Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698838893114.pdf (Sierra Leone)
OAU DRIVE, TOWER HILL, FREETOWN P A R L I A M E N T A R Y D E B A T E S ____ [HANSARD] ______________ OFFICIAL HANSARD REPORT SECOND SESSION -THIRD MEETING THURSDAY, 21st NOVEMBER, 2019 SESSION – 2019/2020 OAU DRIVE, TOWER HILL, FREETOWN P A R L I A M E N T A R Y D E B A T E S ____ [HANSARD] ______________ OFFICIAL HANSARD REPORT VOLUME: II NUMBER: 26 Third Meeting of the Second Session of the Fifth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone.
Proceedings of the Sitting of the House Held Thursday, 21st November, 2019.

2 CONTENTS I. PRAYERS II.

RECORD OF VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS FOR THE PARLIAMENTARY SITTING HELD ON WEDNESDAY 20TH NOVEMBER, 2019.

III.

PAPERS LAID THE MINISTER OF FINANCE [i] PROTOCOL OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE AND AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT FUND [ADF] FOR THE SIERRA LEONE AGRICBUSINESS AND RICE VALUE CHAIN SUPPORT PROJECT [SLARIS] DATED 20TH AUGUST, 2019.
[ii] FINANCING AGREEMENT [SECOND ADDITIONAL FINANCING FOR SIERRA LEONE SOCIAL SAFETY NET PROJECT] BETWEEN THE REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE AND THE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSIOCIATION [IDA] DATED 12TH SEPTEMBER, 2019 AND AMENDMENT TO THE AMENDED AND RESTATED FINANCING AGREEMENT [SIERRA LEONE; SOCIAL SAFETY NET PROJECT-GRANT NOS.H9250-SL AND D0920-SL] DATED 12TH SEPTEMBER, 2019.

[iii].

RATIFICATION OF SIERRA LEONE MEMBERSHIP OF THE AFRICA FINANCE COOPERATION.

IV.
IV.

BILL THE APPROPRIATION ACT, 2020 Being an Act to authorise expenditure from the Consolidated Fund for the services of Sierra Leone for the year 2020 and for other related matters.
SECOND READING THE MINISTER OF FINANCE [SECOND ALLOTTED DAY] 3 THE CHAMBER OF PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE Official Hansard Report of the Proceedings of the House _____________________________________________________________ SECOND SESSION – THIRD MEETING OF THE FIFTH PARLIAMENT OF THE SECOND REPUBLIC _____________________________ Thursday, 21st November, 2019.

I. PRAYERS [The Table Clerk, Mrs Bintu Weston, Read the Prayers] [The House met at 10:15a.m.
in Parliament Building, Tower Hill, Freetown] [The Speaker, Hon.

Dr Chernor Abass Bundu in the Chair] The House was called to Order 4 Suspension of S. O.

5[2] COMMUNICATION FROM THE CHAIR II.

CORRECTION OF VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS FOR PARLIAMENTARY SITTING HELD ON WEDNESDAY, 20TH NOVEMBER, 2019.

THE SPEAKER: We shall now go through the record of Votes and Proceedings for the parliamentary sitting held on Wednesday, 20th November, 2019.
We shall skip Pages 1 through to 4 and we will start consideration of the record from Page 5.

Any comments?

Page 5?

Page 6?

HON.

SAHR CHARLES: Mr Speaker, THE SPEAKER: Yes.

HON.


SAHR CHARLES: In yesterday’s Proceedings, before the motion was moved by the Deputy Minister of Finance we did not see the record of the request made by the Acting Leader of Government Business to have an engagement with the Leaders of the various political parties for them to discuss and come to conclusion with regard the availability of the detailed breakdown of the Budget, and that was not recorded in today’s Votes and Proceedings.
They went, came back and reported accordingly to this House but it is not in the Report.

THE SPEAKER: It will be duly reflected in the Hansard.

Page 6?

Page 7?

HON.

AIAH D. S. KASEGBAMA: Mr Speaker, on Page 7, my name is Aiah David Sheik Kassegbama not David Aiah Sheik Kassegbama.

The Aiah is the first name.

THE SPEAKER: The Clerks would take note of that.

HON.

ALOYSIOUS B. ANSUMANA: Yes Mr Speaker.

Sorry to take you back to Page 1.

My surname is Ansumana, and not Bockarie.


I am Aloysious Bockarie Ansumana, but they always referred to Bockarie as if it is my surname.

THE SPEAKER: Clerks please take note.

I do not want these mistakes to continue to reoccur.

Would you please repeat because the Clerks did not quite hear you?

5 HON.

ALOYSIOUS B. ANSUMANA: Yes Mr Speaker.

On number 4, what is on the Votes and Proceedings is Ansumana Aloysious Bockarie, it should be Aloysious Bockarie Ansumana.

Ansumana is the surname.


THE SPEAKER: Honourable Member, it is correct because they usually start with the surname first.

HON.

ALOYSIOUS B. ANSUMANA: Agreed, but they normally put Bockarie as the surname in other documents.

That is why I am correcting it now.

THE SPEAKER: Page 7?

