May God have mercy upon those who walked out of parliament when the President was to deliver his speech. Their behaviour was nothing but outrights of rebellion and misbehaviour. It also a show of gross disrespect for the President and the rest of parliament. Members of parliament should realise that parliament is one body. The fact that there is a main opposition and other opposition members does not mean a platform for manifesting unruly behaviour.
Some parliamentarians seen to forget that they are representing the people in their constituency. Secondly, the fact that they won the election does not necessarily mean they are the best. There may be others who might have performed better in parliament. Members of parliament were not elected to walk out of parliament when there are issues to be deliberated on.
When members enter parliament, they deliberate on issues in the interest of the nation and not in the interest of their political party. Party interests recede to the background. This is why parliamentary committees are drawn from both the opposition and the ruling party.
Perhaps some readers don’t understand what the caption of this article means. It means that, for example, you should first be an example of honesty if you want others to live an honest life.
Coming back to the “walk – out” behaviour of the MPs, it showed the real “you” in them coming out of its shell as follows:
Pride
It was a display of self-pride and “pride goeth before destruction”. Pride is the opposite of humility and humility is the sign of greatness. Most great men will tell you how they rose to the top through humility. Humility does not mean weakness.
Impunity
When a person in a position of responsibility feels he can behave in any way without thinking about the repercussions it is tantamount to impunity. This was the case of the MPs. They did not think of the effect their action would have on the rest of parliament and the nation at large.
Honourable status
Those people forgot that they are called honourable because they are supposed to be models both within and outside parliament. Everybody, including the youths, is watching to see whether they are really behaving as honourable.
Sometimes it is good to reflect on how you would behave if the same attitude you are displaying is directed against you. Let us look at the following scenarios:
- An MP organises a constituency meeting. The meeting hall is almost filled to capacity with members of the constituency. Suddenly a group of members walk out of the meeting just when the MP is about to address the meeting. If you are that MP how would you feel? How would you describe such behaviour?
- As MP and member of a parliamentary committee responsible for electricity, you decide to call a general meeting to explain efforts that are being made to speed up the provision of regular electricity. A section of the gathering walks out just before the meeting starts. Will you feel happy, disappointed or embarrassed?
- As M.P you have not visited your constituency for sometime, owing to unavoidable circumstances. You call a general meeting to explain the reason for the long absence and to discuss developmental matters. How would you feel if a section of the people walks out of the meeting?
If those MPs would not be pleased if they practically faced these hypothetical walk-outs, why then did they walk-out on our President?
We must realise that no one knows everything. Even if you are professor, you are limited to special areas. The illiterate can tell you what you don’t know. You may be a qualified engineer but the illiterate man can teach you how to set a simple trap. Consider the following.
There was a man called ANANSE (Spider). One day he decided to take a trip around the whole world to collect wisdom. He spent several months collecting all kinds and levels of wisdom and carefully put them in a bundle. He carried this bundle of wisdom everywhere when he returned.
One day he decided to deposit the bundle of wisdom at the top of a palm tree. He tied the bundle in front of him while progressing. His son sitting at the bottom of the palm tree told him to put the bundle at this back so he could climb easily. He tried it and it worked. But he threw the bundle away saying that after all the wisdom he collected his son gave him simple wisdom. He concluded by saying “No one is an island of knowledge.”
BAD EXAMPLES
Most of the problems in the world are a result of bad examples set by our ancestors, parents, leaders and the society at large.
With good examples, posterity will enjoy a happier Sierra Leone. But if the country is plagued by people who set bad examples with reckless abandon, what legacy are they going to inherit? The answer is “bad examples”. Let us look at a story about bad examples.
A certain boy grew up in a home in which the father and mother did not care to give him any kind of home training. The boy grew up to be a robber in the society.
One day he was caught and taken to the police, and the next and day he was charged to court and appeared before the judge.
He was found guilty and sentenced to prison. But he told the Judge he had something to say. The Judge allowed him.
He said “Please Sir, my parents should go to prison with me”. Greatly surprised the Judge asked him why. The boy said that his father was a thief and encouraged him to steal from others. Then he said whenever he brought stolen property to the house the mother would hug him and say, “My boy you are smart.” The judge looked at him for some seconds and said; “Because you have spoken the truth I discharge you but go and steal no more.
In conclusion I want to state that bad examples at all levels do not yield good fruits. Above all, God will judge those who set bad examples.