Senate Blackmail

Thursday, 07 June 2012 13:28

Written by Boima J. V. Boima

Senators are threatening to stall passage of the multi-year fiscal budget of US$649.72 million under deliberations at the Capitol Building unless President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf fulfill their recommendation to dismiss Acting Mayor Mary Broh of the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC).

“If the President insists [to maintain] Mary Broh as the Acting Mayor of the MCC, we will not pass the budget. This is the magnitude to which we speak, ladies and gentlemen,” Sen. John Whitfield (Grand Bassa County) told plenary where she failed to appear following repeated citations.

The Senate passed a vote of “no confidence” on Ms. Broh Tuesday for her “continuous failure” to appear before them for inquest on allegations of her  “persistent brutality” against peaceful citizens, including an employee of the Senate.

Prior to the decision Tuesday, Sen. Whitfield accused Ms. Broh of showing continuous  “disrespect” to them as lawmakers in the country.

Sen. Whitfield described Mrs. Broh as “an anarchist functioning under the pretext of a city administration. She believes she is too big to be questioned.”

 “She goes into the suburbs making women to pump tire; she has youths creeping and insulting their own parents. And in her own City Hall, she has the audacity to tell her employees how nasty they are,” he recounted.

Whitfield: “I said it before and let me repeat; not a President, Vice President, Senator, Minister or anybody, the least to talk about, a little City Mayor, has the right to go out there and beat anybody. Nobody has that right.”

“We need to tell Mary Broh that yes indeed we came here through the collective voice of the people and she was handpicked. Yes, she needs to know that she was handpicked. We will not sit here to celebrate Mary Broh slapping people,” said Sen. Lahai Lansana, chair on the Senate Committee on Rules, Order and Administration.

Other Senators supported the move with Senator Abel Massaly regretting: “There is no need for the senate to have allotted money to her in the previous budget.”