Can somebody please move for the adoption of the record of Votes and Proceedings for the parliamentary sitting held on Wednesday, 20th November, 2019?

HON.

SIMEON FEFEGULA: I so move Mr Speaker.

THE SPEAKER: Any seconder?


HON.

JOSEPH WILLIAMS-LAMIN: I so second Mr Speaker.

[Question Proposed, Put and Agreed To] [Record of Votes and Proceedings for parliamentary sitting held on Wednesday, 20th November, 2019 has been adopted as amended] HON.

DICKSON M. ROGERS: Mr Speaker, I move that we suspend S.O 63[4].

THE SPEAKER: Order!

Honourable Members, the motion is that we suspend the operation of paragraph 4 of S.O 63.
In case you do not have your Standing Orders and for the information of the public S.O 63[4] reads as follows: ‘‘For the purpose of this order and of S.O No 65 [Allotment of Time in Committee of Supply] an allotted day shall be any day on which the consideration of the Appropriation Bill, whether by the House or in the Committee of Supply, stands as the first Public Business for that day, and on such a day no other Public Business may be taken.’’ Since we are about to lay Papers as the very first item of today’s business, it has been proposed that we suspend the operation of 63[4] to allow the Papers to be laid.
6 HON.

DR KANDEH K. YUMKELLA: Point of Order Mr Speaker.

THE SPEAKER: Yes.

HON.

DR KANDEH K. YUMKELLA: What is more urgent than the Budget?

Are there reasons, we need to know why?

My colleague, you cannot be angry with me, we all treasure our time.

HON.

FRANCIS A. KAISAMBA: Mr Leader, I am not.

HON.

DR KANDEH K. YUMKELLA: I did not even call your name.

HON.

FRANCIS A. KAISAMBA: But you were referring to me.

HON.

DR KANDEH K. YUMKELLA: No!

I was looking in that direction my brother.

HON.


FRANCIS A. KAISAMBA: You were looking at me.

HON.

DR KANDEH K. YUMKELLA: My brother, you cannot read my mind.

HON.

FRANCIS A. KAISAMBA: The Speaker would proffer solution to that.

HON.

DR KANDEH K. YUMKELLA: You cannot read my mind.

I was looking in that direction.

HON.

FRANCIS A. KAISAMBA: No, but you referred to me by calling me your friend.

HON.

DR KANDEH K. YUMKELLA: You do not have the Floor my friend.

The Speaker gave me the Floor.

HON.


FRANCIS A. KAISAMBA: You do not have the Floor either.

My Leader you do not have the Floor either.

HON.

DR KANDEH K. YUMKELLA: The Speaker gave me the Floor.

HON.

FRANCIS A. KAISAMBA: He did not give you any Floor.

HON.

DR KANDEH K. YUMKELLA: The Speaker gave me the Floor.

You are out of Order my brother.

THE SPEAKER: Order!

HON.

FRANCIS A. KAISAMBA: You are out of Order either.

7 THE SPEAKER: Honourable Members, Order!

HON.

DICKSON M. ROGERS: Mr Speaker.


THE SPEAKER: Honourable Members, I do not know what is happening today.

HON.

DR KANDEH K. YUMKELLA: With very humble respect Mr Speaker, I just need explanation.

My party needs explanation to know what is urgent that we put Budget aside sir.

THE SPEAKER: S.O2 ‘na bad breeze dae blow?’ HON.

DR KANDEH K. YUMKELLA: S.O2 ‘serious bad breeze dae blow sir.’ THE SPEAKER: S.O2 ‘Wel leh wi dreb am go far.’ HON.
DR KANDEH K. YUMKELLA: S.O ‘wel leh den pul den thugs den na mi constituency sir.’ HON.

DICKSON M. ROGERS: Mr Speaker, I think to allay the fear of my big brother Honourable Dr Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella, this is just laying of Paper.

You have worked in the United Nations and you know that most of those agreements are time bound and that is the reason why I suspended S.O 63[4] so at least we can give the Minister time to lay the Papers so that we can continue with the other business of the House.

Please sir.
Please sir.

HON.

SAHR CHARLES: Mr Speaker!

THE SPEAKER: I have not given the Floor to any other Member.

Honourable Dr Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella, you are the one I gave the Floor to.

HON.

DR KANDEH K. YUMKELLA: Yes sir.

THE SPEAKER: You now heard the explanation for the motion that has been moved.

Are you satisfied that we can proceed?

HON.

DR KANDEH K. YUMKELLA: Honourable Speaker, I take note of what my brother from the great Wanjama, Republic of Pujehun has said, I understand what he is saying.
Since we are modifying our Order Paper, we would like to add something also 8 to introduce a notice of a motion as well sir.

So since we are in the process of modification, we would want to consider our own interest also to lay another motion if it is okay my brother from the great Wanjama, Pujehun District.

THE SPEAKER: We shall deal with your notice of motion later.

HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: Mr Speaker, may I be heard?

THE SPEAKER: On what?

HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: On this same issue.


THE SPEAKER: Okay.

HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: I am quite agreeable with the Honourable Member from Pujehun that in the interest of progress, as long as it has the consent of all Members of Parliament, maybe some S.Os should be suspended in the interest of progress.
So on that note, and to also save time, instead of suspending one hundred times on the same day, I am in line with Honourable Dickson Momoh Rogers move to suspend S.O 63[4] to allow a notice of motion [Applause].

The insular items in the interest of progress is not new, it can be done based on the relevant suspension.

So we also intent to give notice of a motion that will be dully filed latest today.

THE SPEAKER: Very well.

HON.


DANIEL B. KOROMA: And for that motion, we stand on S.O 32[7] to suspend S.O 63[4] but S.O 32[7] to apply.

Thank you Sir.

HON.

SAHR CHARLES: Yes Mr Speaker.

THE SPEAKER: On this same issue?

HON.

SAHR CHARLES: Mr Speaker, this issue cannot just pass like that without making certain things clear.

Yesterday a decision was reached at by our Leaders in this House that the debate on the Appropriation Bill would not proceed without the detail breakdown of the estimate.
THE SPEAKER: We have not reached that point yet.

9 HON.

SAHR CHARLES: We are coming there Mr Speaker.

This is all what we are saying because the inclusion [Interruption].

THE SPEAKER: Honourable Member please, we are on our way to reaching that point, when we reached that point I will give you the Floor.

HON.

SAHR CHARLES: Okay.


Mr Speaker, the issue of the Minister laying Papers, we do not only have laying of Paper here, we also have an agreement to be ratified, and that one also is going to take time, that is item 3.

THE SPEAKER: No!

Bear with us.

HON.

SAHR CHARLES: Okay.

THE SPEAKER: Let me first deal with the suspension issue.

HON.

FODAY M. KAMARA: Mr Speaker, Point of Order.

I want to know the S.O on which the Acting Leader of Government Business stood to suspend S.O 63[4]?

HON.
HON.

DICKSON M. ROGERS: Let me answer your question Honourable Member.

I stood on S.O 63[4].

HON.

FODAY M. KAMARA: I disagree with you.

Mr Speaker, you cannot stand on a particular S.O to suspend that S.O.

HON.

DICKSON M. ROGERS: Mr speaker, Honourable Members, you can recall that few weeks ago I stood on S.O 82 to suspend S.O5[2] and Mr Speaker did say, to save time we should go straight to S.O [5]2 so that is the reason why I did not quote S.O 82 but 63[4] [Interruption].
THE SPEAKER: Honourable Foday Mario Kamara, you seem to be formal.

HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: Mr Speaker, I agreed with the Acting Leader of Government Business.

THE SPEAKER: No!

Wait a minute; you seem to be so formalistic this morning.

S.O 2 ‘this bad breeze e for lef this Chamber’ 10 HON.

FODAY M. KAMARA: Mr Speaker, this has nothing to do with bad breeze, it has to do with procedures.

He stood on S.O 82 [Interruption].

THE SPEAKER: Okay.

He has done that now, are you still quarrelling?

HON.
HON.

FODAY M. KAMARA: No he has not, he has still not accepted.

THE SPEAKER: He has, I heard him clearly.

HON.

FODAY M. KAMARA: Thank you Mr Speaker.

THE SPEAKER: Any seconder to the motion?

HON.

BASHIRU SILIKIE: I so second Mr Speaker.

[Question Proposed, Put and Agreed To] [Motion by the Acting Leader of Government Business has been carried] III.
PAPERS LAID THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FINANCE DR PATRICIA N. LAVERLEY: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I beg to lay on the Table of this Honourable House the following Papers: i. Protocol of agreement between the Republic of Sierra Leone and the African Development Fund [ADF] for the Sierra Leone Agric-business and rice value chain support project [SLARIS] dated 20th August, 2019. ii.
Financing agreement; this is the second additional financing for Sierra Leone social safety net project between the Republic of Sierra Leone and the International Development Association [IDA] dated 12th November, 2019 and amendment to the Restated Financing Agreement date 12th September, 2019. iii.

The instrument of ratification of Sierra Leone memberships to the Africa Finance Cooperation.
THE SPEAKER: Just for the edification of Members of Parliament, I want it clearly understood that small item 3 has been amended [Applause].

Instead of a ratification of the Sierra Leone Membership of the Africa Finance Cooperation, what I now understand 11 the Minister is saying is that, that 3 has been amended to read, she is laying on the Table, instrument of ratification of Sierra Leone membership.

I hope that is clear now.


We are not ratifying it now; we are laying the instrument of ratification on the Table.

I just wanted us to be clear about what we are doing.

Thank you.

IV.
Thank you.

IV.

BILL THE APPROPRIATION ACT, 2020; Being an Act to authorise expenditure from the Consolidated Fund for the services of Sierra Leone for the year 2020 and for other related matters SECOND READING DR PATRICIA N. LAVERLEY SECOND ALOTED DAY THE SPEAKER: Before we proceed with this important item, there are few plenary issues that I would like to address.
First and foremost, yesterday following consultations between the Leadership of the various parties, this House was informed that the estimate will be made available either yesterday by the close of business or first thing this morning before the commencement of this sitting.

