House of Representative Speaker Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa said the reasons provided by some of his trusted colleagues seeking his removal are “untrue and political.”
On Thursday, October 17, a resolution was signed by over 47 members of the House of Representatives seeking the removal of the Liberian House Speaker.
Representative Samuel G.Z. Kogar, head of the so-called “Majority Block” seeking the speaker’s removal said their decision is “part of our ongoing efforts to reclaim the values of fairness, respect, and honor within the House of Representatives.”
According to Rep. Kogar, Speaker Koffa’s removal stems from his failure to discharge his official duties in a fair, proper, and impartial.
But Speaker Koffa in response dismissed the allegations from his colleagues by stating that “democracy doesn’t go hand in hand with violence, adding that he urged his colleagues to come up right in their regular Chamber and civilly state their concerns.”
Speaker Koffa said “While it’s true that my colleagues may have some legitimate concerns, I categorically dismiss 99.9 % as untrue and political. Let me, in the same tone, denounce the approach they’ve taken to address them.
The information available today suggests that they have hired what they called ‘ staff support units’ to break down the doors and invade any room in the building to hold Sessions.”
The speaker said that he believes in democratic principles that allow for the expression of opinions without fear or favor.
“We firmly believe in democratic principles that allow for the expression of opinions without fear or favor. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to those who signed a resolution to state their concerns and remained firm. I saw a portion of it on Social Media”, Speaker Koffa said.
The Liberian House Speaker added “I am grateful to those who signed, reconsidered, and rescinded their decision, those who chose not to sign, and even those who were not approached to sign. Initially, we heard of 47 and as of last night, we are hearing that the number is reduced to 37, and we are looking up another figure by 5 pm today.”
According to him, there will always be division, but their division should not allow for the work of the people to be unattended.”
“We will always be divided but our division should not allow the work of the people to be unattended”, Speaker Koffa stressed.
However, Speaker Koffa expressed gratitude to the former President of Liberia, George M. Weah, the Chairman and Members of the Congress for Democratic Change, some Ministers of this government, Civil Society organizations, some Senators of diverse political backgrounds, and Foreign Partners for what he termed as “their unwavering concerns.”
“As we gear up for our final sitting of the 2024 Legislative Year on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, our focus remains on uplifting our constituents rather than undermining the very fabric of our political system.
Together, we will extinguish the threats against our democracy, and those who misuse public resources in an attempt to destabilize our nation will certainly come to regret it. God bless Liberia”, he noted.
