MONROVIA – As the Crisis in the House of Representatives of the Liberian Legislature deepens, Bishop Kortu K. Brown has wondered who will survive the fight over the leadership of the house. Speaking to the 12th Grade Students of the Mother Tegeste Stewart Apostolic Pentecostal School in Brewerville on Thursday, October 24, 2024 during an interactive session, Bishop Brown and the students exchanged notes on the current saga and expressed deep concern over the unfolding events amid the growing economic and social challenges facing ordinary Liberians, questioning the timeliness of the action that is paralyzing normal legislative functions on Capitol Hill.
The former president of the Liberia Council of Churches (LCC) told the students that about 2,000 years ago, Our Lord Jesus Christ commissioned a team to assist him in laying the foundation for the ushering in of the “New Covenant” relationship between God and man as promised. However, in the formation of the 12-man team, Jesus also brought in Judas, who history showed was preoccupied with making money and other disruptive missions. “As a consequence”, he said, “Judas was willing to do anything to get his aims accomplished including selling Jesus and putting the lives of his friends at risk”
When he asked the students who survived the conflict between Judas and Jesus about 2,000 years ago, they all shouted, “Jesus”. The students appeared confused about what was happening on Capitol Hill and why it was happening at a time of great national need. The exchanges were concerned about whether the conflict is a consequence of the Speaker’s decision to audit the Legislature, a mere power-fight, or the poor performance of the Speaker as enumerated by the lawmakers opposing the leadership of the current Speaker
Who is the Judas in the House Saga?
Like many other political conflicts in the country, it is difficult most time to know the real actors behind the events, the Bishop told the students, questioning, who is the real Judas in this House’s conflict. “Apparently, this signature exercise has been going on for a couple months now. I wonder who has been behind it. Where’s the Judas? In the Senate, Executive branch, Pro-Speaker or Anti-Speaker groups? Judas is somewhere, already done his work and waiting for the results, he told the students. Who is the high priest that gave the money to Judas to execute their plans of removing their target?
Expose the Judas in this saga
Bishop Brown, who is also prelate of The Apostolic Pentecostal Church International, fears that if proper care is not taken, the House will be troubled for many years to come. “There will be revenge and retribution, continuously”, he said, adding that one of the ways to address this problem is to “expose the Judas in this saga”, the people behind the scene who are fueling the conflict and hijacking the work of the country all the time. He wondered why the House of Representatives is always in leadership conflicts.
“This is why we welcome the efforts of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) to investigate the reported allegations of corruption in this story. What we hope for is that the investigation is comprehensive considering all allegations of corruption from both sides of the conflict. Corruption is a menace. It is rubbing our country of needed resources to advance education, health, food security, etc. We must meet if head on no matter where it comes from”, the senior church pastor of New Water in the Desert Assembly in Brewerville said.
Mediation and Conciliation
Bishop Brown welcome efforts to mediate the conflict in the House of Representatives and appeal to the lawmakers to give peace a chance. “We know you all have your points of contentions but right now we have to continue to put our country first. We therefore appeal to our lawmakers to submit themselves to the conciliation process so that the work of the people of Liberia will continue unhindered”, he said, cautioning against running a divided house or government over the next several months and years.