I would like to be informed whether this has been done.

HON.

DICKSON M. ROGERS: Thank you very much Mr Speaker.


Indeed like you clearly stated, we agreed yesterday that the estimate will be here this morning before we start the debate on the Budget.

I therefore want to crave the indulgence of Mr Speaker to stand down the House to at least twenty to thirty minutes.

They are on their way coming but we cannot hold Members of Parliament sitting and waiting for the Appropriation Bill but I promise that before we resumed, they will be here.

THE SPEAKER: Very well.


HON.

DICKSON M. ROGERS: Colleague Members, I can assure this House that the estimate is on the way but because we have other important things to do as Members 12 of Parliament, can I ask please that before we stand down the House, let us continue with the debate, and while the debate is going on I will take the honour myself to share the estimate to Members of Parliament.
THE SPEAKER: Acting Leader of Government Business, I will step in at this point to emphasise that promises made must be kept.

A promise was made yesterday and I will like to see it kept.

So whiles we wait, I invite the two Leaders to please come forward there is something else that I want to discuss with you.

Deputy Chief Whip, I have given you a task to do.


Honourable Members, quite apart from the fact that we are still waiting for the estimate to be delivered from the printing department, I am standing the House down for another reason.

I am inviting all of us to Committee Room One to go and discuss a matter of great importance that touches and concerns the dignity, integrity and image of this House.

We shall do so before we proceed with further consideration of the Appropriation Bill before this House.
I will stand down the House and we shall all proceed to Committee Room One accordingly.

I thank you very much for your cooperation.

HON.

DICKSON M. ROGERS: Mr Speaker, first of all let me apologize to my colleagues because some Members are of the opinion that I abandoned the meeting in Committee Room One.
Let me first of all apologize for that and to inform the House that I did not abandon the meeting, I spoke with Mr Speaker that I made a promise to my colleague Leaders that before the debate starts, I will make sure that we have some copies of the estimate; that was why I came out to make sure that some of those estimate are distributed.
Having said that Mr Speaker, I also want to use this opportunity again to appeal to my colleagues that; although we do not have all the copies of the Estimate, at least some effort has been made for us to have some copies, and I can assure this House that before the end of the debate or in the middle of the debate, we would get more copies of the estimate.
Honourable Dr Kendeh Kolleh Yumkella, Honourable Hassan A. Sesay, I beg that for the sake of peace, for the sake of the country; let us continue with the Budget debate.

In the middle of the debate, I am sure we will have more copies of the estimate.

As you can see it is almost six hundred 13 Pages and it is not easy to collate.

Thank you very much for your attention and your acceptance.

HON.

HASSAN SESAY: Thank you Mr Acting Leader of Government Business, Honourable Member from Pujehun.
I think your apology; that effort has been made, at least we consider that to be in good faith and we will commence the debate and in the process as you likely said, we believe that by the end of the Business day, the rest of the estimate will be here for other Honourable Members to have access to them so that we would do justice to this debate.

THE SPEAKER: And for Mr Speaker to have a copy.

How can I follow the debate if I do not have one?


Honourable Members, let me remind you of standing rules relating to the debate; is five minutes each.

I will implore all of you to kindly regulate yourselves in order not to trespass into the time allocated to your colleagues because if you exceed the five minutes, it means ultimately fewer Members of Parliament will be able to participate in this debate.

HON.

LAHAI MARAH: Mr Speaker I stand on S.O 37[3] THE SPEAKER: Yes Sir, what does it tell us?

HON.
HON.

LAHAI MARAH: Is about the time limit of five minutes.

THE SPEAKER: What is the dilatory motion?

Dilatory motion during Budget process?

Honourable Member, you sometimes brag about being a senior Member of Parliament, but you are quoting the wrong S.Os.

HON.

LAHAI MARAH: Yes Mr Speaker, is about the time limit to the debate and it is within the S.Os that for [Interruption].

THE SPEAKER: Show me where?

HON.

LAHAI MARAH: If you can give me the time I will come with it later.
THE SPEAKER: I will show you.

HON.

LAHAI MARAH: Okay, I will do that during the cause of the debate.

14 HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: Mr Speaker, can I approach you?

THE SPEAKER: You want to approach me?

HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: It is just out of curtsy, it is not for that point.

THE SPEAKER: Yes, you may approach me.

HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: Thank you Mr Speaker.

THE SPEAKER: Again, I will like to remind all of us about the time limitation.
Exercise self-restraint, do not be too self-indulgent, and do not be too selfish; less you crip into the time allocated to your colleagues.

I want to give the Floor now to Honourable Paul Saa Sam and he will be followed immediately by the Honourable Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella.

HON.

PAUL S. SAM: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to thank [Interruption] HON.

LAHAI MARAH: Mr Speaker, it is S.O 38[3] THE SPEAKER: You were looking for it?

HON.
HON.

LAHAI MARAH: Yes I was looking for it Mr Speaker, you are right!

Mr Speaker if you look at S.O 38, it does relate to the time limit of speeches, and it goes to S.O 38[3] which says; ‘‘This Order shall not apply to speeches made during the debate on the Presidential Address to Parliament and the debate on the Second reading of the annual Appropriation Bill.” THE SPEAKER: Read the proviso, do not stop there.

