Monrovia – Normal activities at the House of Representatives now look to be at a standstill due to ongoing wrangling over plans by some Lawmakers to remove Speaker Alex J. Tyler as head of that body.
Report by Henry Karmo – [email protected]
“We are optimistic that all sides in the ongoing controversy will conform to the reaffirmed position of the CDC which will be declared tomorrow since they are all cognizant of the fact that a dissent from the mandate of the Party’s NEC is tantamount to grave disciplinary action which the institution will not relent to execute”- Mulbah Morlu, Vice Chairman for Operations and Mobilization, Congress for Democratic Change (CDC)
On Tuesday, Lawmakers opting to oust the Speaker boycotted session leaving the Speaker and his loyalists to hold regular plenary session.
Thirty-three Lawmakers show up on Tuesday with others also sending in communications seeking excuse from the Speaker which meant that Lawmaker’s consenting to have Speaker Tyler preside met the required quorum to hold session.
On the other side, the anti-Tyler Lawmakers are boasting that they have nearly got the required signatures on a resolution to implement their plan to declare that the Speaker is no longer their leader.
Speaker Tyler and his loyalists are also confident that the plan will fail like has been the case in the past with failed attempts to remove the Speaker. But in the wake of the two sides claiming victory, the opposition Congress for Democratic Change is one party that has a big say in the entire process provided its Lawmakers are united in making decision on the issue.
Currently, the CDC has eight Lawmakers in the House of Representatives and a unanimous push by all these Lawmakers on either side of the debate will see a shift in the decision.
Representatives Edward Forh, Saah Joseph, Thomas Fallah, Munah Youngblood, Acarous Gray, Julius Berrian, Bhofal Chambers and Solomon George are all CDC Lawmakers but they are divided when it comes to the removal of Speaker Tyler.
Some have publicly expressed their decision on the matter while others are still mute. Lawmakers Fallah, Gray, Youngblood, Berrian, Forh are known to be on the side of the group pushing to remove Speaker Tyler.
Also, Representatives George and Chambers are staunch supporters of Speaker Tyler’s leadership while Lawmaker Joseph is now the point of controversy after initially signing the resolution to oust the Speaker and later writing a communication rescinding his decision.
Executive Committee’s mandate?
Representative Joseph declared in his letter rescinding his signature from the anti-Tyler resolution that the Executive Committee of the CDC has instructed the party Lawmakers to promote peace rather than disunity, using his revelation about the Executive Committee’s mandate for his decision to withdraw his signature.
Representative Joseph’s letter stated: “Distinguished colleagues, following the affixing of my signature on the above mentioned resolution and having realized that our country needs reconciliation, peace and the working together of all those elected to serve our people more than ever before in the history of our country, especially as we endeavor to achieve the first constitutional transfer of power from one elected government to another; we, as representatives and leaders of the country must be seen working together to attain this goal”.
The Lawmaker continued: “further, a decision was reached at the National Executive Committee of my party (CDC) to the effect that we, CDC Lawmakers, must work towards uniting the Legislature rather than taking position that further divides it.
In view of the aforementioned, I am herewith withdrawing and rescinding my earlier decision and signature from said resolution. I shall avail myself to work with you and our colleagues, including the Speaker to unite the Legislature”.
A day following Representative Joseph’s communication, two CDC Lawmakers rebuffed the statement that the Executive Committee of the party has instructed the party Lawmakers to promote unity rather than disunity by signing the anti-Tyler resolution.
Representative Gray during a phone in talk show said: “My signature on any document is my signature. This is deception and Representative Saah Joseph is one CDC Lawmaker I respect a lot.”
“I am not only disappointed in him but that is a deception because he told the party leadership that he did not sign any document—so to come back and say he is withdrawing his signature—that is a deception and I think the CDC needs to take action”
No dictatorship
Representative Gray claimed that the CDC is not a party of dictatorship where the party or its political leader will decide for its Lawmakers.
“I spoke to the political leader of the CDC, and I can say to you that the CDC through its political leader is not a dictatorial party that will demand.
