Concord Times (Freetown)
Mohamed Massaquoi
13 October 2008
Deputy minority leader for the opposition SLPP in parliament has complained that the Speaker of Parliament Justice Abel Stronge hardly allows the opposition to freely debate on important matters brought before the House.
Hon. Emmanuel Tommy made the complaint during the weekly press briefing at the ministry of information and communications, Youyi Building, west of Freetown.
He claimed that Justice Stronge had hardly allowed especially the SLPP to engage the ruling APC government on serious crucial discussions in parliament.
"I am appealing to the majority leader to take the mater to the authorities concerned," he said.
Hon. Tommy explained that they walked out of a session in protest of the sacking of the former bank governor, Dr. James D Rogers.
"One of the issues we are still not satisfied with was the issue of the former bank governor. The President has the right to appoint a governor but does not have the right to sack him when his contract was yet to come to an end," he said adding that although parliament had approved cabinet ministers it has no iota of respect for them.
Hon. Tommy said MPs were faced with serious constraints, which were responsible for their poor performance.
But majority leader in parliament Hon. Edward Mohamed Turay was concerned with what he perceived as the bipartisan atmosphere that exists, pointing to the fact that there has always been a very good relationship between them (APC) and the opposition parties.
He, however, refused to comment specifically on the alleged unhealthy relationship between the SLPP and the Speaker.
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