HON.
HON.

LAHAI MARAH: Mr Speaker, if I can make my submission at this point, then we can go further.

Allow me to make my submission first.

HON.

BASHIRU SILIKIE: Mr Speaker, based on S.O 38[3], you cannot make a submission and just paraphrasing some part of the sentence; read the entirety of the S.O 38[3] and advise yourself Sir.

HON.

LAHAI MARAH: Are you on a Standing Order?

You are not on a Standing Order!

Let me talk to Mr Speaker please.


15 THE SPEAKER: In talking to Mr Speaker, you have to be fulsome.

HON.

LAHAI MARAH: Yes Mr Speaker, you are right.

THE SPEAKER: Therefore.

HON.

LAHAI MARAH: I will Mr Speaker.

Allow me please.

Mr Speaker, normally the Budget is for the [Interruption].

THE SPEAKER: No I am sorry!

You referred me to only a portion of that S.O.

HON.
HON.

LAHAI MARAH: Well let me read it in full; “… provided that in debate limited to specific allotted days the Speaker may determine and allocate the time of each contribution, such as... [Undertone] can you allow me?

THE SPEAKER: “…Such as to accommodate the participation of all those who wish to speak.” HON.

LAHAI MARAH: But Mr Speaker, What I want to say is that you limited us to three days.

The normal days for the debate is five days; from Monday to Friday!
So if Mr Speaker limited this debate to three days, I think in his own wisdom he should allow the time to extend.

THE SPEAKER: It is not Mr Speaker who limited you; it was the House.

I put it to a vote.

HON.

LAHAI MARAH: Mr Speaker, please if you can allow me further, we are talking about debating a very important document here, which is the Budget.

Some of us that know about figures, we know about Economic Policies, we cannot debate the Budget within five minutes.
It is not anything like an Administration.

THE SPEAKER: You are seasoned debater.

HON.

LAHAI MARAH: You are right Mr Speaker.

THE SPEAKER: A senior Member of Parliament.

HON.

LAHAI MARAH: You are right Mr Speaker.

THE SPEAKER: You have been debating for the past seven years.

16 HON.

LAHAI MARAH: You are also right Mr Speaker.

THE SPEAKER: So you know how to navigate your way through.

HON.

LAHAI MARAH: You are right Mr Speaker.


I am using those experiences you just alighted, and we cannot debate the Budget within five minutes; it is almost impossible.

THE SPEAKER: You are taking up time right now.

Honourable Paul Saa Sam, you have the Floor.

HON.

PAUL S. SAM: Thank you very much Mr Speaker.


Mr Speaker, I want to first of all thank the Ministry of Finance for putting together the Budget estimate for 2020 which actually will help the Government of Sierra Leone to run the entire 2020, taking cognisance of the MDAs; the money that is going to be allocated to them, and also the Oversight role which Parliament will provide.

Mr Speaker, I want to first of all give a reflection back to 2019 Budget that was read by the Minister of Finance here.
Of course when the 2019 Budget was read here, I explicitly talked about the Ministry of Basic Education.

I gave my address during the last Budget debate, most especially about the standing situation of the school conditions in Kono District.

And of course in the Budget read this year by the Minister of Finance, he told us that from January to September, they exceeded the targeted amount that was planned.

That tells you, they were within the ambit of colleting revenue from Sierra Leone.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, of course going back to the Ministry of Local Government which is the hub for development of this country, and to see that the decentralization succeeds; wherein the Government is taking back to the people and the money allocated to them for this Financial Year [FY] is actually not viable to give them the urge or the will to succeed in the development drive.
Therefore, Le4.3bln for the Ministry is Local Government is a very small amount because they are charged with the responsibility to see that they take development back to the people, and in that direction, as a Deputy Chairman for Local Government Committee I made this submission because I need to talk for the Local Government Committee.

17 Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, let me also touch on the Ministry of Planning.
The Ministry of Planning and Development gave us the Child Policy Report; they gave us a kind of education for development.

The Child Policy Report is within the frame work to see the connection that exist from the child to the parent; when you see the appearance of some school pupils in school, you will tell the homes where these children are coming from.

So that is why the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development put together a Policy Document for a Child Policy Report.
Secondly, the education for development; when we talk about education for development, it means when somebody graduates from the University or from the Technical Training Institutes, there is a job market wherein that person can be attached and benefit from what he has acquired for the past three or four years.

And what I actually bank on from the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, is where they talk about Development Cooperation Frame Work.
The Development Cooperation Frame Work is a kind of regulating policy that is put together to actually regulate the activities of Non- Governmental Organizations [NGOs].

Mr Speaker, of course we have so many NGOs in the country; International NGOs and local NGOs.
These NGOs sometimes are not complementing the effort of Government, so if the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development is putting together a kind of development operational Frame Work to regulate the activities of those NGOs, I think that is good.
For example if we take a look at World Vision, they have so many Area Development Programmes [ADPs] wherein children from different communities where they are operating are registered and their information sent out to the world seeking support for those children.

