Conducting Mary Broh’s Confirmation – Process With Reasoning, Not Sentiments

Over the weekend, an Executive Mansion release quoting President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, announced the nomination of former Monrovia Acting City Mayor, Mary Broh as Director General of the General Service Agency or GSA pending confirmation by the Liberian Senate. The nomination is the third following her twice by the Senate. Barely two months ago, was the former Acting Mayor of Monrovia rejected for the second time by the Senate after being re-nominated to the same post upon initially failing confirmation for the mayoral post.

As Acting Mayor of Monrovia, Mary Broh, however, fell short of the “blessing” of the Liberian Legislature when she ran into trouble with the House of Representatives after she forcibly obstructed the ‘power of contempt of the House by preventing the detention of former Montserrado County Superintendent Grace Kpan at the Monrovia Central Prison.  Characterizing her trouble by the House of Representatives was a declaration of the Acting Mayor as a “non-governmental material”.

On Monday, September 9, a communication to the Liberian Senate from President Sirleaf nominating Mary Broh was read in Plenary and subsequently forwarded to committee room headed by Senator Jewel Howard-Taylor of Bong County for consultation and hearings.

Reports emanating from Capitol Hill suggest that a few Legislators, most especially Members of the House of Representatives are vowing to resist the confirmation of Mary Broh as Director General of the GSA. Some have already begun making public their intentions. While the House of Representatives may have had and continue to have qualms with  Mayor Broh, declaring her a “non-governmental material” is the prerogative of the court system of Liberia and not any else who  would find it difficult to “cast the first stone”.

While we are all knowledgeable about the attitude of the former Monrovia City Mayor, we must all amalgamate our efforts toward transforming such violent attitude, other than the path on which members of the House of Representatives are thriving. We think there is a way forward toward a common-ground- something we sincerely encourage President Pro Tempore J. Milton Findley and members of the Liberian Senate to do in the interest of peace and development. As ‘House of Elders’,  the Liberian Senate must exercise the wisdom of elders in engaging the House of Representatives in seeing reason to reconsider its  radical  position on Mary Broh.

It is no secret among Liberians that Mary Broh has, for the last eight years, worked excellently to transform the Division of Passports and Visas at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the operations at the National Port Authority; as well as the Division of Vital Statistics at the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, among others, not only to our admiration as Liberians and foreign nationals, but the very members of the Liberian Legislature. With the unquestionable and indelible marks left by her at the Foreign Ministry, NPA and Health Ministry, we are of the fervent belief that the General Service Agency under Mary Broh as Director General would be a transformed government agency- its mandate will be fully implemented without fear or favor.

We can only crave for the Senate’s indulgence of Madam Mary Broh as Director General of the GSA. We are also of the strongest conviction that at the GSA, there would be a change in our ATTITUDE, provided members of the Liberian Legislature, through the respective committees responsible for public corporations and autonomous agencies, will constructively engage her in an attempt to change her negative attitude. It is our hope and prayer that the Liberian Senate will handle the confirmation of the Director General of the GSA not with sentiments, but openness in the interest of Liberia.