SLPP caused yesterday’s disgraceful scenes at Parliament
By Abu Shaw in London (20/04/2021)
Yesterday was historically a very sad day for the members of the Sierra Leone Parliament after they resorted to fighting, unleashing blows in a scuffle.
The pandemonium in Freetown was in strong defiance to the dubious SLPP government Mid-Term Census and the Cybercrime Bills forcefully presented to the members of parliament by President Julius Maada Bio and his caboodle. The opposition parliamentarians, led by the main opposition APC party, warned the ruling government to follow simple parliamentary procedures through proper consultations rather than hurry the proceedings without consensus. The MPs had a simple but succinct message: “No to the government’s Mid-Term Census and Cybercrime Bills. More time is needed to debate the presidential proclamation.” (Photo: MPs at each other’s throat yesterday and the SLPP puppet Speaker Dr Abass Bundu).
But the violent SLPP parliamentary camp only wanted to rush the process without listening to the opposition MPs, which contravenes the 1991 Sierra Leone Constitution. At the Bintumani Hotel Conference Hall yesterday convened by President Bio, all the government wanted from the invited parliamentarians was to endorse the two controversial Bills which the MPs had rejected outright from the outset. Tension suddenly boiled over to arguments between the SLPP MPs and the other parliamentarians followed by nasty scuffles.
Captured live on the African Young Voice AYV television, Sierra Leoneans watching the proceedings at home and abroad were taken aback when MPs started exchanging blows and shouting helter-skelter, much to the chagrin of those present at the conference and those observing far and wide.
The disgraceful scenes have ultimately smeared the good image of the Sierra Leone Parliament and President Bio’s government in particular. The two SLPP Bills have been met with serious opposition not only from the opposition MPs but also from many stakeholders due to the secretive nature associated with the Census and the Cybercrime issues. (Photo: Clerk Senepoh).
Parliamentarians were supposed to sit in the House yesterday to concentrate on pertinent national issues affecting the country. But they were instead dragged to the Bintumani Hotel as demanded by the President in order to force them to give their blessings to these murky Bills even though most citizens say further clarifications are needed to know the real intention behind these bills. Unquestionably, the country is in a volatile situation because of the oppressive style of governance of the violent SLPP government. Besides the economic, social hardships Sierra Leoneans are suffering today, President Bio’s government has reduced the country to the “dark ages” where human rights and civil liberties are absolutely non-existent.
Political observers are of the vehement opinion that there is less clarity on the Mid-Term Census and the Cybercrime, which has exacerbated the growing scepticism already surrounding the Bills. And as the 2023 general and presidential elections loom nearer, amid the backwardness of the state of affairs thanks to the corrupt SLPP government, the voters do not want to take anything for granted. “We are vigilant than never before. We will make sure that come 2023, we vote for the right people and for the right party. The mistakes in 2018 are what we are trying to avoid at all costs,” a concerned electorate told the Organiser.net newspaper last night from Freetown.
The tense moment commenced on March 31, 2021, when twelve political parties in Sierra Leone formed a consortium consisting of the All Peoples Congress APC, the Coalition 4 Change C4C, the National Grand Coalition NGC, the People’s Movement for Democratic Change PMDC, the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, the United Party UP, CDP, the Alliance Democratic Party ADP, and the United Democratic Movement UDM.
The poor living conditions of the people, the Mid-Term Population Census Plan, Cybercrime, and the SLPP government’s plan to dissolve the City Councils Administration and whether the government plans to reverse decentralisation were discussed. Investigations continue. (Photo: Chericoco, left).
