By Sulaiman Jalloh

Newly elected Speaker of the Sierra Leone Parliament, Hon. Segepoh Solomon Thomas, on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, said he was not only elected by members of his ruling Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) as he promised to do his best to unite lawmakers. “I was not elected by members of the ruling bench only, but by members of the SLPP, members of the APC [the opposition party], and paramount chief members of Parliament,” he noted.

Hon. Thomas, known for his steadfast campaign for welfare for members of parliament, reaffirmed to House Members that they would treat matters, including welfare of Members of Parliament, with the utmost seriousness. He used the opportunity to dilate the pressure MPs encounter, including project implementation for their people with lawmakers’ salaries, hence they must be respected. “We should be used as an object of sympathy,” he maintained.

Speaker Thomas continued that together with his deputy, they will stir the House of Parliament with fairness and will ensure that the sixth parliament makes history.

While thanking MPs for electing him and his deputy, Speaker Thomas assured MPs that he would not take them for granted. “I am going to respect your opinion,” he assured, while expressing fervent hope that the House of Parliament would be united.

“As a House, we need to push a national conversation around Members of Parliament,” he said, adding that they need to push something that the citizens themselves would engage in.

Copyright –Published in print in Expo Times Newspaper on Friday, May 10TH, 2024 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)