By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
Sierra Leone has shown unity on the international stage by presenting Honourable (Hon.) Mohamed Sidi Tunis as its candidate to takeover as the next speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament. The Sierra Leonean delegation to the regional parliament made the announcement on Tuesday in an extraordinary congress in Liberia.
Sierra Leone is in line to succeed Senegal for the position which is rotational and based on alphabetical order. The current speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament is Mustapha Cisse Lo.
The Leader of Sierra Leone’s Delegation, Hon. Chernor Bah, who himself was in line to fill the position based on his status and tenure in the parliament, announced Hon.Tunis and said Sierra Leone is in unison in supporting him.
“The first gentleman’s message is policy. The video that you watched is not just a message but a policy. Our speaker of parliament, Hon. Abbass Bundu has also said it and I join him in that statement,” Bah said.
The video he was referring to was made by State House and in it, President Julius Maada Bio endorses Hon. Tunis as the country’s choice for the position.
Hon. Bah added: “As a delegation we want to confirm to you that we are together as one team. There is no way I will lead a team that will disintegrate. The day that happens, I would have failed and since I have never failed, this is not going to be the first time. I want to assure you that the parliament will continue in a peaceful and credible environment.”
Sierra Leone has never occupied the position of ECOWAS Parliament Speaker, since its establishment in 1975.
Hon.Tunis is expected to take the mantle of leadership in February 2020 and he will serve till 2024, when Togo will be in line to succeed Sierra Leone.
As part of his functions as Speaker, Tunis will direct the business of the Parliament and its organs. He will also preside over meetings and conduct debates in accordance with the provisions of the Rules of Procedure.
Just before the statement from Hon. Bah, Hon Tunis said, “I have received endorsement from the president of Sierra Leone. I have also received endorsement from the speaker and parliament of Sierra Leone. I have also received endorsement from my colleagues in the ECOWAS parliament. I need your support; we need to work together to ensure we have an institution that will be an envy of this whole world.”
Following that statement, Tunis then called on Bah to join him on stage. Tunis gave praises to Bah for giving him the opportunity and supporting him right through.
“If I could stand here with all of these endorsements, it is because of this young man. He gave me the courage; at some points I had given up. I remember on several occasions he would come to my office and I would go to his office and ask him: ‘Hon. Bah, are you ready to give up the Speaker of ECOWAS parliament? And he will say: yes, you are my brother, you can have it,” Tunis said.
Tunis is the current Leader of Government Business in the House of Parliament in Sierra Leone and Bah is the Leader of Opposition, All Peoples Congress. This display of unity at regional level is a rare glimpse of cooperation between the two main rival political parties in the country.
The endorsement from Hon. Bah also puts an end to speculations that he might be challenging Tunis for the position himself.
Sheik Bawoh, the Media Focal Person for the ECOWAS Commission in Sierra Leone, explained to Politico that the theories concerning Hon. Bah running against Hon. Tunis could not be true because of the way the process works.
“Nomination for the ECOWAS Speaker of Parliament is done by Member States. The government nominates its own citizens. Example, government of Sierra Leone has nominated Hon. Sidi Tunis on behalf of Sierra Leone. It’s not based on individual aspiration.
“Once your government nominates you, you definitely don’t have an opponent. That is why when people said Hon Chericoco is contesting against Hon. Tunis, it was all a lie, because he cannot contest if government of the day doesn’t nominate him,” Bawoh added.
For Sierra Leone, the position comes with a lot of responsibilities and international validation for being a leader of a regional block.
The Deputy Director of Information at the House of Parliament in Sierra Leone, Sheku Lamin Turay, said the Speakership position is sure to raise the profile of the country on the international stage.
“This will go a long way because it will give us credit for the gains ECOWAS will make in the coming years. This is a step in the right direction for us. This is what we have always aspired to as country,” Turay said.
© 2019 Politico Online
