MONROVIA – An endorsement ceremony planned by some members of the Legislative staffers for the senatorial bid of Representative Thomas Fallah (CDC, Mont. County, District. 5) was disrupted on Thursday by other staffers who had earlier warned against the endorsement.
The legislative staffers have been protesting against cuts in their salaries in recent days, blaming Senator Morris Saytumah and Rep. Fallah for the cuts which they see as “unjust”. Rep. Fallah and Sen. Saytumah head the Ways, Means and Finance in the lower an upper House, respectively.
The staffers who disrupted the program called on their colleagues to wait until the issue regarding their salaries have been addressed.
“We cannot be accusing the very people of cutting our salaries illegally and endorsing them to contest in an election, that would mean we are not serious. We know it is their rights to endorse but the timing is wrong,” Charles Brown, the interim leader of the legislative staffers said.
The ground of the Liberian Legislature was a scene of drama when some youth believed to be supporters of Rep. Fallah were forcefully thrown premises of the Capitol on Thursday by aggrieved workers.
“We cannot be accusing the very people of cutting our salaries illegally and endorsing them to contest in an election, that would mean we are not serious. We know it is their rights to endorse but the timing is wrong.”
– Charles Brown, Spokesman of Legislative Staffers
Rep. Fallah’s supporters, most of whom are not staffers of the Legislature, were uniformed in white T-shirts bearing the picture of President George Weah had gone to endorse his senatorial bid along with some staffers at the Legislature.
Those who resisted the ceremony were heard referring to Rep. Thomas Fallah as a “criminal” who has stolen the Liberian dollars component of their salary.
“We asked them out of here because we think endorsing Thomas Fallah on the grounds of the Capitol Building is like endorsing Satan in a Church,” Brown further stated.
He indicated that the Lawmakers’ actions against them is grave adding, “When we endorse him, we have no argument. It means that we are telling the world that we are satisfied with the treatment.”