By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
It was a historic day in Parliament yesterday when the House repealed the 55-year-old Criminal and Seditious Libel law which was part of the Public Order Act of 1965.
Just after 6:00 PM the House unanimously agreed to expunge the criminal defamation provisions. They also amended the Independent Media Act after eight hours of debate. The amended law will serve as a safeguard in the post repeal era.
The repeal comes as a fulfillment of a campaign promise made by President Julius Maada Bio that he would repeal the obnoxious law if he became President.
Following the conclusion of the debate, Minister of Information and Communication, Mohamed Rahman Swarray said the repeal marked a significant step in the country’s history.
“We want to thank the President for his will to finally push this through,” he said.
All four political parties gave a positive reaction to the decision to finally repeal the bill.
“We came, we saw and we conquered,” said Martin Nyuma, Leader of Government Business in the House.
“We are happy to do this in the interest of the Fourth Estate. We are all victims of bad journalism but that hasn’t stopped our drive” he added.
Leader of the opposition All People’s Congress, Chernor Maju Bah, said: “We have said that we will never politicize anything that is brought before this House. I want to thank the President for his efforts, all those who started this and all of us in this parliament,”
Foday Mario Kamara, Acting Leader of the National Grand Coalition said: “Past Presidents wanted to repeal this law, but the courage and the will was not there. Now we have a President who has the will to push this law through. There is no Sierra Leonean who will say we should not repeal this law, because this is not just about journalists, it is about everyone.”
Emerson Lamina, Leader of the Coalition for Change party said the repeal now meant journalists could practice their profession freely.
“Today free speech is guaranteed with no backlash of pressing charges,” Lamina said.
Speaker of Parliament, Dr Abass Bundu described the move as “historic and momentous”. He said the day was “a milestone for press freedom and a triumph for democracy and the rule of law”.
He said the move by the House was a way of ensuring journalism becomes a full-fledged profession.
“Today this parliament stands on the threshold of Sierra Leone’s journalism history from being a mere social past time to a full-fledged respectful profession,” Speaker Bundu said.
Whiles talking about the IMC, he said it was now “a stronger and more meaningful and revitalized regulatory body to protect and act as a safeguard.”
The new IMC Act and the repeal will all be signed by President Bio to fully come into effect.
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