MONROVIA – A research done by the Legislative Information Service (LIS) shows that the Legislature has received US$288,088,392.00 for the fiscal period of 15 years – 2006 to 2021.
This amount is more than half of the country fiscal budget for a year. Despite this alarming amount, the Legislature is still without basic facilities and equipment to function as a modern legislature. The Capitol Building is without running water, voting machine, internet and stable electricity.
Staffers on a daily basis are seen carrying water in containers to private bathrooms of their bosses while the public lavatories are always closed because there is no water. On a regular basis, staffers and visitors at the Capitol Building urinate in the open at the back of the Capitol Building.
Currently, the World Bank installed desk microphone and voting system in the old chambers of the Senate and House of the Representatives in 2010 under the leadership of Cletus Wortorson.
With such a huge allotment received from taxpayer’s monies, the Legislature joint chambers including the two chambers of the Senate and Representatives leaks when it rains and there are no efforts to have them repaired. Lawmakers have taken refuge in the Chinese built annexes attached to both wings of the Senate and House of Representatives.
Those chambers were part of the legislative modernization plans funded by the Chinese government and their intended purposes were to have special events and session including committee hearings.
In a communication to the House Speaker Bhofal Chambers, Mr. McCarthy Weh head of the legislative information service is proposing that the Modernization and Reform Oversight be permanently assigned to House Deputy Speaker and the House’s Rules be amended to reflect such.
Partners that have contributed to the implementation of the legislature modernization include; the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
USAID/NDI assisted the Legislature with completion of the Legislative Information Service (LIS), the Legislative Budget Office (LBO), Bill tracking and Publication of the House and Senate Standing Rules. With support from USAID, NDI is partnering with the Legislature on several on-going programs and activities in line with the Plan. The UNDP assisted with training in the area of legislative drafting.
In the communication, Mr. Weh said: “For and behalf of the Legislative Information Service, I present profoundest of compliments, and in the interest of our collective efforts to building a more impactful and people-acceptance Legislature, I do respectfully seek your permission to submit a proposal as stated herein.
According to Mr. Weh, as a long serving staff of the Legislature, he has observed over many years that the Deputy Speaker has been under-utilized mainly due to his/her Terms of Reference (ToR) assigned in the Standing Rules of the House.
He said, apart from primarily steering the affairs of the House in the absence of the Speaker, no direct oversight role has been ascribed to any Deputy Speaker to the best of our collection. He believes the age-old action or inaction needs to be revisited especially at this time when there are lots to be achieved.
“Change in this regard can occur under this House. According to Rule 8 of the House’s Standing Rule, the Powers and Duties of the Deputy Speaker include: 8.1 in the absence of the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker of the Honorable House of Representatives shall preside over the sitting of the August Body and shall exercise all rights and powers assigned to the Speaker;
8.2 The Deputy Speaker shall assist the Speaker in the discharge of his/her functions, and he/she shall perform such duties as the Speaker shall delegate or deem appropriate and shall also initial any financial and other transactions prior to the approval of the Speaker;
8.3 The Speaker and Deputy Speaker shall serve as Ex-Officials of all committees
“Predicated upon this concern and owing to the fact the dynamics of governance worldwide are changing consistent with times and happenings, we are pleased to propose (in line with the LIS’ Terms of Reference-ToR) that the Plenary of the House through its leadership ascribe direct oversight role for modernization, reform and rebranding, to its Deputy Speaker.”
Such direct role can be assigned by the Honorable Speaker now and overtime the House ensures it is enshrined in the Standing Rules of the Body as addendum under Rule 8. Speaking of modernization, the House of Representatives currently has a nine-member Modernization Committee, teaming up with the Senate six-member Modernization Committee, constitutes the fifteen-member committee of the Joint Legislative Modernization Committee (JLMC), headed by Sen. Conmany Wesseh.