Flouting an Order of Parliament is considered to be contempt. Members of Parliament (MPs) on Thursday 17th January 2019 resolved to debate a Motion put forward for the withdrawal of appointment approval of the Executive Chairman of the Produce Monitoring Board (PMB), James Vibbi after he refused to comply with a Parliamentary Order. The Acting Leader of Government Business Honourable Sahr Mathew Nyuma (SLPP) of Constituency 021 Kenema district raised the Motion. This was after James Vibbi, deliberately refused to comply with Parliamentary Order to reinstate the suspended Executive Secretary of the PMB and other Staff that were also dismissed illegally. It could be recalled on Tuesday 15th January 2019, the Speaker of Parliament Hon Abass Bundu Ordered James Vibbi to re-instate the suspended and dismissed Staff of PMB, withdraw his letter of complaint against Hon Veronica K. Sesay and to also apologies to Parliament and Hon Veronica. According to the Clerk of Parliament Hon Umar Paran Tarawallie, James Vibbi complied with only two of the three Orders given to him as evident before him with only two letters. Hon Veronica K. Sesay and other MPs including both the leader of the Opposition Hon Chernor Bah and the acting leader of Government Business, Hon Sahr Mathew Nyuma accepted the apology on the grounds they are all humans. In response to the Speakers question, James Vibbi accepted the fact there is a Board comprising of 11 members that was established by the Produce and Monitoring Act 2013, adding the Board requires 5 members to form a quorum to sit on any issue. According to him with the Executive Order from State House dissolving all Boards, the Ministry of Trade automatically supervises the activities of the Institution and any actions to be taken should be done in accordance with the knowledge of the Ministry. According to the Senior Permanent Secretary at Trade Ministry, Abdul R Fofanah, the suspended Executive Secretary, Haja Kabba has been acting for over four years and the Ministry has sent letters of recommendation for confirmation but they are yet to receive any correspondence. He explained that after James Vibbi took office in November 2019, he informed the Ministry he had discovered discrepancies on which the Ministry instructed him to do it in writing, but what they received from him was a suspension letter. Fofanah maintained they tried to solve the issue but were unable to get Vibbi to understand. He said the Minister instructed him (Fofanah) to write a letter dated 8th November 2018 to Vibbi informing him that his actions are illegal without the approval of any Board or the Ministry and that he should reinstate the suspended and dismissed staff, but Vibbi declined to do as instructed. In response to what the Permanent Secretary said, Vibbi maintained the letter from the Ministry lapsed when he together with officials from the Ministry held a meeting in State House from which they agreed that the suspension should hold and a letter dated 4th December 2018 was sent. The Speaker questioned Vibbi if at all he goes through the process of the law in executing his power, by single handedly suspending the Executive Secretary and other staff. He maintained he did as he sent a letter of query to the Ministry of Trade. For over two hours Members of Parliament from SLPP, APC even Independent Candidates tried their level best in convincing James Vibbi to see reason to reverse his action which they clearly described as illegal and is not supported by any section in the PMB Act of 2013, but he refused albeit without any hesitation as to the implications. The Speaker of Parliament in his wisdom before asking for a seconder of the motion, he again questioned Vibbi if he is ready to comply with the order to restore the suspended and dismissed staff pending the Anti Corruption Commission investigation. In response, Vibbi maintained, “I have the responsibility here to respect this House that have maybe the strongest powers, I also have the responsibility to stand behind the truth which has the utter most power and because of that Mr Speaker without any disrespect to you I am constrained not to withdraw the decision.” With this response Hon. Nyuma before moving the motion for their withdrawal of approval on the appointment of James Vibbi, citing Section 85 of the 991 Constitution of Sierra Leone, also called on the Speaker to look at Section 96 of the same Constitution. The Acting Leader of Government Business maintained there is no way Vibbi can bring conflict between the Executive arm of Government and that of the Legislative. The Opposition Whip Hon. Hassan Abdoul Sesay (APC) Constituency 050 Tonkolili seconded the motion. The Speaker of Parliament maintained James Vibbi is guilty of Contempt of Parliament and ordered for his detention until Tuesday 22nd January 2019 when the House will debate the Motion relating to his withdrawal of appointment. At the Police post in Parliament, James Vibbi with handcuffs said “I will not be intimated,” whilst relatives were cheering him up for his firm position.
By Alhaji Manika Kamara
Friday January 18, 2019.