coming State-of-the-Nation Address to the National Legislature by President Joseph N. Boakai.
SINCE THE STANDOFF among the representatives, embattled Speaker Koffa has refused to resign but failed to accumulate the number of representatives to conduct business on behalf of the Liberian people, while the “majority bloc” has also failed to secure the number of representatives required to oust the Speaker but claimed that they have the number to conduct business. As such, the Executive Branch, as well as the Liberian Senate, have since recognized the “majority bloc” and continued to do business with them, even though they are legally illegitimate and their sittings have been described “ultra vires” by the Supreme Court.
AMIDST ALL THE hullabaloo, the Chairperson of the “Rule of Law Caucus”, Representative Bility, has accepted his election in good fate, and has vowed to focus on restoring normalcy to the House and ensuring that every representative can carry out their Constitutional duty to represent their people effectively. He pledged to faithfully lead the caucus, listen to his colleagues, and work toward their collective goals and aspirations.
IN GARNERING SUPPORT from members of the “majority bloc”, Representative Bility has extended an olive branch, and urged all of them to reflect soberly on the current impasse and its impact on the people they represent. “While it is true that we, the 28 members, have not been able to attain quorum to conduct regular legislative business, our colleagues, on the other hand, have also been unable to secure the requisite number of members needed to remove the Speaker or reconstitute committees legally. These actions have been taken without fulfilling the proper legal requirements… I call on all members of the House to look beyond personal gain, ego, or power struggle and focus on the bigger picture: the people of Liberia. Our primary oversight responsibility has been the most significant casualty during this crisis. The Executive branch has operated without checks and balances for three months, leaving our people vulnerable. It is time to return to work, resolve our differences, and restore the integrity of this honorable body,” Representative Bility pleaded with the “majority bloc”.
HOWEVER, OBSERVERS ARE of the opinion that the Bility-led caucus may have little or no impact on restoring sanity to the Capitol, as the entire team is built around members of the Koffa bloc, without the slightest endorsement from the members of the other side. They opinionated that the nomenclature of the caucus, alone, could prolong the impasse, as it arguably presents the “majority bloc” as “anti-rule of law”. They averred that, if Koffa intends to reconcile the House, he would have first ventured to have a common-ground on which both parties can stand to reconcile and not to further segregate them by recommending a “rule of law caucus”.