By Ragan M. Conteh
The Speaker of Parliament, Dr. Abass Chernoh Bundu is reported to have frowned at the statement made recently by the Chairman of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), Dr. Prince Alexander Harding.
The SLPP Chairman had reportedly stated that if the Speaker of Parliament meddles with the changes made by the SLPP, he will reduce his powers.
This statement, according to Members of Parliament, is a degrading one that has the tendency to disrupt the smooth running of the affairs of the state. According to some MPs who spoke to this medium, the Speaker of the House of Parliament is the third gentleman of the Republic of Sierra Leone who was voted by majority in the House.
An MP from the opposition who preferred anonymity said yesterday that, the Speaker’s powers according to the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone are enormous, adding that it is forbidding for any individual to make degrading statement against him.
Another MP representing the Coalition for Change (C4C) party also condemned what he referred to as an unfortunate statement made by Dr. Harding
Members of Parliament have reportedly resolved that when Parliament resumes they will discuss the statement of the SLPP Chairman in the Well and come out with recommendations that would put a stop to further embarrassment of Speaker of the House of Parliament.
According to some MPs, the position of the Leader of Government Business in Parliament is a political party affair and that a political party has the prerogative to choose who to serve in that position.