By Sulaiman Jalloh
Deputy Speaker of the sixth Parliament of the second Republic, Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh, has, on Thursday, 8th August, 2024, at the State Hall of Parliament on Tower Hill in Freetown, officially launched a comprehensive and exhaustive Legislative Compendium of the fifth Parliament.
Delivering the keynote address, on behalf of the Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh appreciated the work of the Parliamentary Network Africa (PNAfrica) for putting together the Fifth Parliament’s Legislative Compendium, noting the Compendium is a knowledge that would be transmitted from one generation to another. He stated that the Fifth Parliament was a different Parliament, noting that about seventy percent (70%) of its membership was new with no parliamentary experience.
Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh furthered that those Members of the Fifth Parliament fully participated in debates and passed progressive laws for the nation. “The Fifth Parliament dubbed a hung Parliament, was very difficult to manage, but was managed adequately. As difficult as that, we were able to pass critical legislations. To this end, it is my singular honour to officially launch this Legislative Compendium of the Fifth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone,” the Deputy Speaker pronounced.
On his part, the Executive Director of Parliamentary Network Africa, Sammy Obeng, commended the leadership of the Sixth Parliament for launching the first Legislative Compendium in Sierra Leone and the second in Africa as South Africa remains the first, and assured the leadership of the Network’s continued support, particularly for the Press Gallery and the Parliamentary and Civil Society Network (ParCSoNet). Mr Obeng expressed optimism that the Legislative Compendium would significantly advance the work of the Sixth Parliament and other subsequent Parliaments.
Director of Legislative Services in Parliament, Momodu Lamin Deen Rogers, who also served as the consultant for the development of the Compendium, intimated that he had served five Speakers and four Clerks of Parliament. With his avalanche of parliamentary experience, he said he used all of his professionalism in collating the Legislative Compendium. He said the Fifth Parliament did exceptionally well by executing its legislative authority.
The Deputy Clerk of Parliament, Gilbert Bosco Nhabay, recalled that the Fifth Parliament, despite being considered as hung Parliament, achieved remarkable legislative milestones highlighting the enactment of progressive laws for Sierra Leone, including the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act, which provides 30% quota for female representation in governance. Among other progressive laws enacted, he said, were the Sexual Offenses Act amended in 2019, the Public Order Amendment Act of 2020, the Abolition of Death Penalty Act of 2021, the Cyber Security and Crime Act 2021, the Political Parties Regulation Commission Act 2022, and the National Security and Central Intelligence Act 2022. He considered the Fifth Parliament to be the second-open Parliament which, according to him, is a testament to its unique legislative achievements.
The Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Abdul Kargbo, described the Fifth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone as dramatic and unpredictable because of its composition with several political parties, noting for a political party to get two-thirds majority, it must be able to persuade other political parties. He also described the Fifth Parliament as the good, the bad, and the ugly while confessing that after he read the Legislative Compendium, he realized that the Fifth Parliament passed more than two hundred legislations.
The Leader of Government Business and Majority Leader of Parliament, Hon. Mathew Nyuma said they had done all they could to ensure that Parliament operates in tandem with admirable democratic ideals. He considered the Fifth Parliament to be the best in Sierra Leone’s history. As a hung Parliament, he reiterated that they were able to come together and passed progressive laws for Sierra Leone, saying they used the appropriate Standing Orders to punish their colleagues who wanted to play with the rules of Parliament. He stressed that the Hung Parliament made the Fifth Parliament very strong. He reiterated that in the Fifth Parliament, they were able to challenge the International Standard for Female representation.
He eluted that the purpose of the Legislative Compendium is to highlight the legislative Hansard of the Fifth Parliament from 2018-2023.
The compendium, with its comprehensive coverage, provides a detailed understanding of the laws and legislative instruments handled by the Fifth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone from April 2018 to June 2023. The Legislative Compendium, a testament to the Fifth Parliament’s dedication and hard work, also looked into the Hansard and activities of some parliamentary committees and how those activities positively impacted the legislative outputs.
