Dear Hon. Taa Wongbe
This is to address the issues raised in your Facebook posts presented as a letter to me.
Although I am not sure why you, as a ranking member of the House of Representatives with unhindered access to me, felt a need to use facebook to get redress for your concerns.
I have set out below responses to the issues you raised in your Facebook post in turn and in no particular order:
- On your allegation of “Reckless Remarks at Working Dinner:
Firstly, you have greatly misunderstood or intentionally misrepresented and misquoted my remarks at the working dinner with the President. At that function, I boldly told the President to stop trying to push bills in the House through a partisan outfit dubbed “Rescue bloc” and reminded the Chief Executive that the 1986 Constitution requires us to coordinate and that the right thing to do is to send Executive Bills to the Leadership of the House which controls agenda.
At no time did I commit to pass everything that was sent to the House without scrutiny or regards to the interest of the people and the rule of law. As you may recall, my exchanges with the Executive on this matter emanated from a complaint filed by the House’s Committee on Executive.
How can we be conniving with the Executive and be on the frontline of the “yellow machine” issue which I first raised at the dinner you referred to and which pressure subsequently led to Presidential response. To date, the only official response to this issue has been from the house under my gavel in the relentless pursuit of transparency and accountability.
- Audits and Transparency Issues
Also, on the issue of audits and transparency at the Legislature, you will be hard pressed to show me another Speaker in our history that signed up for audits of the House.
If you were following developments around this issue carefully, you would know that the Auditor General (AG) advised that a system be put in place before the actual audits are conducted. I have no control over the pace of the GAC work, and I am assured that steps are being taken to ensure audits are done.
I advise you as a member of Leadership to familiarise yourself intricately to the issues. And while we embrace open governance, it would be chaotic to try to run government by Facebook.
Our people are counting on us to do right by them, work together across all branches of government, and turn all that we do into tangible progress for them.
- Membership Benefits
Yes. Members’ benefits have always been an issue at the Legislature. As a matter of fact, I have entertained countless members from the 53rd and 54th on benefits outstanding. I have even threatened to shut down the House on this benefits issue. As the House’s Committee on Ways, Means and Finance has developed a schedule and briefed the Plenary in executive on last Thursday, I am sure all the remaining benefits will be paid soon. Unfortunately, you did not attend session and so you are not informed.
- Allegation of Conniving with the Executive
I would be interested in the bill or instrument that we have passed on the floor, which you do not think is in the interest of Liberia and represents connivance with the executive.
My management of the Plenary is usually void of block or partisanship, and it is quite unfortunate that you present no support for this unfounded claim.
Hon. Wongbe, the constitution provides for three separate but coordinate branches of government. Therefore, I will continue to coordinate with the Executive and Judiciary. As long as a measure or legislation is in the interest of Liberia, I will work to see it comes to fruition no matter who the proponent is.
As I often remind all, I am the speaker of the national legislature, not a speaker for a bloc or party. I am a CDCian and a proud one too, but I am also someone who try to reach across the aisle to ensure that the work of the Liberian people is carried out and that our people’s suffering are not made worse by our partisan rivalry.
Similarly, when you recently traveled with the president to South Korea and genuflected before him in Abuja, were you conniving or collaborating? Were you performing a statutory role? As the 4th ranking member of the House, did you raise the benefits issue with him?
- Allegations of Budget Tampering
The issue of budget alterations was first raised by me with the Ministry of Finance when the final budget was published and presented. Because there were discrepancies in the House’s budget, we instructed the Legislative Budget Office (LBO) to conduct an analysis of the entire document to find additional discrepancies because my concern should not just be the House’s Budget but the entire document and process.
We then notified the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) of the initial findings, which led to them removing the document from the website. As soon as LBO finishes its analysis, Plenary will be informed.
Sorry, Hon. Wongbe, but my training as a lawyer and my experience as a Legislator will not allow me to proceed with half-baked information.
Please participate more to avoid juvenile tantrums and public outbursts such as this:
I am not perturbed by the baseless and reckless claims that you made because I understand this is what Facebook politics require, and it’s the nature of this business.
We have leadership meetings every Monday at 12 noon, and I will encourage you to start to attend these meetings so that you may properly understand the workings of the legislature.
Ordinarily, I won’t respond to Facebook posts, but because of your leadership position, I yield to those who advised that I do set the record straight. I won’t be responding further.
I wish you good luck as you audition for ANC Chairmanship and build your necessary alliances.
I remain,
Fonati
