By Jariatu S. Bangura
The Speaker of the Sierra Leone Parliament, Dr. Abass C. Bundu, has charged that reasons behind the international community’s involvement in the current political situation in the country is merely to protect and promote their own interests and not the interest of Sierra Leoneans.
Whilst appreciating felicitations from Members of Parliament and Paramount Chiefs Members of Parliament on his re-election as Speaker, Dr. Bundu noted that MPs should not worry too much about the absence of opposition MPs in the second sittings of the Sixth Parliament, as they will come once they are ready to serve their people.
He urged that they should always be alert to defend and protect the country from those whose only interest is not to come and promote the development of the country, but to protect their interest.
“Forgive me if I offend anyone, but let’s take back our minds to the days of slavery. The designated human capital of Africa and West Africa in particular, that was the most important resource we had at that time, was taken away and transported to North America to work in plantations. After slavery, religion was also recourse to another era of exploitation. They were the forerunners of the colonialists and what they did when the colonialists came, they focused on the natural resources of the country, plundered it, to go and develop their own industries and countries,” he charged.
He recalled that after attaining independence as a country, the doors were shut by the instruments of independence, which means they can no longer come and access the resources of the country.
“So, there is now intense competition for the country’s natural resources and some of them think they can access them by interfering into the domestic affairs of the country and electoral processes and thereby determine who should govern the respective countries,” he further charged.
He called on opposition MPs to go to the House, if not for any other reason, but for the people that voted them in and who they promised representation.
“Having done that, for them to turn around and not come to represent their people, it will be an act of betrayal. And there can be no penalty that will suffice as a remedy to the people who have sacrificed through different means to see them in Parliament,” he noted.
He reminded the House about 2007 and 2012 when some of them were extremely annoyed about them being told to go to the police after the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) protested the outcome of the elections.But at the end, they had to reconcile themselves and accepted the results willingly and allowed the process to go on.
Dr. Bundu noted that the country is bigger than any political party and that over 60 years of independence, they should take pride of themselves and learn to resolve difference among themselves and not rely on the dictates of outsiders.
