By: Thaimu Bai Sesay
Appreciating some key achievements noted in President Bio’s 2024 Presidential Address at the State Opening of the Second Session of the Sixth Parliament of Sierra Leone, the Leader of Opposition and of the Minority in the Sixth Parliament Honourable Abdul Kargbo has publicly affirmed that the Presidential Address is commendable, praiseworthy.
The Leader for all APC Parliamentarians expressed his commendation for the Presidential Address at the special press briefing edition organized by the Ministry of Information and Civic Education on Tuesday 6th August 2024 immediately after the second session state opening at the Parliament administrative building.
The Hon. Leader began his statement at the Government press briefing by giving a brief background as to why the President do normally go to Parliament and officiate a state opening for a new session with a Presidential Address.
The Hon. Abdul Kargbo also used the opportunity to specially commend the Government of President Bio for the historic milestone of not only entering to the United nations Security Council but for also assuming the Presidency of the UN Security Council.
He also extoled the Government for the achievement of the MCC Compact and also requested for another special commendation to the Opposition, particularly the people’s representative for their selfless effort in ensuring the Compact become a reality.
The APC Hon. Leader attested to the fact that the Presidential Address of His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio for the 2024 state opening of the second session equally put more emphasis on peace, national cohesion, especially the agreement on national unity dubbed Tripartite and some of the overall achievements of the Government.
In the address, the Leader added that the President also detailed grants from IMF for budgetary support, MCC Compact and the Security Council achievements.
Hon. Abdul Kargbo revealed that despite it being a constitutional mandate, the occasion also gives the President the opportunity to go and highlight what his Government had delivered in the past Parliamentary year and makes fresh promises from his overall manifesto on what he would be focusing on the following Parliamentary year known as session.
“The essence of that is to give responsibility to the Members of Parliament to monitor MDAs including Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Heads of Parastatals, Heads of Department and Agencies to ensure that what the President had delivered in Parliament through a Presidential Address is achievable. So state opening is an occasionwere the people would have a heart of expectancy of developments that would be taking place in a new Parliamentary year,” Hon. Abdul Kargbo furthered.
“In all of these things, they are commendable by the opposition. Like I always said we are in opposition but we are not opposed to the development of this country. We are equally interested in the progress of Sierra Leone. We have been in the country for years and the fact remains that a single political party would not be in governance for everlasting. It was SLPP and then changed to APC and now it is SLPP. So, we all should be curious about the furtherance and betterment of the country,” the Hon. Leader narrates.
Adding that they are now in a competitive world, especially with other African countries, Hon. Abdul Kargbo reinforced on the need to be supportive for the development of the country. The Hon. set forth that when they travel to other African countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia and others, they would only refer to themselves as Sierra Leoneans and not by APC or SLPP.
While responding to questions, the APC Leader in Parliament also shed light on issues regarding protests. He said under a democratic dispensation, protest is not a crime but said there is need to follow the procedure and processes by writing to the Inspector of Police and stating the reasons for the protest. He however admitted that the legal procedures should be followed so the Government would know who to meet and talk to, as he equally frowned at faceless protests.
Hon. Kargbo furthered that messages of unity and peace need no special vehicle for dissemination, banking on the adage ‘Action speaks louder than voice’. The Hon. justified that the people could simply recognize that there is peace when they see and feel it. Hon. Abdul Kargbo emphasized on the pre-eminence of prioritizing collaborative dialogue and sorting out issues behind closed-doors over using CIDs to chase and humiliate, especially executives of the Opposition. He said Government as the bigger partner has a responsibility of strategizing how to deal with the Opposition. He reaffirmed that government is subject to change and that they should be more of Sierra Leoneans than APC or SLPP.
