The Liberian Senate on Thursday, June 28, 2012 overwhelmingly reaffirmed their decision not to do business with acting Monrovia City Mayor, Madam Mary T. Broh. The Liberian Senate reaffirmed decision comes on the heels of a formal letter of apology by Madam Broh.
Madam Broh alias the "General" in her letter dated June 26, 2012 and addressed to Senate Pro-Tempore Gbehzohngar M. Findley and members of the Senate, begged the Senate for forgiveness for her failure no to appear before plenary on June 5, 2012 when she was summoned in connection with the incident involving her(Broh) and an employee of the Liberian Senate, Madam T. Nancy Gaye in Monrovia.
Said Madam Broh in her letter: "Dear Honorable Senators, please accept my esteem compliment. On May 25, 2012 while supervising a cleaning exercise at the corners of Ashmun and Mechlin Streets, unfortunate situations occurred between me and Ms. Nancy T. Gaye, Assistant to Senator John Ballout of Maryland. I received a letter from the Honorable Senate inviting me to appear before the Plenary of the Liberian Senate on June 5, 2012 to explain what had occurred."
She stated: "I deeply regret my failure not to appear before your honorable body due to ailment for which I was admitted and receiving medical treatment at the John F. Kennedy Medical Hospital." She furthered: "Esteem gentlemen and honorable members of the Liberian Senate, as a citizen who respects value for constitutional authority, I would do nothing to cause disrespect for your honorable body."
The embattled acting Monrovia City Mayor added: "I am most kindly appealing in the spirit of reconciliation and national unity that this august body accepts my sincere apology for what was clearly misreading of signals between the Capitol Building and the City Hall. May I assure of my continuous dedications and devotion to duty as we move our country forward to brighter and noble destiny."
But the Senate stated that "General" Broh has no right to discuss her vote of no confidence with the Liberian Senate because the matter is now between the Executive and the Senate. The august body pointed out that "General" Broh's expressed remorse for the apparent disrespect to constituted authority was not apologetic enough because it came three weeks after the Senate made the decision, and as such, any apology is belated and out rightly rejected.
Accordingly, a motion out rightly rejecting Madam Broh's letter was seized by Margibi County Senator Clarice Jah, who presided over Thursday's session. Her action made the session to end prematurely. However, President Pro-Tempore Findley, who was not in session during the debate over "General" Broh's controversial letter of apology in a later comment said the issue would be reintroduced in Plenary Tuesday, July 3, 2012.
Plenary is the highest decision body of the Liberian Senate. It can be recalled that on Tuesday, June 5, 2012, the plenary of the Liberian Senate cast a vote of no confidence in the embattled mayor. The plenary voted overwhelmingly to reach the decision. The plenary reached the decision after "General" Broh failed to appear before it. The embattled acting mayor cited illness as reason for which she did not appear before the Liberian Senate.
The Plenary of the Liberian Senate had summoned Madam Broh to appear before it primarily in connection with an incident involving her(Madam Broh) and Madam Gaye in Monrovia. Few weeks ago, Madam Gay, who is the Special Assistant to Maryland County Senator John Ballout, wrote a formal communication to the Liberian Senate, seeking its intercession over the incident in which she was slapped by "General" Broh.
Ms. Gaye in her communication dated May 30, 2012 and addressed to the Senate Pro-Tempore of the Liberian Senate accused the Monrovia acting city mayor of violating her basic human rights and lose of properties during scuffle with the acting city mayor recently on Mechlin Street, Monrovia.
Ms. Gaye said: "I present my compliments and write to complain about the incident that occurred between Madam Mary Broh, the Acting City Mayor of Monrovia and myself on Friday, May 25, 2012 during which I was assaulted by the Mayor resulting into injuries and the lost of my personal properties and cash."
During the scuffle with the embattled Mayor, Ms. Gaye claimed that she lost her hand bag which had cash, HTC Cell phone and other valuables, including her car key, an incident that she said, left her stranded without transportation. "General" Broh, quoted by the Daily Observer Newspaper admitted that she indeed slapped Madam Gaye. But she was quick to point out that she slapped the Senate's employee because she (Senate's employee) allegedly provoked her during street clearing exercises in Monrovia.
"She insulted me and I had to teach her a lesson as a mother," the Daily Observer further quoted the embattled Mayor in a telephone interview it held with her on Monday, May 28, 2012. The Plenary wanted the acting mayor to provide legal justifications for her 'actions' against Madam Gaye as well as her continued 'rebel behavior' against some residents of the city.
Members of the Liberian Senate had since expressed outrage over Madam Broh 'actions'. Accordingly, the excuse by Madam Broh angered members of the Liberian Senate, with several of them questioning the legitimacy of the acting city mayor's excuse. Maryland County Senator Dan Morias argued before the senate that the [sick] excuse by Madam Broh was not accompanied by a medical report and thus must not be accepted by the Liberian Senate.
His position was further buttressed by Grand Kru County Senator Cletus S. Wotorson, who informed the senate of his intelligence that Madam Broh told friends that she would not appear before the senate. But Nimba County Senator Prince Y. Johnson said a vote of no confidence was the only option in addressing the disrespect the embattled acting city mayor has shown the senate by failing to appear before them.
For his part, Grand Bassa County Senator John Whitfield described Madam Broh as an 'anarchist working under the guise of being a city mayor.' He said Madam Broh has portrayed herself as a "lord unto herself" and it was time for the Senate to deal with the issue. Senator Whitfield said any attempt by President Johnson-Sirleaf to intervene in a bid to prevent the Senate's action, would amount to 'aiding and abetting' and thus an 'accomplice of Madam Broh's crime'.
Addressing a press conference recently, the President Pro-Tempore of the Liberian Senate again stated that President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf must act quickly on the Senate Vote of No Confidence cast in Madam Broh. Senate Pro-Tempore Findley pointed out that the vote of no confidence cast in Madam Broh, alias the "General", must be implemented by President Johnson-Sirleaf.
Although the Senate took the decision while the President was attending a state visit in the United States of America (USA), the Grand Bassa County Senator said that she was immediately informed through the Senate Secretariat regarding the Senate's decision to replace "General" Broh as the acting Monrovia City Mayor. He said the Senate wil be forced to take other tougher measure like budgetary strangulation for the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) if the chief executive maintains the embattled acting Monrovia City Mayor. He added that no citizen will disrespect the Liberian Senate and go scot free, let alone a city mayor.
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