Capitol Hill, Monrovia – Bong County Electoral District #6 Consultant Moima Briggs-Mensah has strongly criticized President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and Home Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon for departing the nation with out formally notifying the Legislature of their respective overseas engagements.
By Emmanuel Weedee-Conway
President Boakai is presently attending the West Africa Financial Summit in Abuja, Nigeria—a three-day gathering of West African presidents, authorities officers, buyers, and enterprise leaders geared toward strengthening regional economies and selling funding alternatives.
Speaker Koon, in the meantime, is reportedly on a working go to to neighboring Guinea. Nonetheless, each high-ranking officers are being seen as “absent with out official go away” (AWOL) by some lawmakers, as no prior communication was introduced to the Home of Representatives in regards to the objective or particulars of their journeys.
Elevating the difficulty through the miscellaneous portion of Thursday’s session, Rep. Briggs-Mensah described the absence of formal notification as an indication of gross disrespect to the Legislature.
“Mr. Speaker, we’re right here reprimanding colleagues for not attending session, however the Speaker himself left with out informing Plenary,” she mentioned. “I additionally noticed {a photograph} of the President touring with a 14-man delegation, but there’s been no written communication submitted to this physique. As we communicate, Plenary has not acquired any official discover.”
Briggs-Mensah emphasised that prime authorities officers, particularly the President and Speaker, ought to lead by instance with regards to upholding public service requirements and respecting the Legislature’s function.
Responding to the issues, Deputy Speaker Thomas P. Fallah, who presided over the session in Speaker Koon’s absence, disclosed that the Workplace of the Chief Clerk had acquired a communication in regards to the Speaker’s journey, albeit belatedly.
“We’ve simply been knowledgeable that the communication concerning the Speaker’s departure has come to the Chief Clerk. She has it now,” Deputy Speaker Fallah famous, prompting laughter from lawmakers and a spherical of the favored slogan, “Gbaku, you robust!”
The problem has sparked issues amongst some legislators in regards to the want for higher coordination and respect for legislative procedures, significantly when senior authorities officers journey overseas.
