By When Two Elephants Fight, the Grass Suffers
Dear dishonorable lawbreakers:
An African proverb says that “when two elephants fight, the grass suffers”. Indeed, while two factions of the House of Representatives engage in a selfish battle of wills, Liberian people bear the brunt of your actions.
When I called (some) members of the Liberian Legislature ‘lawbreakers’ in my July 26 Oration, I was speaking in general terms. I now know that I was speaking specifically about you.
Let me be clear. You currently lack sufficient clout to expel the very Speaker you previously elected, so calling yourselves ‘the majority bloc’ will not make it so. If you feel aggrieved by the Speaker’s alleged infractions, use your powers of persuasion to oust him with a two-thirds majority of 49 (the only ‘majority’ that actually counts!).
Please note, however, that if it is proven you accepted bribes to sack the Speaker, we Liberians will use our constitutionally-mandated powers to remove you from office come 2029. I’ve written and published enough about electoral politics in our country to predict this (see here, here, here, here).
We elected you to represent us well, make good laws (not break them) and provide oversight of the executive and judiciary. Instead, you have hijacked the legislative process and forsaken your own House Rules and Procedures. Nowhere does it say you have authority to hold alternate sessions in the joint chambers, regardless of implicit judicial approval. Your actions to date contravene the oath you took to “support, uphold, protect and defend the Constitution and Laws of the Republic of Liberia”.
I want the Liberian electorate to remember you when they vote in five years, so I have listed below your names, counties, districts and parties. I hope constituents bombard you with phone calls, text messages and emails expressing their anger and frustration. I hope they demand your salaries, allowances and other benefits be withheld for dereliction of duty.
I urge you to stop the shenanigans, put your House in order and get back to work!
Dignity must define us.
Sincerely,
Robtel Neajai Pailey
2024 Independence Day National Orator
