Monrovia – Liberia is expected to make history again as there are cogent information that the House of Representatives ‘Majority bloc’ which has coerced Speaker Alex J. Tyler to recuse himself is contemplating on making a woman Deputy Speaker of the Legislature.
A highly placed source at the Legislature hinted that the new majority bloc including some of the lawmakers supporting Speaker Tyler do not have any problem with electing a female as Deputy Speaker, Bong County Corpu Barclay, in the event where Speaker Tyler is replaced by his Deputy, Hans Barchue.
When Speaker Tyler announced his recusal September 1, 2016 at the Capitol Building in Monrovia, most of the 47 lawmakers calling for his recusal said that his action of recusal was belated; adding that they have mobilized enough to have him removed by 2/3 majority of the House of Representatives because he Tyler insisted that he prefers removal to recusal.
“With just two more persons remaining to have him removed, Speaker Tyler thinks he played smart by recusing himself,” said a lawmaker from Montserrado County.
Regarding attempts to remove speaker Tyler, almost all of the lawmakers in the majority bloc prefer to speak on the basis of anonymity.
It is a common knowledge among Lawmakers that the recused Speaker will be booted out of office because he has reportedly denigrated the Capitol Building by allegedly bringing in thugs to incite violence and molest lawmakers who were calling for his recusal and also for calling his colleagues names such as surrogates and also accusing them of receiving bribes to have him removed.
“Speaker Tyler will have to prove his allegation beyond all reasonable doubt or face the wrath of the House of Representatives”, one lawmaker said.
Speaker Tyler woes began after he was indicted by the State on multiple criminal charges including bribery, economic sabotage and others involving the British Based Sable Mining Company. Some of his colleagues called on him to recuse himself from presiding over the House of Representatives until his case is adjudicated in court but he vehemently refused.
Three attempts to place the Speaker’s recusal on the House’s agenda resulted into chaos and near fist fight. Since then, those calling for his recusal have been holding session in the joint chambers of the legislature under the gavel of Deputy Speaker Hans Barchue as presiding officer along with his co-presiding, Representative Corpu Barclay.
The Bong County Lawmaker, Corpu Barclay who is currently serving as co-presiding is poised to become the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives if Deputy Speaker Barchue succeeds in becoming the Speaker.
The Bong County lawmaker has been receiving the endorsement of most of her colleagues especially the females who are yearning for gender equality at the National Legislature.
Representative Barclay, the career medical practitioner, is among the few lawmakers with vast knowledge in parliamentary politics. It appears that most of her male colleagues seem not interested in the post because it will only last for a year. If she succeeds, she will be Liberia’s first Deputy Speaker. “We the new majority bloc are gender sensitive,” said one of the lawmakers who succeeded in having Speaker Tyler recused
