By Nasratu Kargbo
The Speaker of Parliament Segepoh Solomon Thomas has given a stern warning to those who tamper with enacted bills to desist from such unlawful act and instructed the Deputy Speaker Ibrahim Tawa Conteh to form a Special Select Committee that will be charged with the responsibility of ensuring such a practice is curtailed.
He emphasized that parliament will impose prison sentences on any individual who tampers with bills that have been enacted.
Thomas made this ruling on the 28th May 2024, after the Acting Leader of the Opposition Daniel B. Koroma suggested that the committee be formed to handle the problem. “We are going to form a special select committee just like Hon. Koroma has suggested looking into those laws that were tampered with and going forward to vet all the laws we make before final printing”.
Thomas explained that certain individuals from MDAs change certain aspects of bills that are enacted by parliament in order for it to fit what they want. He assured that such will not happen under his watch, but stressed that if it does the culprit will be caught and punished.
He said that the new procedure should be that the final copy is brought to the Chairman of the legislative Committee and to the committee that will be formed in order for them to look at the copy line by line in a bid to ascertain that the information printed is what they have enacted as parliament.
The Acting Leader of the Opposition Daniel B. Koroma said “This issue is very important; it renders the work of parliament absolutely useless, meaningless and powerless”. He suggested that they form a special select committee that will be charged with the responsibility of ensuring that what has been enacted by the house is what is printed, taken to the President for his assent and then circulated to be used as law.
The Acting Leader of Government Business Bashiru Silikie spoke of instances where bills have been changed, even when there was evidence that parliament did not enact them.
He advised Acting Clerk Gilbert Bosco Nabay to take note of that and not to rely solely on the table clerks, stressing that clerks should make sure a bill is not the altered version before he signs it.
The Chief Whip from the Opposition Abdul Karim Kamara spoke about laws that have been affected as a result of such practice, and recommended that laws be reviewed in order to put the right policies in the areas that were altered. He mentioned certain laws such as the Finance Act, and Procurement amongst many others that should be examined.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (31/05/24)
