Lawmakers of the 55th Legislature have expressed dissatisfaction over disrespect in the seating arrangement made for them during the State of The Nation Address (SONA) delivered by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai on Monday, January 27, 2025.
During the ceremony, senators and representatives were seen standing on grounds that seats reserved for them were positioned among the general audience while cabinet ministers and other officials of the Executive Branch were seated in front.
The Lawmakers frowned at the seating arrangement, describing the event as poorly organized. According to them, it is an affront for cabinet ministers to be seated on the stage while they, as lawmakers, are placed among the general audience.
“We are disrespected. Don’t treat us in that manner. We should sit ahead of them. This program is for us,” the lawmakers said. They argued that legislators should have been accorded the same stage seating arrangement accorded cabinet members.
Article 58 of the Liberian Constitution states, “The President shall, on the fourth working Monday in January of each year, present the administration’s legislative program for the ensuing session, and report on the state of the Republic. In presenting the economic condition of the Republic, the report shall cover expenditures and income.”
Meanwhile, Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene Yuoh and the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of Liberia boycotted the president’s annual message as seats reserved for the high court judges were seen empty.
Several Liberians attending the event voiced out fears ovr5 the absence of the Chief Justice and Associate Justices which could signify that Supreme Court does not recognize the leadership of current rebel-styled House Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon.
Even though the Chief Justice is reported to have traveled to Cairo, Egypt to participate in a High Level meeting with 58 Chief Justices and Presidents of Supreme & Constitutional Courts of Africa and the Middle East, the citizens believe that should in case the Supreme Court had recognized the legitimacy of Speaker Koon, at least one of the Justices would have represented the High Court in the absence of their boss.
It can be recalled that events leading up to the SONA were surrounded by a series of controversies including the legitimacy of the venue as well as the legitimacy of the session that was to be convened under the gable of Speaker Koon who rose to the position through a rebel-styled action.
This led embattled Speaker J. Fonati Koffa to seek the intervention of the Supreme Court to look into the matter; however, the high court passed down an ambiguous ruling that is still debated till today.
On the issue of venue for the SONA, Presidential Press Secretary Madam Kola V. Fofana disclosed earlier on that there was yet no “venue” for the event while the Senate released a statement informing the public that the SONA would be held at the capitol. This was due to the present impasse at the House of Representatives and the subsequent arson attack on the joint chambers of the capitol that should be the legal venue for the hosting of the SONA.
To make matters worse, several lawmakers under the canopy of the Rule of Law Legislative Caucus announced a boycott of the SONA after reaching a unanimous decision.
The Rule of Law Caucus is a conglomerate of lawmakers against the illegal removal of embattled House of Representatives Speaker J. Fonati Koffa by members of the Majority Bloc and the subsequent election of Representative Richard N. Koon as new speaker of the august body.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, Rule of Law Caucus Chairman Musa Bility said the decision was not made lightly; it reflects their deep concerns over the ongoing erosion of legislative independence and the increasing interference of the Executive Branch in the affairs of the Legislature.
Bility said the Executive’s recognition of Richard N. Koon as Speaker, despite the legitimate Speaker still being in office, is a blatant violation of democratic principles and legislative autonomy.
“This unprecedented action does not only strip the legitimate Speaker of his authority and dignity but also humiliates the Legislature as an institution. Attending the SONA under such circumstances would amount to tacit approval of this illegitimacy—a position we categorically reject,” he said.
Several persons, including lawyers, have questioned the legality of the SONA if it should be convened under the gable of controversial Speaker Koon as the presiding officer of a joint session of the legislature.
By Prince Saah
