Monrovia — Cllr. Joseph K. Jallah Tuesday finally filled the vacancy of Lofa County Tuesday when he was inducted by the Liberian Senate, vowing to usher in an era of peace and reconciliation following the end of a tribal-sensitive by-election.
In his address as the second senator of Lofa after Senator Steve Zargo, Cllr. Jallah spoke broadly of confronting Lofa's most pressing needs.
He portrayed himself as a unifier who has been grounded by his upbringing in the county, and influenced by the traditions of the county. "I will be focusing on uniting Lofa County rather than going after people who opposed to my election as senator. Lofa County is all we have as a people," he Cllr. Jallah, who won the by-election in Lofa County to fill the void of former defense minister Brownie Samukai.
In a 31-minute speech, Cllr. Jallah said: "Your priorities are my priorities, and right now, that means fighting for the development of Lofa County."
He thanked members of the Coalition for Democratic Change, particularly Monsterrado County representative Thomas Fallah, Mr. Moses Kollie of the Liberia Civil Aviation Authority, Monrovia City Mayor Jefferson Koijee, Liberia's Comptroller General Janga Kowo, Assistants and Deputy Ministers hailing from the county for their roles played in his election.
He also lauded opposition senators, such as Abraham Darius Dillon of Monsterrado County, Jonathan Sebwe of Rivergee County and Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence for courage to congratulate him despite going to Lofa County to campaign against his election.
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The new senator was sworn in at 12:00 pm in the Chambers of the Liberian Senate.
For his part Senate Pro Tempore, Albert Chie, described Senator Jallah as an end-product of a series of events which occurred after the 2020 Special Senatorial Elections in respect of the Lofa County seat.
"On behalf of the Liberian Senate, I welcome Cllr. Joseph K. Jallah as the newest member of the Liberian Senate. I urge all of us to render him the necessary assistance as he adjusts to life in the Legislature," he said.
"So our dear Senator, let me remind you gently that the Legislatüre is a political theatre, no matter your academic and professional background."
"Although we make laws here, but history, records, experience and everyday interaction have shown that all professions count in the lawmaking process. There is so much to learn from colleagues who have been in the Legislature before you."
"Let me conclude by going back to where I started from and re-iterate that the rights of an accused person are protected under the Due Process Principle as enshrined in Article 20 (a) and (b) ofthe Constitution."
"While on this subject, let me announce that the Senate is currently working on a proposed acts to establish corruption courts and regional appellate courts, within the confines of the Constitution, to ensure that the accused get speedy trial. This will help cool down the nerves of some in the public sphere calling for suspension of accused persons without final determination of the matter by the court and those who want to see justice but without violation of the rights of the accused."
