MONROVIA –The plenary floor of the House of Representatives grew tense on the first official day of Legislative duty in the third session with Speaker Nagbe Koon and Deputy Speaker Thomas P. Fallah coming under serious condemnation for wrongly leading the debate and decision making processes.
Bong County Electoral District 6 Representative, Moima Briggs Mensah, accused both the Speaker and his Deputy for ignoring the transparent voting system of heads count when it comes to critical instrument such as revenue matter.
Instead of the head count process wherein records are taken on individual lawmaker’s decision, she blasted the pair for limiting the floor to a ‘YEAH’ or ‘NAY’ voting process that does not encourage accountability.
The Bong County lawmaker raised the qualm following decision on key instruments – An Act to Amend Part 1 of the Liberia Revenue Code by introducing a New Chapter “D” to establish a legal framework for Tax Incentive and Expenditure Management” and an Act to Amend the Liberia Code to be referred to as the Liberia Management Act of 2025,” which were determined by the House’s regular overwhelming loud noise of ‘YEAH.’
Decision on these Bills were triggered by the presentation of a report by the House’s Joint Committee on Ways, Means, and Finance and Public Accounts and Expenditure.
Predicated on the ‘Yeah’ decision that necessitated the passage of the instruments, the vocal Bong County lawmaker reminded the Speaker and his deputy of that important legislative measures should be determined through a headcount vote instead of the traditional “Yeah” and “Nay” method.
The lawmaker argued that this would align Liberia’s Legislature with international parliamentary bodies such as the ECOWAS Parliament and other internationally accepted parliamentary voting standards.
“You can control this floor and get the votes. You can’t do such a thing with yeah and nay. It can’t. Let me be on the record for that. You can control the floor by vote. You are embarrassing us. How can you have the ECOWAS portion, you have other portions and it’s not debated voted on headcount and you want do yeah and nay. You just need to do the right thing,” blasted the Bong County District 6 lawmaker.
On the growing intensity of her voice that echoed across the entire plenary floor, the lawmaker was at the point ordered out by Speaker Koon, but she defied his order and remained firm to her seat and advocacy.
Rep. Briggs Mensah insisted to remain in session on ground that she was saying the ‘right thing’. “I will not go outside because I am saying the right thing. ‘Yor’ will drag me out of here today. I will not get out and if you come in front of me I will kick you. That is an amendment of the Revenue Code and the right thing must be done. We will not tolerate it.”
Rep. Briggs-Mensah, one of Liberia’s representatives to the ECOWAS Parliament, asserted that her strong debate is intended to bring positive change to that august body by using her international experience gained over the past years.
“I will not go to international parliament such as the ECOWAS Parliament and sit here to see the wrong thing happens. Go and punish me; you have committee, let them investigate me. Ehn you say you ‘setting’ for me, I will not die. If it’s passed today, let me on the record for my decision,” Rep. Briggs-Mensah added as she was quieted down by some colleagues of the House.
Before today, the House of Representatives had in time past come under public criticism for passing on major decision on the ‘uniformed’ YEAH outcome.
