Africa-Press – Liberia. The Legislature has been accused of being a toothless bull dog, especially in the exercise of its constitutional responsibilities of providing oversight for officials of the executive branch of government.
On many occasions, officials of the Executive branch appointed by the President go to the Senate for confirmation and commit that they will work collaboratively with the legislature in the discharge of their duties, but most often it is only to get past confirmation by the Senate.
To curtail such deception, Senator Varney Sherman of Grand Cape Mount County, and Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee has proposed a law that will ensure that officials of the executive who will attempt to, or undermine the constitutional powers of oversight given to the legislature by the Constitution be reprimanded by a vote of no confidence.
As it is, the Senate or Legislature is without the legal capacity to enforce laws and resolutions they adopt or enact for the Executive branch of government such powers is the role of the Executive branch of government. For the legislature to be active in the exercise of its oversight responsibilities, according to Senator Sherman, there should be a legal mechanism.
The proposed bill is intended to provide for legally compulsory or cohesive measures to ensure that public officials carried out and comply with mandate of both Houses of the legislature and to provide for sanction if any of them failed or neglect to do so.
The vote of no confidence proposed law provide simply that whenever a House after investigation or hearing takes a decision which is evidenced by a resolution adopted by that House, that resolution should be binding on that public official who was a subject of an investigation or hearing.
And if that official fails to comply with such resolution, they should be subject to a no confidence vote in the event only if majority members of either of the house are in favor of it. The sanction may include termination of employment of the official should be inclusive of the vote of the no confidence vote.
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