By Ragan M. Conteh
The opposition Members in Parliament have expressed grave fear over the misuse of the State of Emergency by the security forces, especially the police. They made this disclosure during the debate on Thursday 25th March 2020 in the Well of Parliament.
Making his submission, the Member of Parliament representing Constituency 027, Kono District, Hon. Saa Francis Bhendu revealed that they, as opposition, are very much concerned over the misuse of the State of Emergency by state functionaries or security apparatus.
Hon. Bhendu furthered that the State of Emergency is very important at this point in time, and that opposition members are in full support. He however cautioned: “State of Emergency has no powers without regulations.”
He said regulations are the guiding principle during any State of Emergency. Without Regulations, he continued, it would be powerless. He furthered that, if there are no regulations to ensure that security personnel manning checkpoints in various parts of the country, they may be tempted to use excessive powers. Security personnel, he said, must be fully sensitized as to how they should comport themselves or treat the people.
The MP further disclosed that, in Kono District, there are over 24 porous border- crossing points without security presence. He also raised concern over the 12 months timeline for the State of Emergency and urged authorities to make the regulations available within ten days for the approval of the House.
The leader of the National Grand Coalition (NGC), Hon. Kandeh Yumkella, who moved the motion for the Government to present the State of Emergency Regulations within 14 days, stated that no Member of Parliament denounced the State of Emergency proclaimed by President Bio.
According to Dr. Yumkella, Section 29 (10) of the 1991 Constitution stipulates that a State of Emergency should expire within 90 days and after that period Parliament would assess the situation for any possible extension.
Dr. Kandeh Yumkella also buttressed concerns raised by oppositions parties with regards the misuse of powers during the State of Emergency, which, according to him, are legitimate concerns. Regulations, he said, is a substance in a State of Emergency and that through consultations with various leaders across the board, irrespective of the mixed feelings, the State of Emergency proclaimed by the President has been gracefully passed in Parliament and supported by all members in the House.
The opposition leader in Parliament, Hon. Chernoh Maju Bah, stated that there is a lot of misinformation from members of the public regarding the declaration of the State of Emergency.
Hon. Bah furthered that, declaring a State of Emergency, is not like passing an ordinary law, cautioning that the State of Emergency should not be used to oppress or witch hunt political opponents.
The opposition leader appealed to authorities to ensure that both military and police personnel do not misuse the State of Emergency by intimidating members of the public and opposition just so that they score political gains.
In his statement, the leader of Government Business in Parliament, representing the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), Hon. Mohamed Sidi Tunis, assured the House that, apart from the fight against COVID-19, nobody will use the State of Emergency to arrest or intimidate political opponents.
He called on the various political leaders to provide leadership to fight the dreadful coronavirus in the country.
The Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Umaru Napoleon Koroma, also assured Members of Parliament that the State of Emergency is only used to prevent COVID-19 from entering Sierra Leone, assuring that regulations will be formulated by Government for Parliamentary approval.
He further assured that nobody will use the emergency to score political points but to ensure the country is COVID-19 free.
As State Of Emergency Holds… Opposition Worried And Jittery