Somebody may likely look at a child and say ‘I will be supporting this child with $500 a year’; another may say $1,000 a year as the case may be, and those moneys are accrued together and sent in to those areas where the ADPs are operating.
But because sometimes they are not complementing the effort of the Government, that is why the Government will be going this way, and the NGOs going that way.

So, the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development is putting together this Frame Work which we refer to as the Development Cooperation Frame Work to regulate the activities of NGOs.

This is a very laudable venture taken by the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development.
18 Mr Speaker, Honourable Member, thirdly we talk about National plan; if a country does not have a National Plan, development will always be difficult to achieve.

That is why Government after Government failed to implement some agendas of the previous regime.
We found out that whatever Agenda a Government might have during its term, when taken out of power, the Government will put some of those Agendas aside because they have their own Manifesto and those Manifestos are put together in the Estimate and also the Speech of the President.
But if the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development is putting together the National Agenda, other political parties need to be involved for one reason; that is, when once we have a short, medium or long term plan for Sierra Leone, Government after Government will follow the National Plan because they were involved during the development stage.
So the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development should also involve other political parties in the development of the National Plan so that every other elected President in this country will follow that plan.

That is the advice I will give to the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development because their strategies are very powerful and if followed, will help and do this country good.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, let me talk about the Youth Ministry.
The youth population in this country is made up of 33% of our total population, and 67% of this particular youth population live without a job and that is the problem we are facing now.

Of course the Budget captured Chiefdom Youth Farms.

The Chiefdom Youth Farms will help in some direction, but when you look at the Budget for the Ministry of Youth Affairs; 2.413bln cannot suffice to actually address the issue of the middle manpower; that is the youths of this country.
So the Ministry of Finance needs to look at that to actually increase the allocation given to the youth and for the Youth Farms that are proposed in the Budget, I want to suggest that Ministry of Finance should ensure that those farms are squarely handled by the Local Councils and for them not to be politicized.

Of course one of our speakers yesterday stated that most of the Farms that have been identified are managed by political parties.
For us to succeed in addressing the issues of youth from every quarter, we must keep the development or 19 empowerment drive of the youths away from partisan politics because we are talking of addressing the issues of youths and not partisan youths.

So the Ministry of Finance needs to see that those Farms allocated to all the Chiefdoms in this country are managed by the Local Councils; that will do us good.
Somebody was saying that we should not allow our children to go to those Farms, but I want to say here that the Scripture says; ‘the poor cannot be ceased from among us’ so, until Jesus comes, poor people will be around us.

So because of that, we need to actually see that farming is encouraged in this country.

If you go China and some other countries, you will notice that the produce they import to this country is rice; which shows they are Farmers.
Except you want to say that this person is doing subsistent farming and the others are doing commercial farming.

But helping the youths in that direction particularly so at Chiefdom level, is very good.

Of Course Le88bln put together for addressing those Farms is a very laudable venture done by the Ministry of Finance.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, let me go now to the Basic and Senor Secondary School Education.
Of course during the last Budget, the Minister of Finance talked about seven hundred additional Classrooms, and of those seven hundred additional Classrooms, each District will receive three School Buildings.

Of course two of those buildings have started in Kono District; I do not know about Kambia and other Districts regarding those additional Classrooms.

The last Budget also talked about the five thousand Teachers for the Ministry of Education.
Of course I want to reliably inform this House that the people of Kono District got seven hundred and sixty Teachers approved by the Minister Education is a very good one [Applause].

Of course they are going through process because they were approved from July and when they are paying back, they paid the backlogs and they singed the documents from July.
Being a Teacher for fifteen years and being a Principle of a school for ten years, I know how school operates and when you are approved, it takes some time because you will not start to pay a Teacher with a meagre salary.

So what they do?

They will put those monies together; the monthly salary will be accrued, say from July to December or to January and when they are paid, they will be paid all their backlogs.

Of course they talked about 20 approval of Teachers also.
I want to also reliably informed this House that for the approval of schools, we got three hundred and eight two [382] schools approved in Kono District, and those 382 schools approved of course for the previous schools that were approved was Two hundred and twenty three [223] and as it is, three hundred and eight two [382] schools have been put together that are approved, and as I speak we have six hundred and six schools in Kono District that are approved by the Ministry of Education.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, seven Pre-schools have been approved by the Ministry of Education as old schools, and twenty-one are new approved schools.
One hundred and seventy one old Primary schools, and two hundred and eighty two new schools, which gives a total of six hundred and six Primary Schools that have been approved by the Ministry of Education, but we also have two hundred and eleven schools that have not been approved at the moment, and out of the two hundred and eleven schools, we have one hundred and twenty three Pre-Schools, sixty five Primary Schools, fourteen Junior Secondary School and nine Senior Secondary Schools that are waiting for approval in the Kono District.
When we talk about education, I am also a proprietor of schools, and as I stand I have twenty-one schools that I have established for the past fifteen years when I was a Principal.

