The leadership of the Sixth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone consisting of the Leader of Government Business, Chief Wipe and deputies respectively, among other senior legislators of the incumbent Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) since the commencement of the 6th parliament has repeatedly reiterated that the current parliament is a no nonsense parliament and as result, no business as usual.
Such utterances from the leadership of parliament speak volume to the fact that the said parliament seems ready to do the needful as stipulated by the laws of the land.
As the saying goes, it is easier say than done, the general public will be yearning to see considerable number of reports laid in the table of the last parliament been debated as already promise by the speaker during his acceptance speech marking his re-election.
Many well minded citizens, Civil Society Organizations and the media are patiently observing the ongoing scrutiny of academic credentials and track records of presidential nominees in committee room, parliament building, to ascertain weather is truly a no business as usual.
Many presidential nominees that faced the committee on appointment and the public service of the 5th parliament viewed the process as cumbersome and financially demanding.
To justify SLPP leadership in parliament claims of no business as usual, the public will graciously await parliament budget scrutiny exercise that many old lawmakers always look forward to because of it lucrative memory that always associated with the said parliamentary functions.
Over the years, the issues of parliamentary oversight have been reduced to field trips full of merry making thereby trivializing the true sense and purpose of the said parliamentary functions.
During the 5th parliament, chairmen of committees that are consider as lucrative seen becoming defenders of the institutions, ministries and departments supposed to expose for the general good of the nation.
To demonstrate the true sense of no business as usual, Chairmen of committee should also disassociate from requesting to companies, and other multilateral businesses finance to enable them to embark on oversight functions. Political pundits have over and again raise eyebrow over such approach by members of parliament, describing such actions as totally un parliamentary, hence an irony in reality.
The 5th parliament was heavy financial reliance on multi million dollars companies operating in the country providing finances for lawmakers to go on an oversight which has already compromise the process.
Coming from a non-dispassionate point of view, the last parliament recorded significant gains that will continue to linger in minds of many sober minded citizens but however, visible excesses also accompany those remarkable gains that the 6th parliament should not allow to roll over. No business as usual should not only be words but must be sandwich by actions.
