By Nasratu Kargbo & Abdulia Fasineh Dumbuya
Members of Parliament Elect from the Main Opposition All People’s Congress (APC) who are yet to be sworn in because of a boycott have only seven more sittings remaining, the Speaker of Parliament Chernor Abass Bundu has warned.
Bundu made this warning on the 12th of October 2023 in parliament in light of the fact that MPs who absent themselves from 30 consecutive sittings, will be removed.
“This sitting today since we started will be the twenty-third sitting of this sixth parliament. What this means is that we have only seven more sittings to the date of closure”.
He said he will be ready to welcome them if their coming is within the ambit of the law, emphasizing that if not, they will have themselves to blame.
Bundu explained that parliament is a house of laws, saying that they make the laws that should be respected.
The Speaker emphasized that he made to remind the elected MPs to take the oath of office, noting people might ask him to be lenient, he added: “This law is no ordinary law; it is found in 77(e) and should be read in conjunction with the standing orders 77(2)”.
He called on the Acting Leader of the Opposition Mohamed Bangura to ensure he conveyed the message to his colleagues on his behalf.
In his reaction Bangura assured the house that the government and his colleagues are in talks, stating that they will duly take their seats.
“Your warning will be the last, they will take their seats soon,” he said.
Section 77 (e) states “A Member of Parliament shall vacate his seat in parliament if he is absent from sittings of parliament for such period and in such circumstances as may be prescribed in the rules of procedure of parliament”.
Whilst 77(2) (a) of the Standing Order states “Any member who, without good cause, during any session, is absent from sittings of parliament on a number of days amounting to an aggregate period or thirty days, shall vacate his seat”
Clerk of Parliament Umar Paran Tarawallie had earlier in an interview with a local radio station said he had reached out to the APC MPs-elect encouraging them to do their work in order to push the country forward’’.
Tarawalie noted that Alfred Ayodele Thompson, who together with Mohamed Bangura later decided to attend parliament against their party’s boycott stance, had to write his office notifying about a legitimate reason for his absence for which he sought permission. He said after a few weeks Thompson came forward and took the oath, becoming a legitimate Member of Parliament.
Addressing the issue of the 137 staff of Parliament who are to be laid off, he said the Sixth Parliament is undergoing a huge reform from the traditional to corporate system of parliament which he said is the reason behind their decision to close down some offices, noting that he will not for now reveal the specific offices to be closed.
He said they have notified all the staff of this decision and that by the end of the year 2023, they will make it known to the general public which roles they do not need again in parliament. He said if they do not need any office or role on the premise of the legislative environment, the occupants of that office will definitely be redundant, emphasizing that nobody has been hand-picked but said that some people’s services are no longer required.
The sixth parliament in the Republic of Sierra Leone commenced on 13 July 2023, and after elections 149 MPs were elected, 135 ordinary members of parliament but only 97 MPs have subscribed to the oath – 81 Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) MPs, 14 Paramount Chief representatives and two APC MPs.
Following the announcement of results of the June 24 General Elections which saw President Julius Maada Bio re-elected, the APC leadership ordered all their elected MPs and Local Council representatives to boycott governance, alleging electoral irregularities.
Officials of the Commonwealth are already in Sierra Leone to lead mediation efforts to end the political stalemate. The dialogue, which is expected to start next week in Freetown, has also attracted officials from the regional bloc ECOWAS and the African Union.
The country’s Main Opposition in a press release dated 30th June 2023 had expressed the party’s position of not participating in legislative and local governance if fresh elections are not conducted within six months. The Party made the decision after they had questioned the election results,
The number of MPs that are yet to take their oath of office is fifty-two.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (13/10/23)
