The 6th Parliament of Sierra Leone was inaugurated on Thursday, despite a widely publicised boycott by what is supposed to be the sole opposition in the House.
Ninety-six new MPs, mostly from the governing Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and traditional leaders took the oath of office to formally become lawmakers.
In line with their party’s stance, members of the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) largely stayed away from the ceremony, with the exception of 0ne, Mohamed Bangura, who took the oath alongside the 81 SLPP members and 14 Paramount Chiefs.
The first day of business for the House witnessed the election of a Speaker, deputy speaker and other officials that will partly make up the leadership of the House for the next five years.
Dr Cherno Abass Bundu emerged as Speaker, despite rumours of an alleged plan by SLPP to replace him. Sengepoh Solomon Thomas was also elected Deputy Speaker.
Sahr Mathew Nyuma, the former Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business, got the same position in the new Parliament.
Bashiru Silikie was named Deputy Majority Leader 1, while former C4C lawmaker, Saa Emerson Lamina, who now sits in the SLPP bench, was elected Deputy Leader 2.
Dickson Rogers was named Chief Whip, while Veronica Kadie Sesay was named Deputy Whip 1 and Ibrahim Tawa Conteh Deputy Whip 2
Clerk of Parliament, Paran Umar Tarawally administered the oath to all 96 Members, according to a news release from the Communication Unit of the Parliament.
A major highlight of the day was the appearance of Mohamed Bangura, whose decision to defy his party’s stance attracted admiration from his political opponents while provoking anger from his own base.
The representative for Karene District in the Northwestern Region of the country was quoted saying that he did what the constitution called for, to serve the people who voted him into the House.
The APC had vowed not to take part in government in protest against what it considers as a rigged electoral process. It has refused to challenge the process in court, citing lack of trust in the judicial system.
Dr Samura Kamara, the party’s presidential candidate in the June 24 polls, twitted about the event in parliament, although he avoided referencing it directly.
“Thursday, 13th July, 2023, marks another stage in our political calendar, and particularly so, after an election whose votes were never counted or tallied by, what should have been an independent and credible electoral commission; yet presidential, parliamentary and local council results were read to us and subsequently adopted against your will,” he said in the tweet apparently addressing his supporters.
He added: “Under normal circumstances, each day forward means progress. In our political journey however in Sierra Leone, a new day now means going backwards.”
But the APC has come under pressure to end its boycott, amid concerns over its potential to return the country to a one-party system of governance.
There are reports of ongoing dialogue to end the stalemate.
US Ambassador David Reimer on Wednesday joined the growing chorus of calls for the opposition party to rethink its stance, noting that boycott could amount to stifling of the voices of voters.
“A vibrant democracy needs a strong opposition; those who voted for the opposition need to have their voices heard,” Ambassador Reimer said in a tweet.
Nonetheless, responses from some members and supporters of the opposition party suggest a strong grassroot support for the boycott stance.
Osman Abdal Timbo, one of the newly elected MPs who chose to stay away from Parliament on Thursday, justified his support for his party’s decision, noting that he “wholeheartedly, without any form of compulsion,” endorse it because “those who voted for us have asked us not to participate.”
Some called for punishment for Bangura, for daring to defy the party.
Former Anti-Corruption Commissioner, Ade Macauly said Bangura’s decision was a personal one, rather than the interest of the electorate, as he claimed.
“It is a political sin that will find no room for forgiveness in the party,” he twitted.
