Some members of the House of Representatives have vowed not to attend session until their concerns can be addressed by the House of Representatives.On Tuesday, 15 January, six Representatives in persons of Jay Nagbe Sloh of Sinoe; Beyan D. Howard of Lofa; Thomas Goshua and Vincent S. T. Willie of Grand Bassa; Adolph A. Lawrence and Yekeh Y. Kolubah of Montserrado requested plenary for suspension of the House’s agenda for for an executive session.
The six lawmakers say in a communication to the plenary that their request was based on the urgent need for the House to discuss a number of very pertinent issues that affect the smooth operation of the House of Representatives.They indicate that these issues also severely impact the delivery of services to their people and they will not participate in any discussion that precedes the requested executive session for that matter.
Mr. Sloh describes Speaker Bhofal Chambers as incompetent and cannot lead 73 people, warning that this is not about Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) issue.But after reading the communication, ruling party Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) Rep. Acarous Moses Gray made a motion that the communication be open in the public because they did not have anything to hide.
When the motion was seconded and the floor turned over to Rep. Sloh, he said what they wanted to discuss issues concerning the House of Representatives and not for the public.But Rep. Gray insisted that there was nothing spelt out in the communication for plenary to go to executive.
Gray argues that if you want to advert to executive, the issue must be spelt out to know why plenary is going to executive. He continues that there is no need to go to executive.Also speaking, Rep. Adolph A. Lawrence says for the past seven years that he has been at the Capitol, it is his first time for issue that affects members to be discussed in the public.
After few minutes of arguments among lawmakers, a motion was made by Rep. Gray that the communication should be dismissed and don’t return since the lawmakers did not want to talk in the public.In an interview with Rep. Sloh after session, he says they want to know what is happening to duty free gas that they don’t receive it for the past month.
According to Sloh, they want explanation over who is receiving the gas, saying when Speakers Chambers was a common lawmaker, he put up a bill calling for the standardization of salaries and benefits of the Speakers, Deputy Speaker of the House.
However, Sloh observes that today, Chambers’ budget is 15 time more than what members of the House are earning.He argues that they all are Representatives and they are equal.Rep. Sloh laments that when they passed the budget, Speaker Chambers told them that the Executive was not willing to give them cars.At the same time, he says they were given option to either take the cars or the Legislative support project.He says they are demanding that their cars be delivered to the Capitol.
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By Bridgett Milton–Edited by Winston W. Parley
