Sierra Leone Telegraph: 2 May 2021:
According to report by the Department of Public Relations in Sierra Leone’s Parliament, the Speaker of Parliament, Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu has apologised to the people of Sierra Leone, for the ugly and violent conduct of MPs at an emergency session of parliament summoned by President Bio, witnessed live two weeks ago on national television at the Bintumani Conference Centre in Freetown.
Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu said that, what took place at the Bintumani Conference Centre on Monday 19th April 2021 “should never have happened”.
“Members of Parliament,” he said, “are expected by the general public of the country to conduct themselves in accordance with the law and to behave as Honourable Members as they always should”.
But he also said that “what happened of course is not unique to this Parliament,” adding, “some might even say, it is an incident of our democratic process; it is part and parcel of the expression of our democratic rights and obligations“.
“Sometimes,” he said, “we express them within the confines of the law, and on some exceptional occasions we do so outside the strict limits or boundaries of the law”.
Speaking about the need to relegate the appalling incident to history, Dr. Bundu promised “never again to bring to their proceedings what happened on that inglorious day at Bintumani Conference Centre on Monday 19th April 2021″.
There are those who say that the Speaker’s apology is a charade, short of honest contrition. Critics are calling for the Speaker to do the honourable, by publicly taking responsibility for his lack of ability to manage parliamentary affairs and control the behaviour of MPs. He must resign immediately they say.
Gentlemen – Countless decades ago in far away Mongolia,a king and his horsemen were returning from a hunting expedition when they noticed a wayside restaurant with a sign that said;” Vegetable Soup and Grilled onions and Roasted Lamb being Served.” The old king was hungry and so was his entourage; He ordered everyone to stop and dismount so that they could eat dinner and quench their thirst with fruit juices and fine wine. The food was out of this world, so delicious that the King decided to appoint the cook that prepared such a tasty meal as a Head Chef over his massive palace kitchen that was known for preparing mouth watering dishes for his family and his guests.
So an ordinary cook Hatim Ming Tai became the Head Chef supervising the daily affairs of the Kings magnificent kitchen. But Hatim was not a resourceful creative cook – he only knew how to prepare hot vegetable soup and grilled roasted lamb. So every day,three times a day he would cook and serve the old King and his guests the same thing – vegetable soup over
and over again until the King could bear it no longer. One morning he sent for him; ” What is going on?” the old king enquired.” For almost a year now you have been serving us the same menu, why don’t you prepare something else every now and then?” But Hatim just couldn’t; He was set in his ways,dishonest,indifferent and maladjusted just like Mr Abass Bundu and other public officials who even though they have nothing of substance to offer Sierra Leone keep on clinging to positions of power. Time rolled on but things remained the same the King’s kitchen was in total disarray; all the
workers became disgruntled because Hatim continued like Mr Abass Bundu to prepare the same old, uninteresting, peppery vegetables soup over and over again.(lol)One cold day the King issued a command;” Give Hatim Ming Tai 40 solid lashes and six months wages for me and let him go his way; And warn him to stay away from me with his Vegetable soup and roasted lamb.”( lol)
Mr Abass Bundy must GO, he has nothing to offer my little Sierra Leone.
(Dis)Honourable Bundu is shedding crocodile tears here. Wasn’t he the one who claimed grandly that Government acted within the law when President Bio called an emergency meeting of Parliament? The question he needed and still needs to answer is: what catastrophic occurence – natural or man-made, imminent or already underway – justified the holding of the meeting? Since no such castastrophe was in evidence, he and Bio should have known that the Opposition Parties, in particular the main one, would smell a rat and raise hell as a result.
Saying sorry now is too little too late. As Speaker of the House, he has damaged beyond repairs his reputation and that of his institution. If indeed he has an iota of honour and dignity left, he should be tendering his resignation and not making a hypocritical statement he wants us to accept as a heartfelt apology. His resigning from his post would be the sincerest expression of contrition relating to damage he has done.
Respect for our country, flag, national anthem, our people, and our God given natural resources, is what is lacking in our country. Everywhere you look around the world, politicians, the ordinary citizens, have found ways to express their love for their country, by wrapping themselves around their flags. The United States, and European countries, Israelis, North Koerans, Chinese, jump to mind. And that phenomenon expressing one’s sense of belonging, and being proud of their country, is evident everywhere you look. From ordinary family homes in the USA, to street corners, to major landmarks in our case, cotton tree, which is not the case instead, you have the nauseating feeling of come face to face with Bio, staring at you, with all the praise heaped on him. Not everyone shares such misleading slogans.
