By Politico staff writer
The Parliament of Sierra Leone on Wednesday, 12 April debated and passed into law with some amendments to the Bill entitled, "The National Development Induced Resettlement Act 2023" for the security and development of Sierra Leone.
The Act according to a report by the Parliament Communications Unit, seeks to introduce uniform principles, to guide the planning, implementation, and monitoring of development-induced resettlement activities, and to provide for other related matters.
Presenting the Bill to Parliament, before enactment, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Prof. Foday Jaward told Members of Parliament that, the document was timely and essential for the security and socio-economic development of Sierra Leone. The Minister while highlighting the importance of the bill, said that the document is inclusive and the first ever to be introduced in the West African Sub-region.
The minister said the bill is to ensure proper planning, and went on to reiterate that the Bill is holistically inclusive. "Mr. Speaker Honourable Members this Bill was due yesterday", he stated and went on to say that, the Bill takes into account the relocation of people, their economic status, and social as well as environmental considerations.
The Deputy Chairman of the Environment Committee in Parliament, Member of Parliament (MP) Joseph Bash Kamara said the bill would engender conflict mitigation of land, especially over the occupation and resettlement of land. He recalled several land disputes including the Sahn Malen situation in the South of the country.
The MP added that the bill would promote investment and reassure affected landowners or residents of positive livelihood in light of development. The bill he said is a guideline to address cross-cutting issues.
On his part, MP Mark-Mahmoud Kalokoh said the long title of the bill is very important, but raised concern over its establishment as a department. He emphasized that the bill should not be reduced to the status of a department. "An important bill of this nature is beyond a department", he stated and went on to ask them to change it from department to directorate, and informed the House that at such a level it would not suffice to enforce its powers.
"The department is too narrow to handle the function of this bill", he said, and advised the minister to be robust in deliverables embedded in the bill. He urged compatriots to celebrate the bill.
MP Alice Kumabeh while thanking the minister and the team said the bill would address the perennial land menace, recalling that the river has lost several purposes and values including fishing and other domestic purpose. "The river is dirty", she emphasized and asked colleague MPs to pass the Bill into law with some amendments.
Another MP, Joseph Williams-Lamin said the Bill is a good document and spoke about the importance of the Government's singular subvention service to enhancing the operations of the Bill.
He spoke about the importance of planning in the Act and also environmental management, resettlement, and livelihoods. He recalled several precarious atrocities that affected people regarding resettlement and said with this bill, properties are now protected and asked for its speedy passage into law.
Acting Leader of C4C, Musa Fofanah highlighted land-related issues that people have suffered from miners in Kono District. He told Parliament that, the bill is in line with the Government's medium-term development plan. "If we succeed in passing this bill it would also add some value to our Paramount Chiefs", he noted and went on to say it would curtail the excesses of investors who used to grab land.
Acting Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Dr. Abdulai D. Sesay highlighted several instances regarding resettlement and pollution of water by illegal miners. He explained to Parliament how his constituents are suffering from illegal mining and stated that with such a bill most of the problems would be addressed. He expressed happiness over resettlement issues the Bill is seeking to address.
Acting Leader of Government Business, Bashiru Silikie alluded to what previous speakers had said relating to water pollution and asked the minister to address problems in that direction. "The ministry together with EPA should meet and address issues regarding water pollution", he said. He assured that the bill would settle several problems including payment of compensation, resettlement, and professional advice. He also spoke about training and capacity building to enhance efficiency and professionalism. He described the bill as a unique document that is innovative for settling land-related matters and encouraged the minister to do more by bringing more policies relating to the same.
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