By Ruth Yeabu Sesay
The Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) Chairman, Abdulai Masiambay Bangura has called on parliament to pass a Bill which will bring inclusivity and enable them to function as a Regulatory commission rather than a registration entity.
He disclosed this at a press conference which was held yesterday in Freetown.
"We are seeking intermediate enforcement powers so that we will be able to regulate the parties effectively" Bangura said.
He said :’’What is contained in that bill is not coming from us, we are in compliance with the Elections Observer Mission( EOM) that came here. When they went back, they recommended that we review our Act so that we will have appropriate authority to regulate the political parties".
Therefore in compliance with that, a validation conference of all political parties and all development partners was called at the Brookfields Hotel for three days where recommendations for amendment in the current act were presented.
"After the validation conference, 37 of those 42 recommendations were accepted and presented to Parliament, for 30% inclusion of women in all the organs of the parties’’,Bangura stated.
He said for the whole of the past week, PPRC officials have been attending parliament but unfortunately could not get the ninety- eight members as required.
He also noted that the contents of the bill were not from the PPRC but something that was agreed on by all registered political parties at a validation conference.
He said the bill is going through structural changes as the Administrator- General has been functioning as Secretary to the committee and that they have recommended that he be removed from the position because he does nothing outside their traditional functions as custodian of the registry instrument.
They have also recommended for political parties to be given subvention because they’ve noticed that after elections some of these parties disappear, but believe with new government support, they can build their capacity after elections.
Bangura said that they are changing the name of the commission from the Political Parties Registration Commission to the Political Parties Regulations Commission (PPRC).
He said in the new arrangement, there will be a nominee from the Institute of Chartered Accountants that will deal with the aspect of political finances.
The constitutional amendment before it could pass through parliament will need two-thirds majority.
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