Liberia News: Lawmaker Angry Over Staffing Imbalance at HOR

Liberia– Serious staffing imbalance at the House of Representatives (HOR) has angered and claimed the attention of some lawmakers with some of them describing it unjust and discriminatory treatment that should not be allowed or encouraged in the first place.

The imbalance is such that some lawmakers have two staffers while others are boasting of about four to five staffers, or more. It is gathered that all lawmakers, from the Senate to the House of Representatives, are required to employ about fifteen staffers both at the main office or central administration, and local office.

One lawmaker growling against such unfair and unjust practice is Representative Nyahn G. Flomo of District 2, Nimba County, who in a letter of August 30 to House Speaker Cllr. J. Fornati Koffa painted an alarming picture of disparities in the staffing allocations that, according to him, is a violation of both the Constitution of Liberia and the rules of the House.

Rep. Flomo, a journalist by profession, in his letter minced no words in expressing discontent over “the blatant violation of the plenary’s agreement.”

He reminded Speaker Koffa of a previous decision by plenary that each member of the House of Representatives would have the opportunity to recommend one person for employment at the Central Administration following a staff clean-up and retirement exercise.

Statistics provided show breakdown of Representatives with more staffers than the others.

For example, Rep. Ellen A. Wreh, Rep. Marie Johnson, Clarence Gahr all have staffers each, while Rep. Jerry Yorgbah, Thomas Fallah, Rep. Michael Thomas and Speaker Jonathan Koffa have seven, five, seventeen and fifty-six staffers respectively. Some of the lawmakers with lesser staffers include Rep. Ivan Jones, two staffers, Musa Bility, three staffers, and Twain Gllekia, amongst others. Save

Rep. Flomo said he is shocked over the fact that the agreement was is not being honored.

“14 lawmakers were allocated a disproportionate 64% of the 225 available staff positions, while 19 of his colleagues were left with a mere 8%. This, he argued, represents not only “excessive greed” but also a violation of Liberia’s 1986 Constitution and the rules that govern the House,” Rep. stated in his communication to Speaker, who himself enjoys highest number of staffers in his office.

He cited Chapter 2, Article 5, Subsection (c) of the Constitution which talks about elimination of sectionalism, tribalism, nepotism, and other corrupt practices.

Apart from citing the Organic law of the Republic, Rep. Flomo also drew attention to several House rules, including Rule 40.1, which calls for honesty and transparency among lawmakers, and Rule 44.1, which mandates that members actively oppose corruption and serve as examples in the fight against it.

He informed the Speaker such practice underlines the potential damage it could impugn on the reputation of the House of Representatives if it were to become public.

Rep. Flomo also weighed in on the ongoing disputes with the Civil Service Agency, which has delayed the employment of genuinely recommended staffers, saying it might stem from these internal irregularities.

He called for an immediate resolution to the issue, while at the same time admonished the Speaker to ensure each representative is allocated a minimum of three staff positions.

“I hope that Speaker Koffa’s leadership will address the concerns raised in the letter. As the issue of staff allocations continues to stir debate within the Legislature, many will be watching to see how the leadership responds and whether the House can uphold its commitment to fairness and transparency,” he said.