By Crispina Cummings
Members of Parliament from the United Kingdom in collaboration with the Commonwealth parliamentary association yesterday engaged their counterparts in Sierra Leone on post-election issues at the Parliament Building on Tower Hill in Freetown.
The visiting MPs, Greg Hands, assistant government whip, Rt. David Hanson, shadow minister for policing and Eve Samson, clerk of the committee on standards and privileges, urged MPs in Sierra Leone to make effective use of the resources at their disposal for the general good of the people.
Mr. Hanson asked his counterparts to balance the priorities between party, constituency and parliamentary demands so that their communities would see and know that they were working on the people’s behalf.
He urged parliament to hold the executive arm of government to account by taking parts in debates, especially as an opposition and asking questions that would keep ministries on their toes. He said parliamentary committees should go out, conduct thorough research and get answers so their work for efficiency.
Greg Hands, MP,noted that MPs could make use of tools and resources to address issues of their constituencies and in the process they should be loyal to their parties through which they were elected to government.
Clerk of Parliament referred to the meeting as timely and noted that such workshops could help newly elected members to operate effectively within committees in the House and ensure good working relations with their colleagues.
Opposition MP and minority leader of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party, Dr. Bernadette Lahai, said the initiative was great and would help in capacitating parliamentarians.
Some of the issues raised were that MPs in Sierra Leone were constrained and that might not have the tools and resources available to MPs in the UK.
The visiting clerk of the committee on standards and privileges, Madam Samson, advised her counterparts that they would not be able to meet all their needs at once, adding that it took them over 21 years at Westminster to achieve all the privileges they now enjoy.
She encouraged MPs to maintain their relationship with media and the civil society, noting that although they could be hostile the media were understanding.