So in Kono District, I have twenty-one schools that were within my purview, and most of them were Private Schools.
Looking at the trend of the Free Education, I decided to bring all those Private Schools to the Free Quality Education program, and as I stand here 80% of my schools have been approved by the Government of Sierra Leone [Undertone] yes I am saying the fact, I am talking about approval of schools Honourable Member.

When we look at that trend towards education, it is a direct benefit that will meet the people of this country.
The Honourable Member from Kambia was talking about the actual benefit to the people in this country.

Sometimes the fears we normally have in some of the Budget debate is that we are not seeing the practicality of some of the allocations that are given to the Districts.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I may end my debate with a kind of suggestion, and the suggestion is that it would be better for us to go to Appropriation Committee and later we debate the Budget.
The point at issue will reliably inform us in the areas which the Ministry of Finance put together, the quarterly moneys that have 21 been allocated, and what they decided to give to each Ministry, Department and Agency if those quarterly monies are made available to the MDAs.

So, if we have that discussion in the Committee of Appropriation and later on we come to the Well to debate, that debate will be a very good one.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I have more time right?

THE SPEAKER: No!

You do not.


HON.

PAUL S. SAM: So the only advice I have for the Ministry of Finance is that all those allocations given to MDAs that are in this Budget, please make a follow up to ensure that those monies are given to the MDAs because we found out that in 2019 Budget some monies that were allocated to certain MDAs was not reflected.
So we want to see the practicality that those allocations be available to the MDAs because we have four quarters so if you give two quarters to an MDA which they are supposed to receive four quarters then it will not give them the kind of acceleration in that Ministry.

So you need to actually put your feet very firm and give those allocations that are being embedded in the Budget.

Thank you very much [Applause].

THE SPEAKER: I thank the Honourable Member for his contribution.
However, I just want to remind him, his proposal does require a fundamental amendment to our Standing Orders which is certainly presently not in the offing.

I now call on the Honourable Dr Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella.

HON.

DR KANDEH K. YUMKELLA: Thank you very much Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, colleagues Members, I indeed have to take the Floor early because Honourable Bashiru Silikie is going to accompany me now to 062, ward 210 to make sure that his people behave and not brutalise my folks in the village.
Thank you and I am inviting Honourable Bashiru Silikie to come with me because he is my Bo ‘Ndemia’.

Distinguish colleagues, Ladies and Gentleman, I wish to commend the Ministry of Finance for their efforts.

We know they are constrained and saddled with some legacy issues which will overhang on this economy for some time, but indeed they have had eighteen months to two years, we indeed want to see some movement.
I commend them for all their efforts in revenue collection, we see that revenue collection has increased significantly, 22 they saved even by 13% and I see some projections.

They are providing now in paragraph 6 that more revenues will come in.

Of course Parliament played a role, we past the Treasury Single Account [TSA] for them, and we will continue to help them on revenue collection.

We just again admonished that do not kill the goose that lays the golden egg.
Taxes on the on the private sector, we commend them also.

We see now indeed Government is trying to help the private sector with some of the tax concessions they have made, we need it.

The private sector is suffering, we are talking to a lot of them, some have reduced imports that they used to bring because they say people are not buying, and they could also not repatriate monies out to pay their suppliers.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, we commend Government on what they have tried to do for Tourism.
I have been listening to the debates on the radio with the Ministry of Transport, the lowering of the cost of airfare it is important we are competing with other neighbours, we see the number of tourists heading for Ghana, Senegal and other places we also need more tourists to come but our tickets are expensive.

I know some colleagues from the SLPP also mentioned that when the debate started.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, on the effort to indeed help the business sector, we still admonish that His Excellency the President needs to set up an advisory group that are business men, bankers and others who are not Government Officials to really continue to work with the Economic Minister, the Central Bank, and the President himself about what to do to revive this economy.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, also on the Energy front, we see the effort being made, the challenges are big, you have seen our own constructive engagement in the forum that we have done over the last two days with the Minister of Energy bringing people here who could potentially bring resources into the energy sector without power and energy as Mr President himself said, there will not be adequate economic growth or good service delivery.

Those are my commendations.


Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, we have concerns, so I have come to the concerns we have about the Budget.

We are concern about the debt, the Government said a lot about the debt during the campaign, the Government said a lot about debt during the 23 Presidents first Speech here and we are worried.
We see that debt is increasing if we look at numbers on paragraph 5, we see that by the end of the year given all the mobilisation of funds you would have done, the amount of debt you would have accumulated in the past eighteen months external debt would be over $300,000,000mln, if you look at that rate for eighteen months, if you continue at that pace by the time your first term ends you could have easily added another Billion or more to our debt over hang.
We are already struggling so I just want to caution Government to watch the debt; you have mentioned it in paragraph 5, paragraph 22, paragraph 39 and all of those.

We are worried at the rate of increasing debt.

Remember you cancel some other debt amounting to 300,000,000mln but you have also now borrowed another 300,000,000mln or more at that rate it will increase, so we caution you again on external debt but domestic debt as well we worried, and you mentioned that very well in paragraph 39.
Domestic debt, we always wonder who are these domestic folks we are paying money to, I believe that our Public Account Committee [PAC] should begin to examine properly people in different Finance Ministries, but also in our own Ministry there are some debts that never seem to end.

