What to Know About Lawmaker Giving Invitation to Attend The President State of Nation Address?

President Joseph Boakai's adherence to Chapter 6, Article 58 of the 1986 Constitution delivered his third annual message to members of the national legislature. 

The above provision charges the president with the duty and responsibility to present a legislative program, report on the state of the Republic, and provide financial reporting to the Legislature on the fourth working Monday of January each year.

This constitutional duty ensures presidential accountability to the Legislature and the Liberian people regarding the nation's governance and economic management. This provision is central to Liberia's system of checks and balances, requiring the President to account for government activities regularly and outline plans to the people's elected representatives.

During the early hours of the president's January 26, message, Frank Saah Foko, Representative of District nine Montserrado County, posted that he was yet to receive an access pass (invitation) to attend the event. He said, "It is therefore troubling to inform fellow Liberians that, as of this morning, no access pass has been extended to us, raising serious concerns that opposition lawmakers are being deliberately excluded from this important constitutional exercise." In a subsequent post, Foko informed his followers of receiving his invitation. 

In a response to Foko, Montserrado Senator Abraham Darius Dillon posted on his facebook page, "Who needs an 'INVITATION" To Go To Work?"

Dillon said no lawmaker should need an "invitation" to attend the event. It is constitutionally mandated (Article 58) for the President to deliver his "Annual Message" TO and BEFORE the Legislature. 

 

Besides, any Lawmaker who does NOT know that this event is a legislative function should be questioned! The President can only address the Legislature (Joint Session) when there is a QUORUM of BOTH Houses (in JOINT Session). 

It must be stated, with emphasis, that If there is no required QUORUM of Lawmakers (in Joint Session), the President cannot accordingly address the Legislature as such!! 

So, for any duly seated Lawmaker to be expecting an "invitation" to attend and participate in a legislative function beats my imagination... except said Lawmaker simply seeks to make FOR-NOTHING "news" for himself!"

 

What The Stage Media found: We note that chapter 6, article 58, which lays the basis upon which the president should appear and present the annual plan and state of affairs of the country to the Legislature (in a joint session), is silent on lawmakers receiving an invitation to participate in such a function. The provision implies that it is a legislative function and that lawmakers will appear and participate, hence no need for extra invites. Even Foko admitted that the issuance of invitations has no constitutional bounding but said while the Legislature is their constitutional place of work, established protocol has always required that formal invitations be extended to lawmakers to avoid embarrassment, confusion, or procedural lapses.  

 

Robert Haynes is the director of press at the House of Representatives. He said Foko is right about lawmakers giving invitations during such events to avoid embarrassment.

 

“There has been a protocol with invitations. So, every member receives it through the office of the Chief Clerk. And the invitation is done by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Even me, as Director of Press, they did serve me an invitation. And that is to avoid embarrassment and other things because some of the lawmakers can come alone with their spouses, and the security team may not know. So, they gave the invitation so that when you come with your spouses, they can have it. It has been a set protocol, yes, he is correct.” 

 

When asked whether a lawmaker can be denied access to a SONA without an invitation, this is what he said: “Not necessarily, but the invitation is meant to avoid Security embarrassment. The Security may not know all the lawmakers. The SONA is legislative.” 

 

We reach out to a few current and past lawmakers to authenticate Foko's position. But none of them responded to my inquiry.

 

Conclusion: we note that even though Foko claims an invitation has been a protocol to avoid embarrassment, confusion or procedural lapses, a legislator cannot be denied access to attend the "SONA" squarely because he or she does not have an invite.