By Nasratu Kargbo
Members of Parliament will today Friday 23rd July, 2021 scrutinize the death penalty in the country’s law books for possible repeal. The process should have commenced on the 21st July but was postponed by the Speaker Chernor Abass Bundu in order to get the views of other stakeholders on the said bill.
“I find it difficult to proceed; I wouldn’t want them to leave the well thinking their contributions were not properly addressed. Indeed if we are to leave without addressing their communication in its proper form, they will be the first to go on the media and chastise this parliament that their inputs were completely ignored by the lawmakers,” said Bundu.
According to the Speaker, some organizations that are interested in the death penalty subject have addressed letters to him stating their opinions and recommendations with regards the abolition of the death penalty in the country’s law books.
He added that this action was prompted by the acting speaker’s invitation to organizations who are interested in the matter to come forward with suggestions and proposals as their contributions to the development of this specific aspect of the law. He commended the acting speaker for taking such an approach on behalf of the house.
Even though the letters came in at the eleventh hour, the speaker said law making is an important business especially laws as important as the death penalty, and that it is the right of citizens to make their views known. He noted that it is for this reason that parliament has created the platform either through the well or their MPs.
The leader of Government Business, Mathew Nyumah said they have decided to run the house as a people’s parliament, and intend to make the parliament more consultative as they can, especially when it has to do with bills that are the “nerve of the country”. Nyumah said that organizations were given notification way ahead of time, for them to bring in their opinions and recommendations and that parliament has no obligation to halt its activity of the day because of an entity’s lack of compliance.
The leader of the main opposition APC party Chernor M.Bah joined the leader in appealing that the session be adjourned, but expressed dissatisfaction, stating that as leaders they should be copied, and is incumbent on institutions or anyone who wants to make an input, to have the information available to MPs especially the leaders. Bah said if the letters are only addressed to the speaker, it puts MPs in a confused position knowing they will be the ones debating and the speaker serving as referee.
Leader of C4C Saa Emerson Lamina apologized with the Attorney General and Minister of Justice Anthony Berewa to give the house a little time for more consultations, so that at the end of the day, they will ratify a bill that will stand the test of time.
The speaker revealed that four inputs have arrived and that all MPs must have their own copies of the documents. He also apologized to the Minister and added that the views of others cannot be overlooked. MPs unanimously agreed that the session be adjourned to the 23rd July, 2021.
Copyright © Politico Online (23/07/21)
