By Alieu Amara Suwu
Hon. Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu, Speaker of Parliament, on Wednesday, 30 2022, after confining the riotous incident only to the element of contempt of Parliament, taking all the facts and circumstances of the inglorious incident of 23rd November into account, and in exercise of both the powers contained in Standing Order (S.O.) 43 and those vested in him as Speaker and in order to provide a deterrent against similar action in future, he has made a ruling that, Hon. Aaron Aruna Koroma of Constituency 048, Hon. Lahai Marah of Constituency 042 and Hon. Abdul Karim Kamara of Constituency 059, shall withdraw indefinitely from all proceedings in the House until a final determination is made by the House from the recommendations of the Committee of Privileges to which their misconduct is hereby committed.
He added that until then all their privileges, immunities, remuneration and allowances are withdrawn; they pay equally to Parliament within two weeks the total amount of NLe380,000 being the cost of the properties of Parliament damaged as a result of the attack on the Chamber on 23rd November 2022 and that if they fail to pay the said amount within the time thus stipulated that it shall be deducted from any gratuities due to them at the end of the life of this Fifth Parliament; that with immediate effect no strangers be allowed into the galleries of the Well of Parliament except by official invitation from the Office of the Speaker and all strangers so invited shall be subjected to proper search before admission; that with immediate effect no strangers be allowed to enter the premises of Parliament with mobile phones, drinks and food items; that with immediate effect all drivers to Members of Parliament shall only be allowed to stay in their vehicles or in the vicinity of where their vehicles are parked; and, for the avoidance of double punishment no further action shall be taken by the Sierra Leone Police against the three Members of Parliament aforementioned; that appropriate action shall be taken by the Sierra Leone Police against all the strangers who participated in the incident of 23rd November 2022.
During sitting on Wednesday, 23rd November 2022, Parliament had before it a Government Motion for the laying on the Table of the House two Statutory Instruments Nos. 13 and 14 of 2022 respectively published in the Sierra Leone Gazette on 16th November 2022. These Instruments contained Regulations by the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL) designed to give effect to the District Block Representation System, a form of Proportional Representation enshrined in section 38A of the Constitution of Sierra Leone 1991. Section 38A had become part of the Constitution in 2001 by way of a Constitutional Amendment through Act No. 15 of 2001 and had in fact been applied once in the General Elections of 2002. It was now being proposed by the ECSL to apply it again in the Parliamentary and Local Council Elections slated for the 24th June 2023. The Motion was brought to the House by the Deputy Attorney-General & Minister of Justice, Umaro Napoleon Koroma, Esq.
However, even before the Minister could move the Motion in the House, Hon. Hassan Sesay, Opposition Whip who on the day doubled as the Acting Leader of the Opposition in the absence abroad of the substantive Leader, rose on a point of order. He proceeded to proffer an elaborate argument on why the Motion should not be entertained by the House. This was followed by a response from Hon. Mathew Nyuma, Leader of Government Business, who was equally expansive on why the Motion should be allowed. I intervened to stop them, advising both Honourable Members to hold fire and not to put the cart before the horse. The arguments advanced by both sides were more germane to a Motion for Annulment of the Statutory Instruments after they shall have been laid as provided for in subsection (7) of section 170 of the Constitution of Sierra Leone 1991.
The Acting Leader of the Opposition persisted in making his presentation despite several exhortations and warnings to cease and desist as all his arguments at that stage appeared to be premature. His persistence eventually gave rise to a pandemonium in the House when all hell broke loose and a riot ensued with even strangers in the gallery participating in the fray by throwing a dagger and other objects at the Members of Parliament below in the Well. Altogether it culminated in a violent and devastating attack on the Chamber mainly from the Opposition Benches, with huge flower vases used as decoration being turned into missiles for throwing at each other. Injuries were inflicted on some Members of Parliament, tables and chairs unhinged and damaged, communication equipment and other property belonging to the House and valued at NLe380,000 also maliciously damaged and the sitting for that day temporarily disrupted. I myself was compelled to seek refuge in my Chambers until the situation quietened and was brought under control through the removal of the Members of the Opposition from the Well of Parliament by the Sierra Leone Police. After calm was restored in the Well, the proceedings of Parliament resumed and the Deputy Minister of Justice was able to lay the two Instruments on the Table of the House. In accordance with the provisions of subsection (7) of section 170 of the Constitution of Sierra Leone 1991, these Instruments will mature into law after 21 days or sooner if there is a motion calling for their annulment in which case they will take effect immediately after the motion is voted upon and is unable to obtain the affirmative votes of two-thirds of the Members of Parliament.
