-- Apparent renovations have begun in the Joint Chamber, where the majority bloc has been holding meetings.
The crisis in the House of Representatives has intensified following the reported vandalization of the Joint Chamber where the majority bloc has been convening since the group embarked on a campaign to remove Speaker J. Fonati Koffa.
The disarray in the chambers, which included over 500 chairs uprooted, created further tension among lawmakers and staff at the Capitol on Monday as they met the chambers during the early morning hours reportedly vandalized by unknown people.
The Joint Chamber, serving as a venue for joint business between the House and Senate, has become a focal point in the leadership dispute. The majority bloc, led by Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah, has been holding contentious "sessions" there, while calling for Speaker Koffa's removal over corruption and conflicts of interest allegations.
Speaker Koffa denounced these gatherings as illegitimate and called for proper processes, but a ruling by Justice-in-Chambers Yamie Gbeisay allowed them to proceed, though the Speaker took an exception and is reportedly seeking the intervention of the Full Bench of the Supreme Court.
The reported vandalism is another twist into this political tussle as both groups seek to establish power and legitimacy over the other.
According to the Liberian Constitution, the joint chamber serves as the venue for both the House and Senate to conduct joint business, typically presided over by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. This space is commonly used for key events, including the President's annual message--known as the State of the Nation Address--and budget review sessions by joint budget committees.
The ransacking of the Joint Chamber occurred amid ongoing modernization efforts within the House, including renovations in the main chamber and potential maintenance work in the Joint Chamber. President Joseph Nyuma Boakai is expected to deliver his state of the nation's address in January.
We Remain Undeterred
The Majority Bloc condemned the act, terming it as a desperate move by the Speaker to undermine their authority.
The head of the group, Rep. Samuel Korgar, in a statement accused the Speaker and his men of being behind the clear act of lawlessness exhibited at the Capitol.
"The Speaker and his group of desperate collaborators have once again demonstrated gross misbehavior that has cost them the trust and confidence of the people," Korgar said. "Their actions only deepen further public frustration and distrust. It reinforces the need for a leadership change to ensure the house remains focused on serving the nation's interests."
The group said its members are committed to the rule of law and democratic principles, "reaffirm their resolve to continue with legislative proceedings undeterred by these tactics," Korgar noted. "Such unlawful action only strengthens our commitment to upholding the mandate given us by the Liberian people and our desire to restore trust, honor and decency to the honorable House."
While concerns were raised about the incident impacting the leadership crisis, House Modernization Committee Chair Rep. Priscilla Abram Cooper suggested the chair upheaval is related to ongoing renovation plans.
"As Chair on Modernization of the 55th House of Representatives, with the 2024 budget, the House of Representatives approved a Modernization plan which includes renovation of our main chambers, the joint chamber, and the construction of a new leadership building on the grounds of the capitol," Cooper said in a statement on Monday, dispelling any political tone behind the move. "On July 15, 2024, a contract was signed and approved by the chair of the Judiciary [committee] for the work to be done. Completion of the house chamber and the joint chamber is scheduled for the annual message.
"The full plenary is aware, as indicated by Hon. Foday Fahnbulleh [a member of the majority bloc] in his interview of November 7 on spoon network. When demolition work started in the main chamber, nobody claimed vandalism," Rep. Cooper noted.
She indicated that the contractor has taken control of the joint chambers and will continue work on schedule, which will include the installation of elevators for the first time since the civil war.
"This is not an issue of politics but safety," she said.
The Senate leadership has not officially responded to the incident, but Senator J. Gbleh-Bo Brown, Chairman of the Senate Rules, Order and Administration committee, noted that he was unaware of any renovation allocations for the Joint Chambers.
But normally, as per tradition, Brown noted that the Joint Chambers, as well as the rotunda of the Capitol Building, are jointly renovated by the both houses, and that no one side can do that unilaterally.
"So at the moment as Chair on Rules and Order, there are no plans now for the two houses to renovate or to do some work there," the Maryland County Senator said. "Currently we're not doing any work on the joint chambers, we have plans to do our own building, the old building and the new building, the renovation has not started yet."
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The Senator indicated that the procurement works are on, but a contractor has not been selected yet. However, he noted, the Procurement department of the Senate and Public Works are doing the screening of those who submitted dates so as soon as the technical team completes its work in evaluating the dates.
"We will announce the winner and then we'll award the contracts in line with the Public Procurement and Concession Commission law. The Ministers of Finance and Justice, and everybody will come and sign a contract," Senator Brown said. "At the moment, there's no contract. As chair of rules and order of the Liberian Senate, the Senate was not involved in any work or other thing."
The timing of this incident coincided with an expected visit from an ECOWAS parliamentary delegation, led by Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Memounatou Ibrahima. The delegation is expected to hold discussions with key stakeholders to help find a resolution to the ongoing leadership impasse in the House of Representatives.
