Bong County District #6 Representative Moima Briggs-Mensah has launched a scathing attack on the leadership of the House of Representatives to reject continued use of "yea and nay" voting on major national instruments and accused the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of undermining legislative debate and transparency.
Arguing her case during a plenary of the third quarter of the 55th Legislature on Tuesday, Briggs-Mensah said the procedure is inappropriate for high-level legislation and places Liberia's Legislature in conflict with international parliamentary standards.
"You can control the floor and get the vote, but you cannot do that with 'Ye and Ni,"' she told colleagues. "We can't continue with this 'Ye and Ni' because it is embarrassing us."
The Bong County lawmaker wondered how Liberia can credibly engage in ECOWAS and all other international parliamentary activities when major national instruments are passed without full debate or transparent voting. She called on the House to adopt open headcount voting of critical legislation, noting that such a practice aligns with ECOWAS and broader international parliamentary norms.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
Briggs-Mensah mentioned the proposed amendment to the Revenue Code as one of the legislations that must not be railroaded through the House. "How will we do a Revenue Code amendment with 'yea and nay'? We can't," she insisted, saying the measure needs full debate and transparent voting.
In a defiant address, she vowed to resist any attempt to pass the amendment under the current procedure. "Speaker, you just need to do the right thing," she declared. "I am saying the right thing, and you will have to drag me out of here today. As long as I am in this Chamber, this shall not pass today."
However, she also cast blame at Deputy Speaker Thomas P. Fallah for being in effect "running the House." "You can't remove me from the position you placed me in. Take your position in the committee and go ahead. I will not die for you. It is you who is running this place."
The comments by Briggs-Mensah are an indication of the rise of tensions among legislators in the House regarding the procedures of lawmaking, debate, and voting standards.
Acting in support of her stance, Maryland County's representative, Anthony Williams, also condemned the House and the Ministry of Internal Affairs for their inability to present a statutory report regarding the development projects that had taken place in the 73 districts in Liberia from the year 2024 to 2025.
"The National Legislature approved the National Budget for the year 2024 without having one single report coming from the Ministry every quarter. This is unacceptable in the sense that we have not gotten a comprehensive report regarding the years 2024 and 2025 even as we move towards the year 2026," Williams cited.
He revealed that his insistence on the Ministry's appearance before the Legislature with a detailed, district-by-district report, supported by pictorial evidence of completed projects across all 15 counties, was what led to the abrupt closure of a recent House session.
"What we want is transparency," Williams said, arguing that sans their district development initiatives, the Executive Branch would have little to show in rural Liberia.
The Maryland County Legislator explained that lawmakers are constantly being asked questions by constituents concerning government projects in their districts, while superintendents and the Ministry of Internal Affairs go largely unscrutinized.
He also berated recent changes to the local governance framework, which he said means that local authorities report only to the Minister of Internal Affairs, effectively sidelining lawmakers from useful oversight. Although amendments to the Office of the Joint Management - OJM - allow legislators to sit on committees, Williams said they have no voting power because the law is not in full effect.
Williams has described the situation as a "political safari" and has accused county councils and their superintendents of acting without accountability; he warned that if the older mechanisms of oversight cannot work, lawmakers will hold the Minister of Internal Affairs directly accountable.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Williams further expressed concerns over delays in constitutional review despite a public call for reform by President Joseph Boakai.
Representative Williams said that from 2024, there have been no concrete steps taken by any of the institutions that could see reforms in the country, such as the Law Reform Commission and the Governance Commission. Citing outdated constitutional provisions, including references to the defunct People's Redemption Council and ambiguity on legislative qualification, he called for either a comprehensive review or a complete rewriting of the Constitution.
"This is not the Speaker's house or anyone's private property," Williams insisted, stressing that lawmakers have every right to challenge any presiding officer who weakened the standards binding their actions.
He ended by reiterating his commitment to serving the interests of ordinary Liberians, especially those in the most underserved districts, by implementing principles of accountability, transparency, and legal reform in his actions
