Monrovia – Former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has expressed deep concern over the Supreme Court’s dealing with of the continued management disaster within the House of Representatives, calling for a decisive ruling to deliver readability to the dispute.
By Selma Lomax [email protected]
Sirleaf warned that ambiguous selections may additional destabilize the legislature, urging the Court to offer a definitive decision as an alternative of leaving the matter in authorized limbo.
“Now is definitely not the time for the Supreme Court to deliver an ambiguous ruling that may take us away from peacefully resolving the disruption unfolding in another important branch of government,” Sirleaf said throughout the opening session of the NAYMOTE-Liberia Second Summit on Democracy and Political Accountability.
Her remarks come because the Supreme Court has issued a writ summoning key members of the House of Representatives to seem earlier than the complete bench on March 14, 2025, in response to a Bill of Information filed by embattled Speaker J. Fonati Koffa and different members of the fifty fifth Legislature.
The writ, signed by Supreme Court Clerk Cllr. Sam Manulu, orders the respondents—together with Representative Richard N. Koon, who claims the speakership, and Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah—to justify why the informants’ request shouldn’t be granted. The Court has additionally directed them to submit their official returns.
Background of the Crisis
The dispute stems from a petition filed by Speaker J. Fonati Koffa and his allies, searching for the Supreme Court’s intervention in a legislative standoff. Koffa requested the Court to make clear Article 33 of the Constitution concerning quorum necessities and to compel boycotting lawmakers to return to session.
The boycotts had resulted within the Majority Bloc putting in Richard Koon as Speaker, dissolving committees arrange by Koffa, and suspending some lawmakers loyal to him.
In its ruling, the Supreme Court acknowledged its jurisdiction over constitutional issues however avoided issuing a direct resolution. Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene Yuoh, delivering the unanimous opinion, said:
“Under these circumstances, the Supreme Court cannot do for the Legislature what is within its [legislative] purview to do, as to do so will be a violation of the constitutional mandate on the separation of powers.”
The Court dominated that whereas the Constitution obligates the Speaker to compel absent lawmakers to attend, it doesn’t specify how this needs to be enforced. It additional declared that any legislative motion not in conformity with Articles 33 and 49 of the Constitution is unlawful.
“WHEREFORE AND IN VIEW OF THE FOREGOING, any sittings or actions by members of the Legislature not in conformity with the intent of Articles 33 and 49 of the Constitution are ultra vires. Hence, members of the House of Representatives are to conduct themselves accordingly.”
However, the ruling did not resolve the deadlock, with each factions claiming victory. Since then, the Majority Bloc, emboldened by its numerical energy and assist from the Executive Branch and the Liberian Senate, has taken full management of the House, rendering Speaker Koffa ineffective.
Legal and Political Ramifications
Seeking additional authorized readability, Speaker Koffa filed a Bill of Information, urging the Court to declare the Majority Bloc’s actions unconstitutional. The Supreme Court remained silent on the matter till Associate Justice Yamie Gbeisay, in a daring deal with on the opening of the February Term of Court in Nimba County, denounced the Majority Bloc’s actions as “ultra vires”—past their authorized authority.
Justice Gbeisay famous that the Supreme Court’s determination to boycott President Joseph Boakai’s State of the Nation Address stemmed from the dearth of a legally acknowledged Speaker, which undermined the House’s capability to type a legitimate quorum.
“Whatever you do is ultra vires,” Justice Gbeisay declared, an announcement that intensified political tensions inside the legislature.
Sirleaf’s Call for Ethical Leadership
Turning to the broader implications of the disaster, Sirleaf criticized lawmakers for prioritizing energy struggles over nationwide pursuits. She urged them to aspire to statesmanship, emphasizing that true management requires standing agency on ideas, even in isolation.
“Now, also, is not the time for weakening legislative oversight so that we continue to act in fulfillment of narrow self-interests and what is best for a party over what is necessary for our country.”
She additional warned towards political hypocrisy.
“If it was wrong yesterday, it has to be similarly wrong now. Repeating a wrong will not somehow make it right. In the history of mankind, it never has, and never ever will be.”
Sirleaf’s remarks served as a pointed reminder of the long-term penalties of political maneuvering on the expense of nationwide stability.
Sirleaf additionally warned that that world is engulfed with so many issues that it may not flip to Liberia because it did throughout the top of its civil warfare, which led to the final word finish of the battle.
“This Summit could not be convened at a more reflective and challenging time for our country. Today, perhaps more than ever before, we confront the daunting challenge of a dismal economic outlook, and the increasing prospect of looking only to ourselves to improve the conditions of living in our country. To put it more bluntly, today, more than ever, we are on our own,” she stated.
She added: “There is no UNMIL and there will be no international force in our country to turn to for our nation’s security if we choose to break our own laws. Therefore, now is not the time for members of our national security institutions to be engaged in public scuffles among themselves that can only serve to undermine public trust and confidence in their sworn duty to maintain and enforce law and order.”
Next Steps: Supreme Court Hearing
The Supreme Court has scheduled a vital listening to for March 14, 2025, to think about Speaker Koffa’s Bill of Information towards the Majority Bloc.
Koffa’s petition alleges that the Majority Bloc, led by Koon and Deputy Speaker Thomas Fallah, has continued to behave in defiance of the Court’s December 6, 2024, ruling. His authorized crew, headed by Cllr. Arthur Johnson, argues that the Majority Bloc’s actions are illegal and needs to be declared null and void.
The petition additional claims that Justice Minister Cllr. Oswald Tweh misinterpreted the Court’s ruling in a December 10 authorized opinion, falsely deeming the Majority Bloc’s actions lawful.
In addition to searching for nullification, Koffa’s crew needs all selections, hearings, and classes carried out by the Majority Bloc to be acknowledged as violations of the Supreme Court’s ruling.
The Court has ordered the Majority Bloc to submit their official returns by March 14, explaining why Koffa’s requests shouldn’t be granted. The end result of this listening to might be pivotal in figuring out whether or not Liberia’s House of Representatives can restore order—or stay mired in constitutional uncertainty.