By Adama Conteh
The Minority Leader- APC Sierra Leone Parliament Hon. Abdul Kargbo said that their duty as opposition is to check mate government to know what they have achieved during their tenure in office.
Hon. Kargbo was addressing journalists during the government weekly press conference which was held at the Admin Block, Parliament Building on Tuesday 6th August, 2024.
He continued that during the state opening of parliament, that he found out that the president speech was based on Peace and National Cohesion and some of the overall achievements of the government including monies which IMF gave, the grant, the budgeting support including the MCC are applauded for by the opposition. “We are in the opposition, but we are not opposed”, he noted.
Hon. Kargbo informed the public about the requirements for the Constitutional for the State opening of parliament in subsection 3 of section 84 of the 1991 constitution which the president will have to give report of all his achievements over the past years that he has served and also gave out his plans for the following years to come.
He revealed that protest is under democracy, that protest is not a crime that it is part of government under democracy. He continued that one have to follow the procedure and processes right to the Inspector General of Police if they want to protest. “Even we as opposition, if we notice things that are not correct we have the right to protest”, he noted.
He disclosed to the public that as Sierra Leoneans, we can solve our problems without the intervention of ECOWAS, because we are more than Sierra Leonean than APC or SLPP and that no condition is permanent. “We can solve our problem without involving the police or CID that action speaks louder than voice”, he stated.
Hon. Kargbo further revealed that it is not easy for Sierra Leone politicians to build houses in their country because they know that once their tenure ends, there will be an investigation as to where that money comes from. He continued that some of the opposition members that transferred to the ruling government were not questioned as to where they got the funds to build such expensive houses, while only those that are still in the opposition party are questioned which is not good.