Other African citizens that are proud of their country are: Egyptians, Kenyan, Ethiopians, Nigerians, South Africans, South Sudanese, Liberians, that even make money, by leasing their flags for container ships, is never in doubt how much they value their country. The impact on the minds of citizens is difficult to measure. One thing you are reminded, is to have your country at heart, at all times. Its your country that makes you who you are. This love for country has to be taught from nursery age to university, to overcome this national disgrace we suffer from. Endemic corruption is a direct consequence of ones lack of love for country and flag. When you see politicians trading blows on national television, it goes to show they don’t have any regard and respect for the institution of state or the people that elected them in the first place. They are just in it for the money. The wells of parliament is like a fish market.
Dr Abbas Bundu, a politician that has become a symbol of everthing that has gone wrong in Sierra Leone, is the only remaining broken link of the past and present. Majority of his comrades have either retired or have passed away. Thank you for your contribution in helping to ruin our country. Enough is enough. Now leave the young generation of politicians to clear the mess you helped create in our country. By hanging your booths, perhaps that will be the only meaningful contribution you have done for country. Your service is no more required. You are the sort of politician that is helping Bio plunder our country. But here is a shocker for you. This young Facebook and Instagram generation will not be taken for a ride like previous generations. Majority of Young people in Sierra Leone today, can’t even recall the RUF wars. Like their counterparts in the African continent, they just want a government that can create the conditions or environment for their start up companies. They are teeming with ideas of how to explore their potential in the digital age. To that end, they need a government that can invest in food security, good roads, education, health care, housing, electricity for internet connection. Dr Abbass Bundu, a dinosaur like you might see politics as the only way to carve out a healthy living, but for this young generation today, the opportunity to explore their full potential is just a keyboard away and is limitless.
Apology outrightly rejected – Its time for an old dog that cannot learn new tricks to go; Yup the moment for us to retire frail camels with fractured humps that can no longer bear the crushing weight of carrying huge burdens is now. I have always maintained that Mr Abass Bundu the fraudster that sold our passports to criminals has outlived his usefulness; He is a relic of the past,an old dinosaur many once believed was totally extinct. Now,tell me this: Who is it among our people that would be so gullible to allow a mischievous,cunning fox to become a vigilant shepherd over your timid, fragile,innocent sheep? As if this man has not exploited,robbed,and shortchanged the poor people of our beloved nation enough, here he is again facilitating discord,anger and disorder through his two-faced, biased, I’ll advised self seeking agendas that are being cooked and fed to him by the criminal in State House.
All things have an end, its time for roosters that can no longer crow at dawn to alert us that daylight has come to be slaughtered on the altar of national sacrifice in the interest of a nation. Mr Abass Bundu its time to drop the mic, you have nothing of substance to say, or offer to a young optimistic generation thirsting for credible sustainable change. The verdict of the suffering masses is in and it emphasizes in the clearest terms that. – Mr ABASS BUNDU a puppet that divides instead of unites us, our SLPP stooge that cannot keep his little house in order must Go.(lol)
Thank you Mr.Speaker for having your children’s misbehaviors in the landmark house of this land (Sierra Leone) covered by apologizing on their behalf. However Mr. Speaker, One thing I would like you to understand about these people called Honorable Members of Parliament more especially in Sierra Leone, is misconception of duty which is by paying more attention to their individual interests than those they’re representing. To me, based on certain instances like lack of regard and recognition for dignitaries is the main issue but the worst of it all is that, as long as contribution is not coming from their own side – even if it is relevant for the country they hardly embrace it. Each opponent of the parties always want to see the wrong side of the other to show to the world, so that, they will be at a better chance to gain the attention of the voters. How long are we going to continue with this?
To me, these Parliamentarians are not representing their constituencies but their parties. People think politics is now the simplest way to become rich and gain prestige in Sierra Leone, therefore, you can agree with me that, competency is never counted in terms of polical representation. For God sake my people, this country is too small compared to its richness in God’s given blessings. But tell me, where lies this problem now, that the citizens of this country still can’t get access to their basic needs? Citizens cannot boast of any better life. The system just look tight to me; we the youths need jobs but where to get them?
I give a very big thanks to our no nonsense president of the republic of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio for his free and quality education, which brings joy to the poor people of this country towards seeing their children going through education without spending a Leone just like a dream. Thank you for that Sir. My last word is that, Sierra Leoneans, let love us ourselves and have respect for our FLAG (green, white and blue), and always put our country (Sierra Leone) first irrespective of your ethnic origin. Sierra Leone is yours and the only place you call your home; and there is no place like home. Thank you.