BY THOMAS DIXON (232news.com)
The battle for the speakership in Parliament has intensified as senior Members of the ruling Sierra Leone People Party and the Alliance are jostling to become the speaker of Parliament.
Members of Parliament are now lobbying their party hierarchy for several positions in Parliament. Several names are coming up for the position of Speaker including the former Speaker Abass Chernoh Bundu, Hon Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella, Former Deputy Speaker Hon Sengehpoh Thomas, Hon Ibrahim Tawa Conteh, Hon Bashiru Silikie and former Minority Leader Hon Bernadette Lahai.
Also, 149 Members of Parliament will take oath of office including paramount chiefs in parliament tomorrow July 13.
The oath of office qualifies them to serve as members of parliament for five years as terminal parliamentarians who served their country and the people of Sierra Leone in the sixth parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone.
The Clerk of Parliament Hon Umar Paran Tarawally said that any member of parliament who does not subscribe to the oath on the said date which is tomorrow Thursday July 13this a contractual member of parliament and that if he /she wants to contest for speaker position come 2028 in the Seventh parliament will not be eligible to contest for the said position because he/ she did not complete its five years mandate.
Hon Tarawally pointed out that any member of parliament who does not take the oath on the said date will have to lose two things, the financial benefit- that is that member is not qualified to get gratuity because they will calculate the number of days one spent in parliament.
He disclosed that in the sixth parliament, there are going to have 42 female members of parliament which is almost getting to the 30% quotas.
According to him, on the said date, they are going to elect the speaker of parliament and deputy speaker and that on the issue of Proportional Representation, the party in power is going to occupy the right seat in the well of parliament while the opposition will occupy the left seat.
That the seating accommodation will be determined by the speaker of parliament and their names will be on the seat as well as their numbers as to how they were given to the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL).
The Clerk of Parliament said he has not received any correspondent from the APC secretariat that their members of parliament are not going to participate in the oath-taking
He said that today Wednesday, July 12is an orientation for all the 149 members of Parliament but that it is not mandatory like the oath-taking
He noted that for members of parliament to lose his/her seat, they must be absent from parliamentary seating both plenary and committee seating for 30 days, adding that the day of the oath-taking indicates that the life span of parliament which will expire on July 13th, 2028.
