Liberia News: Speaker Koffa Fails To Appoint Full C’ttees

By Mark N. Mengonfia

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, J. Fonati Koffa yesterday failed to announce full members of statutory and standing committees as promised last week.

The Speaker promised his colleagues last week that he would have appointed all of the committees Today, January 23, 2023 at which time he ( Koffa)  would have done the due diligence of reviewing the Curriculum Vitae (CV) of all of the lawmakers to place them on the right committees.

This promise was not made good because the Speaker said he had not completed the review of all of the lawmakers credentials taking into consideration theproblems relating to committees of that august body.

According to rules 5.1, committees that should have been appointed in full include the chairman ofExecutive, Chairman of Foreign Affairs, Chairman ofJudiciary, Chairman of Ways, Means & Finance, Chairman of Rules, Order & Administration, Chairmanof Public Accounts and Expenditures, Chairman on Gender Equity, Children Development and Social Services, Chairman on Peace, Religion and National Reconciliation.

Others are the chairman of Investment and Concessions, Chairman of Health, Chairman of Youth and Sports, Chairman of Lands, Mines, Natural Resources and Environment, Hydro-carbon,  National Security, Planning and Economic Affairs, Chairman ofPublic Works and Rural Development, and all Co-Chairpersons of Statutory Committees.

Although he failed to make good his words on appointing the full committees and co-chairs, the Speaker named three statutory committees.

Those appointed on other committees include Representatives Marvin Cole and Abu Kamara as Chair and Co-Chair respectively on Rules & Order, for the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Speaker namedTaa Z. Wongbe as Chair and Co-Chair by Richard Nagbe Koon. The Speaker named Emmanuel Dahn and Samuel Enders as Chair and Co-chair respectively on the House’s committee on Executive.

 

Speaker Koffa said, “I am confident that these distinguished individuals will bring their unique skills and perspectives to their respective committees, contributing to the overall success of our legislative agenda.”

The Speaker furthered, “Together, we will work towards building a stronger and more prosperous Liberia.”

As it stands, members of the House lack full leadership in keeping with their rules and most of them are without assigned offices because the LiberianLegislature assigns offices based on the committees appointed to them.

With the delay on the part of the Speaker and his deputy, it is likely that those lawmakers who have refused to turn over their keys as a means of securing the best offices might hold those keys for a little longer until the full committees are in place to inform the Rules and Orders committees on the assignment of offices.

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