It’s our constitutional rights and at no point in time the CDC through its political leader George Weah instructed any Lawmaker. He is not a dictator, it’s my constitutional rights”, said Gray.
Representative Fallah, Chairman of the CDC legislative caucus also expressed that the statement by his colleague Joseph about an Executive Committee decision is untrue.
Rep. Fallah said: “I don’t want to use the word false but I think my brother needs to take that back. A meeting was held, Lawmakers’ views were expressed but if you talk about National Executive Committee decision, then it means you need to know the format to such decision.
“As chairman of this caucus, I can tell now that it’s not true”, he said.
Executive Committee to meet
While the saga continues, Mulbah Morlu, Chairman for Operations and Mobilization of the CDC has told FrontPageAfrica that the Executive Committee has been monitoring the situation involving its Lawmakers and will meet today (Thursday) to make a decision.
According to Morlu, the meeting will separate what he termed facts from fictions in the unraveling brouhaha and will proceed to announce details of its decisions.
Morlu Said: “We are optimistic that all sides in the ongoing controversy will conform to the reaffirmed position of the CDC which will be declared tomorrow since they are all cognizant of the fact that a dissent from the mandate of the Party’s NEC is tantamount to grave disciplinary action which the institution will not relent to execute”.
The CDC official also said “Of course, the Party has an indisputably fixed position on this issue consistent with its grassroots revolutionary doctrine regarding the ongoing misgiving, and will clearly interpret that mandate without fear or favor by tomorrow.”
Well-placed CDC sources have hinted that majority members of the CDC executive committee have agreed to reaffirm the Representative Joseph’s earlier revelation that the Party Lawmakers who signed the resolution will be mandated to withdraw their signatures.
One member of the anti-Tyler bloc told FPA that mere pronunciation of withdrawal of signatures is not sufficient to reduce the number of Lawmakers that have already signed the resolution.
According to the source, even if some of the Lawmakers that have signed rescind their signatures once it is not done through the proper means, their signatures remain valid on the resolution.
The letter from Representative Joseph of the CDC has raised more controversies especially the content in which the Lawmaker expressed that he was rescinding his signature from the resolution to oust Speaker Tyler because the Executive Committee of his political party, the CDC, has instructed its Lawmakers to foster unity rather than conflict.
With two Lawmakers, Gray and Fallah already expressing that the CDC is not a dictatorial party for the Executive Committee to impose on its Lawmakers, any decision from the pronounced meeting by Morlu is likely to further inflame the situation.
A decision infavor of ousting Tyler could be resisted by CDC Lawmakers opposed to the plan while a decision the other way could also face opposition from the pro Tyler Lawmakers.
Political parties’ involvement
The involvement of the CDC in the ongoing saga is an indication that the quest to remove Speaker Tyler is now taking a trend where political parties are influencing their Lawmakers and imposing on them which way to go.
Representative Richmond Anderson of the Liberty Party declared in his letter that the party Legislative caucus has asked him to head the struggle to remove the Speaker in an attempt to redeem the Legislature.
Stated Representative Anderson: “I have the honor to present my compliments to you and members of the Committee to remove Honorable Alex J. Tyler as Speaker of the House of Representatives for his alleged role in the Global Witness saga and wish to express my deepest appreciation to you and Committee members including the Liberty Party Legislative Caucus for your kind request that I head the struggle to remove the Speaker in an effort to redeem the honor of the Legislature.
This request, as you know, was accepted in good faith with the appending of my signature. I wish to thank you for the confidence reposed in my ability and integrity”.
Speaker Tyler was indicted by a Special Presidential Task Force headed by the former Chairman of the Liberty Party, Cllr. Fonati Koffa.
Speaker Tyler has already accused President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of involvement in the plot to unseat him and Senator George Weah could prove very important in the entire saga.
Senator Weah as political leader of the CDC wields some level of influence over the party Lawmakers and his stance will be a defining moment in the Speaker Tyler removal battle.
With the Liberty Party allegedly supporting the removal Speaker Tyler was indicated by Representative Anderson’s letter and a good number of Unity Party Lawmakers also in line with the removal plan CDC Lawmakers are very important to the debate.