By Emmanuel Nathaniel Davis
Monrovia, Liberia — A Member of the female Legislative caucus at the house of Representatives has raised pensive concern over what she describes as a pattern of deliberate exclusion by House Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon.
The claim accuses speaker Koon of deliberate and consistent refusal to recognize female lawmakers during plenary sessions, thereby preventing them from actively participating in national discussions that border on the growth and development of the Liberian society.
“The alleged willful undemocratic political practice on the part of Koon is counter productive to the tenants of good governance”, says Representative Priscilla Cooper, a member of the caucus.
“Honorable Speaker, I have noticed that you normally do not recognize the women in this house,” Representative Cooper stated. She called the alleged refusal “unacceptable and unjust to female Legislators.”
Representative Cooper claimed, she had raised her hand on several occasions in session without being acknowledged, noting that the speaker instead recognizes his male colleagues to speak during plenary session.
She meanwhile noted that the speaker frequently refers to the body exclusively as “men,” further ignoring the presence of the women who equally serve the interest of the nation and its people.
“Honorable Speaker, please don’t refer to this august body as only men,” she insisted.
The legislators’ frustration is compounded by what they view as a broader issue of marginalization, despite Speaker Koon’s self-proclaimed title as “feminine in chief.”
They feel marginalized, receiving fewer committee chair and co-chair appointments, and being consistently denied recognition on the floor.
