Parliament Turns Warfront
By Edwina Sia Janga
Drama does not seem to end in Sierra Leone’s Parliament, the latest being an exercise of fist and display of prowess over the use of invectives on Wednesday 23rd November 2022, as members of the main opposition party (the APC) and the ruling party (SLPP) Parliamentary Representatives took the warpath, exchanging blows and throwing chairs at each other.
This unfortunate event left many Sierra Leoneans both at home and abroad in utter shock that in the 21st Century, Parliamentarians could go so low as to engage in fist fight over the introduction of a very controversial bill. This leaves many questioning what has happened to the common practice of lobbying, which has been the hallmark of Parliamentary engagements across the globe. The most embarrassing aspect of the whole saga is that Parliament seem to be deteriorating fast to a fighting ring, as on several occasions, MPs of both political divide have been involved in open confrontation, where the police have been called in to restore calm. Among such cases are the fight in the house over the petition of some members of the APC after the 2018 general elections, then another at Bintumani, where pepper spray was used, including the destruction of a bill presented for debate, and now fighting over the laying of a statutory instrument that deals with the PR System of election, a hotly controversial issue.
Concerned citizens are worried over the message that these actions will send to supporters of both political [arties, especially as the 2023 General Elections are around the corner? Many believe that as Members of Parliament and addressed as ‘Honourable’ by the populace, much is expected from them by their supporters and residents in the country. Others are of the view that since coming events cast their shadows before them, this could be a rehearsal of what might happen in 2023, if some sense is not brought to bear upon political leaders.
Whilst there are insinuations that the right procedures were not followed in the process of laying the said instrument before the house, as eloquently espoused by Dr. Sylvia Blyden, who did her own findings and even visited the Sierra Leone Bookshop to pick up a copy of the said instrument, which, according to law, should have been gazetted for the consumption of the public, the government should endeavour to comply with the relevant provisions of the law. It is unfortunate that the Deputy Minister of Justice could fall foul of the law, as his office expected to serve as the legal adviser to the Presidency, and by extension, to the ruling party in Parliament.
It could be recalled that several concerns have been raised over the said PR issue, and various explanations given for its ultimate use in the coming General Elections, including resistance by the main opposition party in Parliament. This issue has had a lot of public debate and discussions on various official and unofficial fora, including heated arguments put forward by both pro and against the PR system advocates. To think that the same aggressive postures seen on social media could be replicated by the MPs in such a manner, is a worrying development. The potential effect that this action of the MPs is going to have on the voting populace is anybody’s guess.
Will common sense prevail!!!!
