UNDER THE LEGAL SYSTEM of governance in Liberia Legislative enactments also known as statutory laws are laws that fall in the second category of important laws, next to the constitution, which is the organic law of country in the order of importance.
THE NATIONAL LEGISLATURE, the first branch of government is responsible for making statutory laws and these laws remain in force for as long as possible until they are reviewed through amendment by the same legislature.
THIS IS WHY THE LAWMAKERS need to take their work seriously because laws they legislate have lasting effect on the country as the process of reviewing these laws is sometimes time consuming and as such when the laws are bad they tend to cause problem for the population in the long run.
EVEN THE LAWMAKERS WILL agree that accountability is the one of the hallmarks of a good institution and as such no institution will take it likely when they are described as unaccountable and lacking transparency.
ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY ALL come with some simple but very important processes including proper internal systems for the management of resources including internal audit.
BEFORE AN INSTITUTION IS REGARDED as transparent, some of the basic elements that must exist in such institution include a regular internal control mechanism properly designed, monitored and functioning effectively; regular external audit by credible auditing institution and openness in the conduct of normal activities.
ALL THESE ELEMENTS ARE not visible at the National Legislature as the body has not been audited for over 10 years dating from the time of the 52nd National Legislature following the 2005 general and presidential elections.
BOTH THE 52ND NATIONAL LEGISLATURE and its immediate successor the 53rd are yet to request to be audited by the General Auditing Commission of Liberia or an independent audit institution.
DURING THE TENURE OF FORMER Auditor General John S. Morlu, II, the AG attempted auditing the lawmakers but later found himself going at odds with these lawmakers as the body resisted audit.
THE LAWMAKERS INSTEAD requested for some form of Advisory Service to help put their system in place in preparation for future audit. The Advisory Service Team assigned by the GAC soon found its work cut short following meetings with Senate Pro Temp at the time, Senator Cletus Wotorson and other high ranking members of the 52nd National Legislature who did not favor the process the Advisory Service was about to put in place.
AUDITOR GENERAL MORLU had to recall the Advisory Service Team from performing its duties at the National Legislature since the lawmakers, to whom the GAC reports were not comfortable with any form of internal system.
YEARS DOWN THE LINE THE lawmakers have refused to openly call for an audit of the National Legislature to prove to the public that they are conducting themselves in a transparent and accountable manner.
NOW, THE BODY STARTED THE process of pushing for financial autonomy which was proffered by Bong County Senator, Jewel Howard Taylor, whose husband Charles Taylor ran Liberia like a farm with no financial management system in place, no public discussion on national budget, no audit report conducted on any public institution during his tenure from 1997 until his premature departure from power in August 2003.
SENATOR TAYLOR AS A MANIFESTATION of her selfishness and greed proposed in her draft legislation for financial autonomy to be granted only to the Liberian Senate before the House of Representatives included itself too to enjoy the same Financial Autonomy like the Senate as proposed by Senator Taylor.
THERE ARE GOOD ISSUES THAT require legislation than fighting to get financial autonomy as such autonomy serves no tangible benefit to the suffering population.
ALREADY, SENATORS ARE PAID over US$15,000 in basic salaries and other incentives monthly while members of the House of Representatives also get more than US$12, 000 in salaries, allowances and other benefits, so why is there this rush for financial autonomy in the wake of these fabulous benefits, is an unanswered question for Senator Taylor, the main proponent of the Financial Autonomy Bill and the entire Legislature that agreed with the Senator for Financial Autonomy.
WHILE IT IS TRUE THAT SENATOR Taylor was the main architect behind this Financial Autonomy Bill, the rationale for the entire Legislature- House of Representative and Senate agreeing with Senator Taylor for the body to be given Financial Autonomy is far from reality.
THE NATIONAL LEGISLATURE is not accountable as the body can not show any internal or external audit report conducted on the body in the last 10 years to justify that it has been doing business with the utmost level of transparency and accountability.
SENATOR TAYLOR AND THE NATIONAL Legislature should understand that the Financial Autonomy Bill is not a good piece of legislation as when passed into law it will not bring any dividend to the country but will instead be used by the Legislature for more secrecy in its financial and other operations.
BAD LEGISLATIONS ARE NOT good for a country as future lawmakers could even use the Financial Autonomy to rob the country relying on a law passed by their predecessors.
ALREADY, THE LEGISLATURE HAS the constitutional mandate to make appropriations through the National Budget and this the body has used over the years to allot millions to itself, so why does the Legislature which allots the resources again need financial autonomy?
FINANCIAL AUTONOMY FOR THE National Legislature is a bad legislation and Senator Taylor one of the lawmakers with several university degrees should not be pushing for such a legislation only because she is now a Senator. What happens when she is no longer a Senator and other lawmakers start to use such legislation to enrich themselves?
PRESIDENT ELLEN JOHNSON IS very right on this one to veto the Financial Autonomy Bill and it is only fair to the Liberian people for the National Legislature to see reason to abandon its quest for Financial Autonomy.
BAD LEGISLATIONS SUCH AS Financial Autonomy to a body that is already responsible to allot the national budget is unarguably not good for Liberia and the push for such power needs to be quashed by its progenitors.