By: Thaimu Bai Sesay
Following the presentation of incomplete documents for efficient appropriation processes, the Parliament of Sierra Leone through the 2024 Sub-Appropriation Committee Group Six, chaired by Hon. Ambrose Maada Lebby has stood down the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, and the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, expressed warning to other MDAs preparing to face the Committees.
The two important government ministries were stood down on Thursday 5th December 2024 after having brief engagement with the Committee at the Parliament Administrative building conference room. Having discovered that they came unprepared with incomplete documentations, the Committee Chairman had to stood them down and summoned for their reappearance on Monday.
In an exclusive interview with Parliament Journalists covering his Committee, the Chairman of the 2024 Sub-Appropriation Committee Group Six first informed that his Committee supposed to meet with four MDAs – two ministries and two agencies on that day. “We met with the two, (the Sierra Leone Road Authority and the Monuments and Relics Commission), they appeared and their performances were quite satisfactory. We asked them for few issues relating to documentations and we have referred them to come with those supporting documents” Chairman Hon. Lebby expressed.
Speaking on the situation of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resource, and the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, the Committee Chairman, Hon. Lebby, recalled that the two ministries supposed to submit their documents on the 11th of November but they only submitted them that morning. “They were sorting their documents before us this morning and I dismissed them because that was a complete affront to Parliament and there is no way we can entertain such,” Hon. Lebby stated.
On the challenges of MDAs, the Hon. Chairman further revealed that almost all of them had generic challenges which were not disconnected with late submission of their allocations, imposing other difficulties on their jobs. He added that they also complaints of low budgets and have been making appeals for increments.
As the Committee could not do any appropriation processes with the two ministries, the Chairman used the opportunity to send a very strong warning message to other MDAs, especially those preparing to face his Committee, against poor preparation and incomplete documents.
“If you are dealing with public funds you have to be accountable for it. So I am encouraging all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to learn to be accountable and be opened to scrutiny,” Hon. Ambrose Maada Lebby concluded, adding that it is the only way they could get Sierra Leone free from corruptions.