Monrovia – The House of Representatives especially the 52nd and 53rd has not been short of controversies ranging from allegations of taking brown envelopes in hastily ratifying dozens of concessions agreements without thorough scrutiny of these agreements.
Beginning 2003 when the National Transitional Government of Liberia, an interim administration was administering the affairs of the country, investors trooped in search of opportunities to make business in Liberia.
By 2005, when the first post war election was held and Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf elected President, the 52nd National Legislature responded well and fast enough by carrying out 4G ratifying of concessions under allegations of taking kickbacks.
Many of these concessions later failed to live up to the terms agreed with the government as many of the investors prematurely left the country all blamed on the lawmakers not carrying out due diligence before ratifying these agreements.
Moore Stephens an international auditing firm in a review of concessions signed in Liberia found that out of 66 concessions ratified by the National Legislature 33 did not go through all the necessary and required processes.
While the signing of these agreements were ongoing the House of Representatives turned in-house and commenced the process of removing its Speaker Edwin Snowe.
Dubbed the money eaters, even before the lawmakers elected Snowe as their head, the new lawmakers were said to have been offered envelopes by Snowe who held lucrative positions in government including Managing Director of the Liberia petroleum Refining Company (LPRC) and the head of the Liberia Football Association (LFA) before his subsequent election as a lawmaker.
Snowe who won the 2005election as an independent candidate, managed to win the position of Speaker in a House dominated by political parties such as the Coalition for the Transformation of Liberia (COTOL), the Congress for Democratic Change and other political parties based on his deep pocket which enabled him to use cash.
Snowe started well but when he began to take strong stance such as insisting that the Legislature will not be rubberstamped, his relationship with the Executive, mainly President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf deteriorated and it was the start of his problems which eventually led him out of office.
His removal was tense as the House of Representatives undertook some unprecedented measures including gathering at two separate locations – Snowe and his loyalists at the Centennial Memorial Pavilion on Ashmun Street and the opposing lawmakers moved to the Unity Conference Center in Virginia since the Capitol Building was undergoing renovation by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Constitutional and violations of other laws were at stake when the House of Representatives was divided on the removal of Snowe.
Article 40 of the Liberian constitution provides – “Neither House shall adjourn for more than five days without the consent of the other and both Houses shall always sit in the same city”.
By this provision, the bloc that was presiding at the Unity Conference Center was unconstitutional since Virginia was not a City, so the anti Snowe bloc acted hastily by passing into law making Virginia a city.
Quickly many arrangements including appointing a City mayor, and other officials were carried out, all signalling that the President might have heavily supported the Virginia bloc to unseat Snowe.
The odds were against Snowe and he was finally ousted by his colleagues giving way for Alex Tyler from one of the least populated counties and districts to step in the big position.
From all indications Tyler’s ascendency to the position was highly supported by President Sirleaf who hails from the same County as Tyler.
Before 2011 election, Tyler’s Party and that of the ruling Unity Part formed a merger which made Tyler a Unity Party lawmaker where he enjoyed high coordinal relationship with the President.
At some point when disagreements ensued between the Legislature and the President especially when the President while visiting the United States of America accused the lawmakers of allotting more money to themselves, the two (Tyler and Sirleaf ) resolved their differences.
After President Sirleaf said: “I did not give it to them, they took it” referring to allocations of resources through the national budget, the lawmakers took exception to the statement and tension flared.
The Speaker Tyler along with the other lawmakers took on the president but later President Sirleaf paid a visit at Capitol when Speaker Tyler popularly said he went on his knees to apologize to the president referring to the President as his mother.
Attempts by Speaker Tyler colleagues to remove him have foiled on at least two occasions where some lawmakers were suspended for disrupting session in their quest to unseat Tyler.
During this time Speaker Tyler might have known that the President is powerful and difficult to fight as her backing was helping him to stay in power.
Speaker now look to have forgotten that a fight with the President is something difficult and he recently accused the President of orchestrating plans to remove him by dishing out money to lawmakers.
At a press conference, Speaker Tyler said: “The chief architect of this ploy is President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and the chief motive of President Johnson- Sirleaf is to remove me as the Speaker of the House of Representatives who is seen in her mind an obstacle in pursuance to her personal political agenda. In view thereof, the President is seeking to by-pass the constitutional safe-guard of an independent Legislature”.
In similar manner as what Snowe said years back, Speaker Tyler is claiming that the President wants him out to enable her have control over the House of Representatives.
“We are leaders of our people and not subjects of the President or kids running after her for candies. Be assure that we will defend the sacred doctrine of separation of power as enshrined in Article 3 of the constitution of our country”, the speaker declared.
Speaker Tyler should know that these were the same claims made by his predecessor, Snowe against President Sirleaf which did not help to safe Snowe from being removed. Also, if his claims are indeed true, then those made by Snowe years ago were also true. In the end, Snowe was removed and his removal benefited Tyler
The allegations by Speaker Tyler now looks to have drawn the battle line with the President who has described the allegations as baseless.
“We reject all of the claims made by Speaker Tyler and can simply term his action as a mere scare-crow tactics principally because they are far from the truth.
“We dismiss as falsehood and totally baseless the insinuation about “the President-led plot” to use inducement for the removal of the Speaker when there are very important matters of state that need to be urgently attended to. “
“We call on Speaker Tyler to exercise leadership in resolving the pending crisis at the House of Representatives instead of bringing his colleagues and the Office of the President into public disrepute through the wild and unsubstantiated claims he has made”.
A day after President denied the allegations made by the Speaker, Tyler’s predecessor Snowe vowed that he will remove him.
In verbal exchanges with another lawmaker, Snowe was recorded saying “I will move him! Is it now that he knows government can kill people or President can give money to lawmaker?
Speaker Tyler’s predecessor Snowe has now admitted that he is the one behind the ploy to remove him (Tyler) which makes it clear for the speaker to know which line to direct his allegations and attacks.
With Snowe now known to be the architect as publicly stated by the Montserrado County Lawmaker, Speaker Tyler’s line of attack against the President is faulty and needs to be redirected towards his colleague.
Samwar S. Fallah, [email protected]