Monrovia — Opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) has accused the ruling Unity Party (UP) of allegedly manipulating members of the House of Representatives into ousting House Speaker J Fonati Koffa.
The CDC condemns the alleged abortive attempt by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai's Unity Party administration to criminally manipulate lawmakers to oust Speaker Koffa.
"The CDC notes that this is the third abortive orchestration at removing Speaker Koffa since the UP lost the bid for Speakership in January 2024," a statement dated 20 October under the signature of CDC chairman Atty. Janga A. Kowo said.
The party vehemently condemned the Unity Party, accusing the ruling party of allegedly abusing public resources to bribe lawmakers into instigating a legislative coup against the Speaker.
The party claimed that since the commencement of school in September this year, tens of thousands of Liberians do not have money to enroll their children due to extreme economic hardship.
The immediate past ruling party argued that the UP Government is struggling to pay Government workers on time.
The CDC also alleged that the UP Government has been unable to make payments for goods and services to Government ministries and agencies.
It also accused the government of not identifying the resources required to increase civil servant salaries to pre-Harmonization levels, if this is ever possible.
In the midst of these allegations, the CDC noted that the dishing out of more than US$ 1.2 million ... is at best a flagrant disregard and disrespect for public outrage against corruption.
At worst, the CDC described it as a criminal conspiracy worthy of
a serious investigation by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).
"The CDC observes that the Unity Party's unending quest to capture the Speakership at ALL AND ANY COST betrays its abhorrence of the critical democratic balance now existing at the legislature in which the ruling party heads the Senate, and an opposition party leads the House of Representatives," the statement said.
The CDC notes that such balance is an established feature in mature democracies.
It suggested that it must be ensconced and maintained in the crucible of legislative politics if the country is to pursue and achieve critical public interests and goals germane to the fight against corruption.
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The CDC enjoined all members of the national opposition community the responsibility to support its call to rally to the defense of Speaker Koffa.
"As members of Liberia's opposition sworn to uphold the public trust by keeping the Government's feet to the fire, the surest way of upholding such public trust is to maintain legislative parity in the crafting of the National Budget and the oversight of budget execution," the opposition party noted.
It contended that Liberians in 2023 voted for this outcome to ensure the ruling party did not have the numerical advantage to control both Houses of the legislature.
"Let us not, as members of the opposition community, countenance the illicit age-old and die-hard practice of exerting the influence of the 'imperial presidency' to subvert the electoral wishes of our people for legislative equilibrium by illegally wasting public money on lawmakers. This moment requires our collective outrage!"
To the CDC lawmakers whose signatures were seen on the resolution to unseat the Speaker, the CDC called on them to submit to the party's mandate and the wishes of its partisans to stand with the Speaker.
"To the extent, there are differences and divergences of viewpoints or perspectives impinging on the supposed actions or behavior of the speaker or his performance, we must repair to the institutional mechanisms of the CDC Legislative Caucus and the National Executive Committee to address such matters," the statement continued.
The CDC believes it should never be a party to restoring the historical gargoyle of the imperial presidency by undoing itself.
To address these grave national concerns, the CDC said it will convene a major meeting at noon on Monday, October 21, at its headquarters. Edited by Othello B. Garblah.
