House Speaker Richard Koon Tuesday vowed to slash salaries of absentee members after lawmakers abandoned session, leaving the chamber paralyzed, stalling legislative business and activities.
For more than two hours, the Chief Clerk repeatedly called for session, but the chamber remained conspicuously empty. Frustrated and visibly angered, Speaker Koon lashed out at colleagues who continue to shirk their constitutional duties.
“The persistent absence of members not only disrupts legislative work but undermines efforts to address issues affecting ordinary Liberians,” he said.
Koon’s warning was unequivocal: lawmakers who fail to attend sittings without justification will face administrative sanctions, including salary cuts beginning this month. He said attendance is not optional but a constitutional obligation, stressing that chronic absenteeism sabotages the people’s agenda and erodes public trust in the Legislature.
The disruption has reignited concerns over the effectiveness of Liberia’s legislative branch, already under fire for sluggish action on pressing national issues.
Local governance watchdog Naymote’s recent legislative assessments highlighted a systemic gap between lawmakers’ visibility and structured institutional accountability. While regular session attendance and legislative participation are generally active, performance is often hindered by limited public transparency, weak oversight over the executive branch, and high rates of secret sessions.
He groups also reported that the quality of lawmaking in Liberia is heavily undermined by executive dominance, poor transparency, and a severe lack of public accountability. The reports revealed several critical structural flaws in the Liberian legislative process.
——By H. Matthew Turry
