The People’s Republic of China is set to boost the capacity of the University of Liberia (UL).  Making the disclosure yesterday during the Intellectual Forum organized by the students union of the UL, the Chinese Ambassador to Liberia, Lin Songtian said his government has a handsome package for the UL family.

	• Amb. Lin Songtian - PRC

The package he said includes three laboratories, about 20 professors, as visitors, and lecturers, the three laboratories, computers, soil and engineering laboratories.

Amb. Sontian pointed out that the three laboratories will help improve the learning process at the nation’s higher institution of learning.

Speaking on the topic: “Liberia’s potentiality for development and the partnership between China and Liberia”, Amb. Songtian maintained “Liberia as a nation has good soil, of which she can sustain itself.

The soil laboratory will also encourage students to take the Agriculture College serious,” he said. He added that the Chinese government has a package for the agricultural sector, but that they want to start with the soil laboratory to know the best soil and where it can be found.

According to him, the computer laboratory will expose student to technology, indicating that the engineering laboratory will improve engineering abilities at the campus.

Amb. Songtian said that the Chinese professors will arrive in the country shortly to teach the Chinese language at the UL while at the same time helping with other disciplines.

The intellectual forum is expected to continue on Wednesday and Thursday with information Minister Dr. Laurence Bropleh and Prof. Alhaji G.V. Kromah assessing government’s deliverables in the one year period. On Thursday, Dr. H. Boima Fahnbullah and Milton Teajah will interface on the same topic.

Legislators’ Comeback Marked By Uncertainty

While about 15 members of the House of Representatives were sitting at the Centennial Pavilion at the beginning of official duties after three months Agriculture Break, about 42 of them were at the Unity Conference Center convening in Session.

The Centennial Pavilion session was presided over by House Speaker Edwin Snowe while the Unity Conference Center session was presided over Representative Ketterkummeh Murray.

	• Sen. Isaac Nyenabo

He's the Chairman on Executive, and by standards he is third in command next to the Deputy Speaker. He can preside over any session in the absence of the Speaker or his deputy.

The holding of separate sessions comes against the backdrop of attempts to move Speaker Edwin Snowe.

Those who convened session at the Unity Conference Center are opposed to his leadership and have already presented a resolution calling for his resignation as head of the Lower House of Parliament.

In their opening statement read by Representative James Banny of Maryland, the opposing lawmaker the Speaker no longer enjoys their confidence. They urged him to leave office peacefully or face removal in keeping with the rules governing their operations.

On why they held a separate session outside the one presided over Speaker Snowe, they recalled that it was in keeping the constitution.

At the same time, the opposing lawmakers said the issue of bribery is a subset of the main issue which has to do with Snowe’s removal as head of the House, not ruling out conducting investigation into the issue.

“We've declared vote of no confidence in him. Our confidence has been revoked,” the legislators said in the statement.

According to them, they were removing their boss for several reasons ranging from his action on the Taiwan issue, the trip to Qatar and the statement made by the Chinese Ambassador when Hon. Snowe presented a resolution on Liberia’s commitment to the one-China Policy.

They didn't state what the Ambassador during the exercise that could be a cause for the removal of the speaker.

If goes well, then Speaker Snowe will kicked out as Speaker. But observers say the manner in which the lawmakers who are in majority are going about the issue is not proper.

“They're in majority. Why can they face Snowe and decide his fate once and for all,” remarked an observer. Whatever the case, it appeared that the lawmakers are determined the end the speakership of Mr. Snowe, and perhaps throw a monkey wrench in his political career.

Some members of the Liberian Senate boycotted yesterday’s opening session presided over President Pro Tempore, Isaac Nyenabo, citing constitutional issues.

They group said they will not attend subsequent sittings of the second session of the Senate because the venue, Unity Conference Center in Virginia, violates Article 40 of the 1986 constitution.

In a letter signed by ten of the senators out of 30 senators who make up the members of the Liberian Senate, they said they were constrained to stay away from the sitting because Pro-Tempore, Isaac Nyanabo has refused to change the venue even after he had, before this day, been informed of the violation.

The letter was addressed to the President of the Senate, Vice President Joseph Boakai, and Pro-Temp, Isaac Nyanabo.

The senators quoted Article 40 of the 1986 constitution as saying: “neither House shall adjourn for more than five days without the consent of the other nor both Houses shall always sit in the same city.”

They argued that the Unity Conference Center is not in Monrovia, noting that since the House of Representatives is convening, and will sit in the city of Monrovia, the Liberian Senate has no choice, but to open and sit in the same city, as to do otherwise puts the senate in a position of noncompliance with Article 40 of the constitution.

The Senators maintained that Virginia, Montserrado County, where the Unity Conference Center is situated is not a city, rather a settlement and township with its own administrative structure headed by a commissioner appointed by the President of Liberia.

“Our position on Article 40 of the constitution is clear, both Houses shall always sit in the same city, and we are convinced that ev3en if the House of Representatives were to change its venue and join the senate at the Unity Conference Center in Virginia, we will still be in violation of Article 40” the Senators release stressed.

“We're calling on President Johnson-Sirleaf and President Pro-Tempore of the Liberian Senate to comply with Article 40 of the constitution by changing the venue of the convening and sitting of the second session of the senate to the city of Monrovia where the House is convening and sitting for its second session” the Senators added.  

The senators indicated that failure on the part of president Sirleaf and the Senate Pro-Temp Isaac Nyenabo, they will be left with no other alternative, but in concert with the House of Representatives, to find another location having the legal status of a city in Liberia.

“We submit to you that to do otherwise will deny us the opportunity to represent and some the interests of constituencies and the people of Liberia in general in keeping with the terms and condition of the constitution of Liberia “the release concluded.