Nimba County’s district #5 Representative and Chair on House’s Committee on Commerce and Industry, Samuel G. Kogar, has accused the Executive branch of government of influencing the Legislature on some key national decisions, which he said undermines the independence of the Legislature.
Representative Kogar made the accusation on Thursday, May 25, 2023 in Monrovia during a one-day private-sector forum on diplomacy with business, organized by the Liberia Chambers of Commerce (LCC). He applauded the organizers of the forum for extending the invitation to him as Chair of the House’s Committee on Commerce to discuss issues affecting the Liberian business sector.
He blamed the government, mainly the Executive branch, for failing to create the enabling environment for the Liberian business sector to grow, noting “government needs to give hope to its citizens”. The Nimba lawmaker claimed that the Legislature is one of the contributing factors to the undergrowth of Liberia’s business sector because some legislators are owners of businesses or companies, thus suppressing others.
The House’s Committee on Commerce Chair and Chairman of the People’s Unification Party (PUP) further alleged that some of his colleagues are using vehicles that are not registered, thus depriving the government of getting its needed revenue. He also claimed that some members of the Legislature own businesses and companies that, at the same time, compete with local businesses. He described lawmakers using unregistered cars and their involvement in business as totally wrong. Kogar underscored that the Liberian people pay so much to lawmakers in salary and benefits, including duty-free privilege for them to have businesses or companies to compete with other Liberians. He described some lawmakers’ refusal to register their vehicles as complete wickedness and the violation of the law.
The PUP Chairman told the forum that Liberians as a whole need to develop nationalistic feeling for the country in order to move the business sector forward. He urged the Liberia Chambers of Commerce (LCC) to organize more forums for such discussions and have the President, George Manneh Weah, members of the Legislature and Judiciary branches of government invited to openly discuss the issues affecting Liberia’s business sector. He averred that the problems affecting Liberian business sector can only be addressed if “we as Liberians, especially national leaders, play pivotal and nationalistic role in transforming the sector”.
The Co-chair of the House’s National Security Committee also accused the Judiciary branch of government of being corrupt, thus undermining cases from businesses. He pointed out that the only way Liberia will be transformed is to speak the hard truth to national leaders regarding the business sector.