By Ragan M. Conteh
The Speaker of Parliament, Dr Chernor Abass Bundu, speaks tough on the on-going post-election seminar with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).
The speaker says the main opposition vehemently had rejected the outcome of the elections and despite extensive consultations, they initially declared their non-participation at every level of governance including the legislature.
Dr. Bundu says “as stated by their leaders, it was an effort to avoid granting legitimacy to the ruling SLPP government”
The Speaker further adds that the post 2023 elections witnessed the re-election of the incumbent President.
He talks of the contestations from especially the main opposition, but that within the shortest period efforts have been made by both sides of the political divide to engage in constructive dialogue, in order to build bridges of collaborative and cooperative governance.
And he also warns for everyone to focus on the gains of democracy already made, and to also commitments to recording improvements where and when necessary.
The speaker furthered said that to demonstrate his own personal commitment to seeing a united Parliament he had endured assiduously to maintaining a position that “dialogue between political parties in Parliament is and will always remain a better option”.
He stressed that: “in most of my engagements during the impasse in Parliament I did exhort a sense of optimism for “the opposition to see a good reason to abandon their boycott action and come to discharge their constitutional duty to represent their people in Parliament”.
“I was very clear about this whilst also revealing the dire consequences of failure by elected MPs to take their seats after the efflux ion of 30 sittings in Parliament,” he said.
He revealed that they were all now very gratified that the Sixth Parliament had been fully constituted and all its members were now fully seated and committed to carrying out their constitutional mandate as elected officials.