Lawmakers from the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) including House Speaker Bhofal Chambers Friday, 26 April boycotted the funeral rite of Montserrado County District#15 fallen Representative Adolph A. Lawrence, at the Sacred Heart’s Cathedral in Monrovia.
The ruling Coalition and the opposition Liberty Party had fiercely contested for supremacy at state funeral organized for the deceased at the Capitol Thursday, disrupting the occasion much to the disappointment of sympathizers and friends, Legislators, members of the diplomatic corps and other foreign guests.
The widow of the fallen lawmaker, Grand Bassa County Senator Nyonblee Karnga Lawrence was left with no alternative, but immediately instructed that her husband’s body be taken to his district in Logan Town, a Monrovia suburb instead, effectively canceling the funeral at the Capitol.
Bomi County District #1 Representative Edwin M. Snowe, Jr., describes the scene last Thursday at the Capitol as “embarrassing.”
Many ordinary Liberians blame the authorities here, particularly the leadership of the House of Representatives headed by Speaker Bhofal Chambers, for losing grip of what was supposed to be a State funeral, allowing it to have degenerated to a political battle between the governing CDC and the opposition LP.
At the Church funeral organized with the family held in the Sacred Heart’s Cathedral in Monrovia, the conspicuous absence of top level government officials, including CDC Standard Bearer, President George Manneh Weah, Speaker Chambers, Montserrado County Legislative Caucus Chair Representative Thomas Fallah, and the ruling Coalition Chairman, Mulbah K. Morlu raised a lot of concerns amongst sympathizers and friends.
Many wondered how could the ruling Coalition which had vehemently contested to take charge of State funeral of its fallen member just a day earlier at the Capitol, be conspicuously absent the next day at his Church funeral.
However, in a tribute on behalf of the House of Representatives, Deputy Speaker Prince K. Moye notes, the late Rep. Lawrence was a good man and a floor fighter, and he will be missed by his colleagues in the House.
He recalls that the late Rep. Lawrence was always pushing for the rights of the Liberian people, lamenting that the House of Representatives of the 54th Legislature has lost a great man.
In 2011, the late Representative Adolph A. Lawrence was overwhelmingly elected on the ticket of the CDC by the people of District# 15 to represent them in the 53rd Legislature. Due to his level of work in the district, in 2017 he got re-elected thru the CDC.
He served as Chairperson of the House Committee on Hydro Carbon and a member of the committee on Claims and Petitions up to his death.
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But since the inception of this government, he became a strong critic of President George Weah and House Speaker Bhofal Chambers to the place that many days he was thrown out of session by the Speaker of his stance on national issues.
The late Representative Adolph A. Lawrence died in a car crash on the early morning of March 25, 2019 near Tower Hill community along the Robertsfield highway enroute to Monrovia from celebrating his 50th birthday with his now widow, Senator Nyonblee Karnga in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County. By Bridgette Milton–Editing by Jonathan Browne
