Legislative staffers have threatened to stage a protest against a planned endorsement of Representative Thomas Fallah for his bid to contest in the Montserrado County Senatorial election this December.
The endorsement is scheduled to take place on the grounds of the Capitol Building. Mr. Fallah is the senatorial candidate on the ticket of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) for the 8 December 2020 special senatorial election.
Addressing a group of reporters Wednesday, 26 August, the chairperson of the Legislative staffers Charles Brown said that until the both houses can address the issues of the Liberian dollars component of their salaries, no lawmaker should go on the grounds of the Capitol for any endorsement.
He warns that there will be a serious resistance, noting that they have been informed that a group wants to endorse the senatorial bid of Rep. Fallah.
Mr. Brown indicates that if any group dares to do so, there will be serious violence on Capitol Hill, stressing that Fallah is the head of the Ways, Means and Finance at the House of Representatives and he’s in favor of the staffers salaries being cut.
“There has never been a day that Rep. Fallah will advocate for us whenever the National Budget reaches the Legislature. For the past weeks now, we have been complaining [about] our salaries being cut off, not a single day that Rep. Fallah has gotten down from his car to talk to us and hear our plea,” Brown.
“We will protest against his endorsement any day that it will be held here,” Charles notes. The staffers’ chairperson adds that until their money is restored, not even Senator Abraham Darius Dillon’s endorsement will be allowed on the grounds of the Capitol.
However, he stresses on Rep. Fallah, saying that the CDC lawmaker along with Rep. Jeremiah Koung and Senator Morris Saytumah, are the reason why legislative staffers are struggling with their salaries.
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Charles explains that it is the constitutional right for any citizen to endorse their candidate, but notes that Rep. Fallah has caused more harm for the legislative staffers and yet some of the staffers want to endorse his candidacy.
The aggrieved staffers have been calling on the Legislature to reinstate their salaries that have been cut off for one year. Staffers at the House of Representatives were reported to have complained of not receiving their gas benefits for over six months. Brown notes that until these issues are addressed, no endorsement will take place at the Capitol.
By Ethel A Tweh–Edited by Winston W. Parley
