Pres. Sirleaf, lawmakers brainstorm on economy

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has attended a joint retreat with members of the House of Representatives and the Liberian Senate on the current state of the economy. President Sirleaf told lawmakers in the William Richard Tolbert Joint Chambers of the Liberian Legislature that the brainstorming is intended to detail the bad shape of the economy and how the situation could be handled technically.

Addressing lawmakers, cabinet ministers and members of the diplomatic corps on Thursday, the Liberian leader said the economy is in a terrible shape and the forum was expedient to discuss possible remedies.
She pointed out that the meeting under the banner “Retreat with the legislature” is also to discuss the nation’s transformation agenda for the years to come.
House Speaker J. Emmanuel Nuquay said, members of the Liberian Legislature are interested in helping to reshape the economic status of the country and that the retreat was necessary.
He was optimistic the retreat will yield needed results for the forward march of the country. “This retreat is about how we all can share thoughts and improve it. I think the legislature is prepared in any way that can be a help in revising the situation,” the Speaker said.
Prior to Thursday’s forum, members of the Liberian Senate went in total disarray when Senate President Pro- Tempore ArmahJallah announced that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf had written Speaker J. Emmanuel Nuquay for a joint legislative retreat, and that the letter addressed to the Speaker, was also intended for members of the senate.
Pro-Tempore Jallah protested in the chambers of the Senate that the President only wrote the speaker, neither him nor the plenary of the senate for the retreat. Many of the senators termed the action of the President’s as an ‘affront’ especially, as members of the upper House.
It has become a tradition that the President writes the two chambers separately on issues of national concerns.
Following the official opening of the retreat, reporters and members of the public were asked to leave the working session for the lawmakers and officials of the executive branch.
The forum brought together President Sirleaf, Vice President Joseph Boakai, Speaker Nuquay, Senate President Pro-Tempore ArmahJallah and members of the legislature, among others.