Sierra Leone: Responding to the political drama that occurred during the emergency Parliamentary sitting summoned on Monday 21th April 2021, the Leader of the Coalition for Change Honourable Saa Emerson Lamina, has in an interview described the brawl as disgraceful, shameful and un-Parliamentary.
According to him, as a Party they out-rightly condemn the act from the onset as it is against the Parliamentary Standing Order 35 that makes provision for how Members of Parliament should appear and behave within and outside of Parliament.
“It is very clear that the action was pre-emptive and that is what we are against. We were expecting that the Parties concerned would have waited patiently to see the outcome, but because they pre-empt what is coming that was yet to arrive absolutely it was wrong,” he said, explaining that whenever issues come up in Parliament there are procedures to follow through ‘Motion’ to either condemn or support what is before the house.
He disclosed that the failure to patiently wait to see the actual outcome, led to the reduction of what should have been an intellectual battle to fist battle, which was very unfortunate particularly so when the nation is looking at Parliament as a sacred shrine, pace setters and a model for generation yet unborn, but what was demonstrated on that day was unfortunate and the C4C condemn it with the highest degree.
He appreciated the point of order raised by the Leader of the Opposition Hon. Chernor Maju Bah on Standing Order 4(3) when the Constitutional Instrument was about to be read by the Clerk, but when the Speaker rejected it based on the provision in Section 86(1) of the 1991 Constitution, which supersedes the Standing Order he then realised there was no need for any consultation.
“I was expecting the ruling of the Speaker should have been challenged through debate, but going by the way the Opposition went towards disrupting the process, was wrong,” he said, maintaining that the fist fight was not the appropriate way of challenging the decision of the Speaker, confirming that the Constitutional Instrument was laid in Parliament despite the unfriendly environment.
AMK/22/04/2021