MAY 31 – A DATE TO REMEMBER
The month of May is celebrated as freedom or liberation day in Africa. And the day is May 25. This day is the annual commemoration of the foundation of the Organization of African Unity on 25 May 1963.
Whilst Africa and the world celebrate freedom from injustice and other prejudices, a significant small number of people in Sierra Leone cannot do same.
On May 31, 2019, the High Court of Sierra Leone presided by Justices Komba Kamanda and Momoh Jah-Stevens unjustly removed ten (10) Members of Parliament belonging to the All People’s Congress Party. This compromising decision by the Judiciary was to enable the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party acquire the simple majority in parliament they needed in parliament.
Today is 2 years since that wrongful decision was made. We have to keep reminding ourselves and the world at large about this day. This day in history will never be forgotten:
It is a day that the mandate of over 100,000 people was overturned by just 2 men supposed to mete out justice in the land, but did otherwise. These 2 men did not only remove the 10 MPs, but went ahead and ruled that 9 of us be replaced immediately without countenance to the Rules of Appeal. This was nothing but an indiscriminate perversion of justice.
A day when a learned lawyer who is the Speaker of Parliament did the unexpected and unwarranted – he hurriedly swore in the 9 Court MPs.
A day when the Sierra Leone Police unleashed their most barbaric and brutish conduct on innocent and harmless people marching from the courtyard to their party office.
We will keep commemorating this day not because we feel aggrieved or bitter anymore; but to remind the judiciary about the injustice they doled out. This day will now be dubbed World Injustice Day. We will keep reminding the judiciary that their action to the effect will not be forgotten and there is always repercussion albeit many years down the line.
As a result of this unjust ruling, one of us, Hon Sheriff Carew has gone to the world beyond. May his soul rest in peace. Four of us living in self exile because of everyday taunting and provocation from supporters of these court MPs; four of us jobless with daily pressure from our constituents.
This day will never be forgotten and our judiciary is hereby called out to live to expectation.
We remain the people’s Members of Parliament:
Hon Kemokoh Conteh – Constituency 108
Hon John Sattie Kargbo – Constituency 111
Hon Hariatu Ariana Bangura – Constituency 116
Hon Momoh Kamara – Constituency 120
Hon Ahmed Mansaray – Constituency -121
Hon Sheriff Carew (deceased) RIP – Constituency 122
Hon Rabbi Sirajin M. Rollings-Kamara – Constituency 127
Hon Abu Bakarr Sillah – Constituency 128
Hon Osman Abdel Timbo – Constituency 130
Siranjin Rollings KAMARA
