Monrovia – Amid public resentments over recent threatening remarks by House Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon against journalists covering the House of Representatives, the Speaker has as usual, bowed into regret and extended an apology to the press pool.
By Emmanuel Weedee-Conway
It can be recalled that during the 12th day sitting of the third quarter of the second session of the 55th Legislature, Speaker Koon sounded his voice high in arrogance and toughness as he didn’t mince his words in threatening reporters over allegations of secretly recording members of that august body.
To the belief of the Speaker, reporters were recording what he described as an “unofficial” legislative sitting within the chambers of the first arm of Liberia’s bicameral Legislature.
“Anything you record from here, we will deal with you… When we grab your, when we don’t put you in jail, you should change my name,” Speaker Koon furthered, as he continued to insist that the session was “not legal” because a quorum had not been reached.
But the Speaker has since been condemned by rights based groups and media advocacy bodies including umbrella organization – Press Union of Liberia (PUL), the Legislative Press Pool at the Capitol Building (LEGISPOOL) and the Association of Liberian Journalists in the Americas (ALJA) among others.
For PUL, such threat by the Speaker constitutes a dangerous abuse of public office and an attempt to weaponize state authority against journalists exercising constitutionally protected duties.
On the heels of these public backlashes, Speaker Koon became remorseful and expressed and regretted his wrongdoing.
According to him, his action was part of broader steps aimed at “Protecting the sanity of the House,” he also counts on the media to protect.
As he felt compelled to offer an open apology to their colleagues and to the press for the “embarrassing situation,” he assured assigned journalists of his continued commitment to working with them.
“The chambers lacked quorum at the time and we noticed that most of our colleagues were joking and I thought to protect the house. As our leadership style, I was very decisive to protect the House. So I have to openly apologize to the press. I remain committed to you. I’m going to show you that uh I’m going to work with you in any other way. I ask you to please help us protect the sanity of these chambers – please help us,” he added.
Ever since he took over the mantle of authority of the Legislature, Speaker Koon, who represents Electoral District #11 of Montserrado County, has been captured in history for regularly apologizing either to the public for unwarranted comments and actions.
As catalogued by Isaac Garyeazon Redd, former Director of Press at the House of Representatives, Speaker Koon is on record of classifying himself as a regime Speaker. This statement, many believe, undermines his independence as Speaker of the House of Representatives and by extension, the Presiding Officer of Legislature, which has the sole mandate to exercise checks and balances on the Executive and Judiciary. He went on to make clarity for this unguided statement.
In record, this is not the first of its kind that Speaker Koon had such verbal clashes with Liberian journalists.
Also at one point, he bragged of being ruder than anyone would imagine; even ruder than any journalists. “If you think you’re rude, I am more rude than you.”
On the order of the Speaker, an officer of the elite security guard – the Executive Protective Services or EPS was made to smash the recorder of a journalist, while authorizing the forceful removal of Representative Yekeh Kolubah’s vehicle from a space reserved for then embattled Speaker Koffa.
The latest marks the fourth confrontation with either the media or the public followed by another open apology.
Where Speaker Koon Missed Out – House Former Press Director Warns Nothing Secret In Session
Again, Mr. Redd, a man who served as Press Director at the House for 14 unbroken years, has warned the Speaker that the Legislature’s Chamber is not the place for confidential exchanges.
He noted that the Capitol provides ample conference rooms for pre-session discussions as he went on to call on his former instructor – Koon to learn from the past of former Speakers including Alex Tyler, Emmanuel Nuquay, and most recently, Jonathan Fonati Koffa, whom he succeeded.
These former Speakers, Mr. Redd alerted, routinely consulted with colleagues and the Chief Clerk before entering open session.
The veteran Liberian journalist maintained that nothing said in an open session can be considered secret, and any sensitive matter should be handled behind closed doors or outside the presence of the press.
Also drawing on the Senate’s example, Mr. Redd drilled Speaker Koon that lawmakers meet in the Pro-Temp’s conference room before each sitting.
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