By: Foday Abdualai Kamara (Venom)
In a Parliament setting on Thursday 30th of July 2020, the Speaker of Parliament, Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu has responded to the letter sent to him by the Coalition for Change (C4C) party regarding change of Leadership. He states that indeed the letter from the party “lacks the locus standi” to remove their leader in Parliament as “it does not emanate from the leader of C4C.” He further noted that “Parliament still recognizes Hon. Saa Emerson Lamina as the leader of C4C” as he finds no statue in the 1991 constitution or the Standing Orders of Parliament relating to a change of Leadership of C4C within Parliament.
Last week, the Coalition for Change (C4C) Party reshuffled its Executive Caucus in Parliament a day after some of its members in Parliament supported the approval of the country’s New National Electoral Commission (NEC) boss, Mr. Mohamed Konneh. A letter from the party’s Secretariat dated Wednesday 29th July 2020 informed the Clerk of Parliament Hon. Paran Tarawallie of the Party’s decision to replace the former executive. The leader of the party in Parliament, Saa Emmerson Lamina wrote to the Clerk of Parliament Hon. Paran Tarawallie responded to the letter written by the Secretary of C4C. He emphatical state that he is the legitimate and recognize leader of C4C in Parliament. “I, Hon Saa Emerson Lamina continues to be the legitimate and recognized leader of C4C in Parliament” he states. He further states that “the purported Secretary General who signed the Correspondences does not possess the legal standing to do so.
He further commented that the power to distribute MPs into Parliamentary committee is reserved for the Selection committee alone as stated in the Standing Orders 70-sub section 1(b). “No political party has a say in how committee are constituted in Parliament” he noted. He reassured the general membership of the C4C party and the people of Sierra Leone that as Leader of Parliament, he will continue to give political directions in order to fulfill the mandate which the people of Sierra Leone bestowed on them.
