Last week, before COCORIOKO took its break for Thanksgiving, another shameful episode happened in y Leone. The hallowed well of Parliament was turned into a barbarian’s paradise and war zone as members of Parliament representing the ruling SLPP and the opposition APC went into grips like feuding schoolboys or thugs.
PARLIAMENTARIANS FIGHTING IN PARLIAMENT
As a shocked nation watched in stunned disbelief, MPs exchanged blows and fought like barbarians. They were even seen throwing chairs at one another..The chaotic scene went in for a spell before Police was called in to quell the chaos. When the Police came, it was opposition APC members who were whisked out of the Well.
Many Sierra Leoneans complaining on social media about the disgraceful charade blamed the explosion of passions on the SLPP government , which they are accusing of trying to change the rules at the middle of the game and the negative obstinacy of the Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Abass Bundu.
The SLPP wants to use the Public Elections (District Block Proportional Representation System) Regulations 2022 and the Public Elections (Local Councils Proportional Representation System) Regulations 2022 for next year’s presidential and general elections, amidst protests by parliamentarians , some sections of the media and civil society and Sierra Leoneans.
Thus, when the Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice Umaru Napoleon Koroma tried to lay the documents before Parliament for debate on Wednesday, opposition parliamentarians protested and asked for deferment to give themselves more time to study them. The dictatorial Speaker, Abass Bundu , refused and ordered that the debate go on which quickly polarized events . MPs started hurling insults at one an other and soon, fighting erupted .The sad fact is that even if debated, the two regulations will be used in next year’s elections, unless they are rejected by two- thirds of the MPs votes..
Even the international community has expressed concern to the Speaker of Parliament about the regulations .
A measure of how President Julius Maada Bio, has divided our country is reflected also in this scandal : Parliamentarians went to blows on the wells of the Sierra Leone Parliament. This shameful and dangerous event reflects on the chaotic leadership in the country and it portends more chaos in the horizon. If lawmakers can fight in Parliament, what will stop the people from fighting when the times comes ? SLPP are not fit to rule even their Southeastern fulahuns .
PLEASE READ A REPORT BELOW ON THE CHARADE BY ABU SHAW
Fisticuff in Parliament as MPs Attack MPs: Bio’s Police Invade Parliament and did Arrest APC MPs
By Abu Shaw
Sierra Leone Parliament was shamefully a battle field yesterday again as SLPP parliamentarians were seen attacking APC MPs vice versa.
It unfolded while the parliamentarians were debating the controversial Proportional Representation PR system. Live on social media videos, parliamentarians on both sides of the House could be seen throwing heavy objects on colleague MPs as other parliamentarians retaliated by throwing back at opposite direction in return. It was an eyesore to see law makers who ought to know better misbehaving so publicly. Even the Speaker Dr Abass Bundu in panic mood was seen being carted away from the Well of Parliament by his MPs to safety. Sources say APC MPs were thrown out of the well of parliament by police officers through the command of the SLPP Clerk of Parliament Paran Tarawallie. Democracy is dead and buried in Sierra Leone under the SLPP regime. (Photo: Parliament is upside down).
Amid the commotion and noise, MPs struck with the heavy objects thrown at each other fell on the ground as other colleagues went to their rescue. The pand inemonium got worse when the SLPP police officers stormed parliament with one motive in mind i.e. to arrest and beat up the APC parliamentarians who were visibly in opposition to the unpopular PR system being forced on Sierra Leoneans by President Bio’s SLPP regime. The adoption of the PR stuff now would undermine democracy and the voters would not be able to elect the individuals to represent them in the House, rather, the government would choose the MPs instead. (Photo: Police invaded Parliament in 2018 and beat up APC MPs).
Sierra Leoneans think this is not fair democracy as far as they are concerned. That is why the opposition parties are strongly against the PR system for the crucial general and presidential elections in June 2023. But the Bio presidency is adamant that the PR system must be implemented by force (Paopa way) because the ruling SLPP regime thinks it would be beneficial to them. And the invasion of the SLPP police in parliament made things worse as the pandemonium escalated rather than lessened. This is not the first time fracas of this nature had taken place in Parliament regarding the PR system and other bills.
The invasion of the police in parliament did not calm the situation at all because they forcefully arrested four APC MPs after mishandling them. Among the four APC parliamentarians nabbed was Honourable Oye from Koya Chiefdom. President Bio’s police are known for invading parliament. In 2018, a few weeks after President Bio came to power his brutal police were ordered to remove 10 elected APC MPs from parliament and were beaten up mercilessly. And the SLPP court unlawfully replaced the APC MPs with unelected SLPP officials and up to this day, nothing had been done to allow the APC MPs back in the House.
The melee in parliament yesterday is a clear indication of the violent-oriented nature of President Bio and it also shows that its undemocratic credentials are still alive and kicking. Ironically, all these fracas unfolded while the APC Parliamentary leader Chericoco was out of the country attending a vital summit at ECOWAS in Abuja. Sources say he was however still abreast of the occurrences minutes by minutes. The PR system is the proposed electoral system to be used by Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone ECSL in next year’s election that will usher in a single constituency and members of parliament nationwide determined by the percentage of their political parties.
