On 15, January, 2024, the newly elected members to the incoming 55th Liberian Legislature in the 10, October, 2023 Presidential and Legislature elections are slated to be inducted into their respected offices.
Chapter V, Article 29 of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia provides that “The Legislative power of the Republic shall be vested in the Legislature of Liberia which shall consist of two separate houses: A Senate and a House of Representatives, both of which must pass on all legislations. The enacting style shall be: “It is enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Republic of Liberia in Legislature assembled.”
Similarly, Article 30 of the Constitution also indicates that “Citizens of Liberia who meet the following qualifications are eligible to become members of the Legislature.
a. for the Senate, have attained the age of 30 years and for the House of Representatives, have attained the age of 25 years;
b. be domiciled in the country or constituency to be represented not less than one year prior to the time of the election and be a taxpayer.
Furthermore, Article 31 of the same Liberian Constitution points out that “Each member of the Legislature, before taking his seat and entering upon the duties of office, shall take and subscribe to a solemn oath of affirmation, before the presiding officer of the House to which such person was elected and in the presence of other members of that House, to uphold and defend the Constitution and laws of the Republic and to discharge faithfully the duties of such office.”
The Liberian Constitution further provides, in Article 38, that “Each House shall adopt its own rules of procedure, enforce order and with the concurrence of two-thirds of the entire membership, may expel a member for cause. Each House shall establish its own committees and sub-committees; provided, however, that the committees on revenues and appropriations shall consist of one member from each County. All rules adopted by the Legislature shall conform to the requirements of due process of law laid down in this Constitution.”
Also, Article 47 of the Constitution asserts among other things that: “The Senate shall elect once every six years a President Pro Tempore who shall preside in the absence of the President of the Senate, and such officers as shall ensure the proper functioning of the Senate.
Concerning the House of Representatives, Article 48 of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia indicates that: “The House of Representatives shall be composed of members elected for a term of six years by the registered voters in each of the legislative constituencies of the counties, but a member of the House of Representatives elected in a by-election to fill a vacancy created by death, resignation or otherwise, shall be elected to serve only the remainder of the unexpired term of the office. Members of the House of Representatives shall be eligible for re-election.
Among other things, Article 49 states that: “The House of Representative shall elect once every six years a Speaker who shall be the presiding officer of that body, a Deputy Speaker, and such other officers as shall ensure the proper functioning of the House.”
Indeed, the pending January 15 elections relative to the incoming leaderships of both Houses of the country’s bicameral Legislature including the Senate, (Upper House); and the House of Representatives (Lower House), are very crucial in the governance, productive or useful forward movement of the country.
This is why, we, at The INDEPENDENT newspaper, strongly believe that the election of credible, fearless, informed, patriotic, transparent, seasoned and well- connected legislators into the leaderships of both Houses of the Liberian Legislature cannot be overemphasized.
In other words, individuals or politicians who are aspiring to ascend to the leadership of the incoming 55th Legislature should be men and women of substance, openness, impeccable credentials and good moral standing, to say the least.
Indeed, in this new era of national governance, it is more than germane for the Liberian Nation to experience a clear paradigm shift towards putting into positions of public trust men and women of virtues who proved to be dedicated to transitioning the country towards a fortress of impactful and people-centered development.
The newly elected 103 Legislators (30 Senators and 73 Reps), must work assiduously if the vast majority of Liberians are to be liberated from the cesspool of poverty, disease and misery in which the masses currently find themselves.
In other words, our new Legislators must effectively implement the three cardinal responsibilities of the Legislature which include Lawmaking, Representation and Oversight aimed at transforming for better the generally poor living standard of Liberian citizens.
In the performance of their constitutional duties, our lawmakers must patriotically do away with focusing primarily on fattening their already skyrocketed, hit-the-roof /or go-through-the-ceiling monthly salaries and allowances as well as other mouthwatering benefits while millions of their own people, who live mostly in deprived communities and squalors are suffering at the bottom of the country’s economic ladder.
This is our candid advice to the incoming 55th Liberian Legislature.
