As Liberia continues on the path to democratic governance, one of the key institutions in this transition is the legislature, the most diverse in the country’s history. Twelve percent of the House of Representatives and 17 percent of the Senate are women, and first-time legislators form a significant portion of the membership.

Alexander Chavarria, NDI’s resident director in Liberia, discusses an Institute program based in Monrovia that works to strengthen the legislature and helps members communicate more effectively with their constituents.

• What is the goal of NDI’s work with the Liberian Legislature?

  Our goal is to help strengthen the institution and help it become a more independent, transparent, open and accountable legislative body.

  There are two major components of our program. First, we provide technical assistance to the members when they are in session, from January to August or September, focusing on their lawmaking and oversight responsibilities. This involves, for example, working with committee chairmen and other members on how to analyze, initiate and review legislation that is working its way through the legislative process.

  The second component is to assist legislators during what is known as the “agricultural break,” which runs from mid-August to January, when the legislators go back to their home areas and have the most interaction with their constituents.

• Could you give a specific example of how the program works when members are in the capital?

  Yes. We do workshops and retreats when the legislature is in session. One recent example was a retreat we organized for the entire House of Representatives to help members understand an anti-corruption bill that was being drafted. Once the bill was introduced, we followed up with specific workshops for the Judiciary Committee, which, for the first time ever in Liberia, held public hearings on the bill. So the training we provide is varied – retreats, workshops, public hearings – which gives legislators a full spectrum of approaches. We, of course, deal with many different issues – from agriculture to foreign affairs – with a variety of committees.

  We also provide guidance to individual legislators as they request it. For example, the Liberian Legislature, the first elected democratically in the last 20 years, has complicated rules that can be daunting for new members, who have many demands on their time and little experience with legislature procedures. NDI will respond to requests for assistance and feedback on the proper application of rules as bills are being debated in committee or on the floor.

• What other kinds of assistance does NDI provide?

  NDI works in partnership with legislators, both individually and in groups, to help them acclimate to their new roles. There are 94 legislators – 30 senators and 64 representatives. NDI has worked with all of them on constituent relations activities, such as preparing for town hall meetings in their home constituencies during the agricultural break. Some of these are small group sessions of five to six people – a mix of senators and representatives, men and women – and take five to six hours. But we also do full-day workshops with 20 to 30 people at a time covering how to improve legislative relations, become familiar with tools needed to interact in a meaningful way with constituents, and addressing topics of national interest.

  The legislators then develop their own work plans. For public hearings and town hall meetings, for example, they decide on the topics, the audience and the format. NDI then works with the legislators’ staff to help prepare for the meeting. This type of interaction with constituents is very important and often presents enormous logistical challenges. Some regions are difficult to reach and it can take 10 or more hours to them. In three counties, there is no road access so the legislators must fly or go by canoe through Liberia’s network of rivers.

  But once these hurdles are overcome, it is very rewarding to witness the interaction between the legislators and the people who come to the meetings. We have heard from traditional chiefs, some as old as 90, praising this process and saying this is the first time in their lives that they have had the opportunity to talk to their representatives.

• What role is NDI playing in helping the Liberian Legislature in the post-war reform/recovery process?

  In support of the country’s recovery process, NDI has worked with legislators to strengthen their committee work with the goal of producing high quality reform legislation in such issue areas as forestry, anti-corruption, defense, human rights, national budget, and media reform.

  Besides working with committees, we also host workshops and retreats for the House and Senate membership on key issues, such as those previously mentioned, which contribute directly to the reform process in Liberia.

• How has the legislative strengthening program enhanced the independence of the Liberian Legislature?

  By working with legislators to strengthen their three main functions – lawmaking, representation, and oversight – NDI has helped the legislators achieve a higher degree of independence. The goal is to improve the quality of these processes. One way is by strengthening the central staff of the legislature by helping them improve research skills so they can provide more timely and high-quality information to members. Another is by assisting members in the processes needed to pass sound appropriations bills by, for example, helping them analyze how previous budgets were executed. Overall, we are supporting the legislature’s efforts to build a strong, independent institution that is less subject to outside political pressures and that is more open and accountable to citizens.

• Can you describe the role of civil society organizations in NDI’s legislative strengthening program?

  Civil society organizations have been important. The Institute has formed partnerships with eight groups that have helped us carry out the strengthening program. They deserve a lot of credit for the results and accomplishments of NDI’s program

  Civil society organizations also actively participate in the legislative process, often by testifying at public hearings. Last year, NDI assisted the legislature with more than 15 public hearings on important pieces of legislation relating to human rights, national defense, the national budget, and media reform. The input from civil society organizations was critical in shaping the new measures.

• What are your thoughts on the overall progress of the program?

  I would say that we have accomplished over 90 percent of our immediate goals in helping legislators strengthen their committees as well as their outreach to constituents.

  The progress is significant – in how legislators have acquired new skills, how they have used the information, and how they are implementing all the new tools that NDI has provided them in the last three years.

Pictured above: Alexander Chavarria (at center in blue shirt), resident director of NDI programs in Liberia, with Liberian lawmakers at a legislative strengthening workshop.

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Published on Feb. 24, 2009