By Ragan M. Conteh
Eight Members of Parliament, from Kono District, are currently in deep deadlock over battle for supremacy. There are four Members of Parliament, from the Coalition for Change (C4C) party, who are reportedly in solidarity with the former Vice President of Sierra Leone, Chief Samuel Sam Sumana, while the four had taken different roots to support Hon. Emerson Lamina, which many perceived as deceitful.
A press release, issued and signed by four MPs, including Hon. Saa Francis Bhendu, Leader of C4C in Parliament, Hon. Sahr Charles, Deputy Leader, Hon. Komba Kamanda, Whip and Hon. David A.S. Kassegbama, deputy Whip, indicates that they are reportedly loyal to their former Chairman and Leader who doubles as the 2018 flagbearer of C4C party, Chief Samuel Sam Sumana.
Registering their dismay, the four MPs stated, in the release, that they have seen and heard numerous news making the rounds on different social/traditional media, that four Members of Parliament from Kono District, including Hon. Saa Francis Bhendu, Hon. Sahr Charles, Hon. Komba Kamanda and Hon. David AS Kassegbama walked-out of Parliament during the course of the debate on the ratification of the loan agreement for the Kono University.
They however disclosed that the information is misleading, untrue, unfounded and slanderous, and is meant to tarnish the hard earned reputation of the said Honorable Members of Parliament by ill-gotten persons and for political reasons.
In the release, they also want the general public and the people of Kono to know that there was no walk-out by any Members of Parliament either from C4C or any other political party in Parliament, because the Loan Agreement for the Kono University was noncontroversial.
Despite the numerous challenges faced in Parliament they said, as C4C MPs, they have never walked-out of Parliament for any reason whatsoever and, if ever such may arise, same will be fully and properly communicated to the entire public via the Fourth Estate.
According to them, C4C is the second largest opposition party in Parliament and shall continue to do due diligence to the people of Sierra Leone by critically looking at any piece of legislation in the best interest of the nation.
They however encouraged their membership and the general public to discountenance the rumors and contact the leadership of their party, both at national and Parliamentary level, for any further clarification on the said matter.
It could be recalled that the four strong MPs have reportedly taken prominence in Parliament within their political party in recent times. They have also reportedly succeeded in restructuring their political party by instituting new C4C Parliamentary leadership, which the other four C4C MPs denied.
After the approval of the new Kono University Loan Agreement, the four MPs, in the same press release, expressed their profound gratitude to the Government of Sierra Leone for its effort in concluding the negotiation for the Loan Agreement with the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development.
The Loan Agreement, according to the release, is for the construction of the University of Science and Technology in Kono District, eastern province of the Republic of Sierra Leone.
The four MPs revealed that the need for a University in Kono District has been the greatest desire and aspiration of Kono people over the years. They were therefore grateful to see the ratification of the Loan Agreement, on Tuesday 23rd February, 2021 by the House of Parliament.