Monrovia — The President Pro Tempore of the Liberian Senate, Senator Albert Tugbe Chie, has called for more legislative oversight of the executive and judiciary. Speaking at the opening of the second segment of the 6th session of the 54th Legislature, Senator Chie stressed that it is important to reflect on the role of the legislature and meet the high expectations of the people, especially as the country approaches the general and presidential elections in October.

Senator Chie expressed gratitude to the National Elections Commission (NEC) for overseeing the Biometric Voters Registration (BVR) Process, which was successful due, largely, to the involvement of citizens in sensitizing them on the impact their vote will make to enhance the democratic process. However, Senator Chie noted that the final results of the BVR process may not be what they anticipate in some of the counties due to the challenges of having limited centers far away from towns and villages, and the inability of many citizens to reach voting centers that are miles away.

Cognizant of elections being a nationally owned process, Senator Chie called for more financial assistance from local and international partners to buttress the efforts of increasing these centers in enabling easy access for rural citizens to register without the torment of traveling far to locate centers in order to register.

He further emphasized that while the cardinal role of the legislator in all parts of the world is to make law, other expectations of African lawmakers are quite different from those in the Western world. He called for more awareness and sensitization on the role of a legislator to reduce the burden of public expectation on lawmakers to build roads, bridges, schools, clinics, and other social amenities.

The Senate Pro-Tempore stressed the need for more legislative oversight on the executive and judiciary, saying that the legislature will continue to play the role designated for them as their employers. However, he noted that significant financial resources are required to play that role, most of which is appropriated in the national budget and has to be paid from the national treasury, in accordance with the law.