The Movement with Integrity for National Development (MIND) says its attention has been drawn to rumor trending on social media and emanating specifically from Representative Yekeh Kolubah of Montserrado County District #10.
The rumor is pointing to a well calculated ploy being orchestrated by members of the 55th Legislature under the instrumentality of the President of Liberia, Joseph Nyumah Boakai, for the ousting of House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa.
This rumor has it that the ploy is multifaceted, but the first claim sees members of the legislature issued coupon of US$4,500 to acquire office supplies from J-Mart, a furniture supplier in Monrovia.
According to MIND in a release dated March 29, 2024, while it cannot come to terms with the possibility that usage of payment to conspirators will be dictated by the person engineering this entire saga, “let’s condemn in the strongest terms any attempt in this direction and warn that MIND will engage in unspecified activities against anyone getting involved in a design to disrupt the independence of the first branch of government.”
MIND said it is cognizant of past regimes ineffectiveness at accountable, democratic governance and service delivery as a result of the compromise of the independence of the legislature and therefore reiterates its disdain for such and assures that it will not sit idly by and watch an attempt to disrupt democratic governance goes into effect.
“Speaker J. Fonati Koffa against whom this alleged undemocratic plot is directed, in fact, has demonstrated commitment to using the authority of the speakership to assist in the bringing of the government’s agenda to successful conclusion for public good,” the release said.
MIND recalled that of recent, as an evidence of the speaker’s willingness to complement the workings of the Executive Branch, against opposition from some members of the House, he supported the authorization of emergency spending when there was no legal basis for such and justified his action by saying at stake was the survival of the more than 65,000 public servants and the upkeep of the economy under difficult times.
Additionally, the release argued that in regards to the president’s agenda for the establishment of the war and economic crime court, the Speaker can also be seeing complementing the preference of the Executive in this direction.
The group indicated that in the face of these demonstrated acts of support for bringing the agenda of the executive to fruition, “we find it highly selfish and disruptive to the public good that members of the legislature and the Chief Executive would want to plot to oust the speaker.”
The democracy group cautions those engineering any attempt of such to disengage forthwith and focus on service delivery and democratic and accountable governance, rather than pursuing selfish agenda at the detriment of the coordination between the two branches of government and the stability of our country.
Conclusively, MIND wants the Speaker to remain the focused and determined public servant he is, continuing to do the urgent and most important work of the Liberian people, the release noted.
