Monrovia – Liberian legislators are expected to cut short their constituency break to return to the Capitol in an extra sitting. The reasons for the quick return, according to one lawmaker are economic.
Representative Acarous Moses Gray (CDC-District #8 Montserrado County) said the reasons for the quick return is to focus on strengthening the country’s economy. “We are returning for economic reasons. We will work to strengthen the economy,” Representative Gray said.
On Monday, Finance & Economic Planning Minister Samuel Tweah, in a simulcast interview aired across the nation stressed the importance of printing new or additional Liberian banknotes to avoid scarcity during the festive season.
Representative Gray co-chairs the committee on Executive and has been acting in the position since the committee chair, Munah Pelham-Youngblood fell ill.
Despite Rep. Gray’s confirmation, some senators have said they haven’t been officially informed about any decision to cut their break.
The request for the lawmakers’ return was reportedly made by President George Manneh Weah who urged the lawmakers to cut short their time off for a special sitting which is expected to commence from November 18 to December 16, 2019.
Constitutional Requirement
Per standing rules, both chambers of the Legislature designate Fridays of each week as “constituency day” and the statues provide for legislative recess twice a year – two weeks in April for Easter Break and six months(currently three months) as annual “agriculture now constituency” break.
Lawmakers are currently on their annual break and are to return on the first working Monday in January just in time for the President’s Annual Message.
The request by the Chief Executive is in consonance with Article 32(b) of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia.
Article 32(b) states: “The President shall, on his own initiative or upon receipt of a certificate signed by at least one-fourth of the total membership of each House, and by proclamation, extend a regular session of the Legislature beyond the date for adjournment or call a special or extraordinary session of that body to discuss or act upon matters of national emergency and concern. When the extension or call is at the request of the Legislature, the proclamation shall be issued not later than 48 hours after receipt of the certificate by the President”.
Prior to the closure of the Legislative sitting in August, the Lawmakers had to extend their siting up to September for the purpose of enacting and deliberating on several issues of national concern.
Reasons for recall
The Executive has reportedly called the Lawmakers back most importantly for the printing of new Liberian dollar banknotes amounting to LD$35billion.
The request to print the new banknotes was previously “put on hold” by the Plenary of the Liberian Senate during the extended session in September on grounds that there was a need to restructure the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL), with the bank’s Executive Governor, Nathaniel Patray expected to retired at the time.
Governor Patray formally retired on Friday, October 25, 2019.
The President, in a communication to the Legislature, in September, informed the lawmakers that he had received a communication from the CBL, advising that the Liberian economy may be seriously affected due to the unaccounted local currency infused into the economy which is causing high inflation.
Since the President’s communication, both houses have mandated their respective Finance Committees to review the President’s communication and advice on the way forward.
For the House of Representatives, the Joint Committee on Banking and Currency; and Ways, Means, Finance & Development Planning has advised plenary to give the President the ‘green light’ to print the new currency.
But plenary has failed to endorse the Joint Committee’s report. Discussions of the report has been mainly held in secret sessions, making it difficult for the public and the media to know exactly what is being said.
However, FrontPageAfrica has gathered that the Legislature is still not convinced with the CBL and its own committees’ recommendations to print new money.
Representative Samuel Enders (Montserrado Co. District #6) has openly expressed his opposition to the proposed project on grounds that the uncertainties and discrepancies surrounding the printing of the previous banknotes by the past administration and US$25 million injected into the economy by the Weah Government have not been investigated and laid to rest
Design of New Money
It is not clear what the design of the new banknote will be. However, sometime early this year, a multi-colored new banknote bearing the face of President Weah, appeared on social media spurring speculations that the Weah-led administration was pondering the printing new banknotes.
When this banknotes appeared online, it drew a lot of mixed reactions most of which were negative against the President and his administration.
In addition to the President’s face is very visible on this purported banknote, the ‘money’ that showed up online, had the series number “AA 0553444” and it is a 100$ banknote.
L$16.5 Million Missing
In 2016, the House of Representatives passed a resolution approving the printing of L$5 billion.
However, a Liberian government investigative report found that banknotes worth L$16.5 billion remained unaccounted for. The report blamed the Central Bank’s management for “deviating from conventional best practices.”