We really would like you to pay attention to that domestic debt, are they real, are they fictitious?

So debt is one area.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, secondly, I want to talk on Fisheries.
We still have concern, we believe there is a lot of poaching still in our waters.

Fisheries in the debate when we were studying for the Presidential debate we know Government can easily make another fifty to seventy Million Dollars if we can manage illegal fishing and encourage proper fishing practices.

I have also concern, our own constituency which is one of the biggest fishing grounds in this country; we have not seen any single project in our constituency in almost two years.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, on paragraph 21 which talk about mining, we have serious concerns about mining.

We know, we oppose a lot of what was happening in mining in the last regime, we see Government has cancelled some mining licences, I know its creating a lot of reverberation around the world about security of investment 24 and so on, and that is going to affect a lot of people who are interested in investing in Sierra Leone in other sectors.
I notice in paragraph 41[3] you give too much of an optimistic statement there, and I quote “that you are very confident about economic diversification and growth,’’ and [46] 3 says; “resumption of Iron Ore Mining and explanation in other mining activities.’’ My reading is different from what I know even not up to a couple of days ago because of the dispute with Sierra Leone Mining which is now in every media, everywhere people have called me also your country may not be safe, and litigation is going on publicly, I think that is too optimistic.
I do not see the Iron Ore sector resuming soon so do not be so optimistic but more fundamentally, we do not want this Government negotiating mining deals the way it was done in the past [Applause].

So we need to know, our Mining Committee should insist, when the licences have been cancelled now what is the process that is going on.

What process was followed to cancel the licenses?

Second, how will new licences be issued?

What is the process of negotiation?


We want more transparency in that process that is why we are raising it.

We do hope that in fact Parliament will make sure that there is good transparency and we do not have emergency Mining Bills coming forward.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the other concern is the Wage Bill.
By your projections in the document, fiscal strategy statement for 2020 to 2022 October, 2019, you have said that the Wage Bill is at Le2.5tln in 2019, you projected it to be Le2.75tln 2020, and Le3.46 by 2022.

But you as Government you have always given us concern about the Wage Bill, but we just see it going up, we are very worried for as long as there is fiscal over hang the Wage Bill is high, you are borrowing heavily from Banks.
The exports are not as much we thought they would be you will not be able to manage the exchange rate, nor would you manage inflation.

So we worried that the Wage Bill just seems to be going up, and I know, colleagues know that in some departments, some institutions, we have increased employment by 50% in some cases by 70% to 80%.

So we caution that this Wage Bill should be watched, we encourage the private sector to grow and higher.
25 Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, let me talk about the hiring of the teachers.

I am very impressed by my colleague the Honourable Member from Kono giving seven hundred teachers employed and so on.

We need to see even now those in the Education Committee, now there is a proposal to hire five thousand teachers.

Some of us need to see the distribution by District and by Region.

We want to see it clearly, we want to see more details but we leave that at the Committee level.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the Police I know already that a lot of police have been hired already because their training was done in my constituency.

I see a proposal now to hire one thousand more Police.
For colleagues in the Agriculture Committee, I wish you were hiring one thousand extension workers because when we met with the Minister, so I am wondering should we be hiring more Police, and Military or should we be hiring more extension workers to boost our agriculture which is the second major sector that the President wants to push, I question that very seriously.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, we have concern about the forestry fund.
I see here in paragraph 158 that ten thousand youths would be hired to do tree planting.

The trees are being cut down particularly in certain Districts that is where the heavy legal and illegal timber trade is taking place.

We need to see how the funds will be allocated; you cannot say to me that you will give the same amount of money to Koinadugu and Falaba that you will give to Tonkolili.
More logging is taking place in Koinadugu and Falaba than Tonkolili, so just to give a blanket number I do not think it is good.

So Agriculture Committee, there are areas where trees are being cut where they need to be replanted so they can be cut again in three years, it cannot be blanket, it cannot be job for the boys so I would encourage the Agriculture Committee to dig deeper into the youth farms in the chiefdoms.
Parliamentarians need to have a role, in the Agriculture Committee it is a pity we were moved out of the Agriculture Committee, but I am encouraging Members of Parliament, you know one youth farm per chiefdom that covers several of our constituencies, we need to know how that is going to be done, we want to collaborate with the Chiefs, but we want to be active in that.
There are a lot of 26 farms, there is a lot of money that has been set aside for this, and Members of Parliament have to be directly involved in that process as well.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, exports in paragraph 33 talks about re-export and they say that export increased; the re-exports from 13mln to $270mln.
My question is re-export is good if you are adding value, in other words input came in you added value, you are sending out, but I suspect a lot of that is transhipment, and I think the Ministry of Finance has to look at this, its looks good in the book here, but I do not think it’s good news for this country if it is just transhipment.

Maybe that is why you want to do export processing zones.
If you are adding value then it helps the economy, but it just passed through maybe some of it is even being smuggled I think there will be a problem.
Actual export itself did not grow much it grew by 64mln, but that is because Sierra Leone Mining resume shipping of Iron Ore maybe that is not going to happen now, so those numbers will go down so when you look at low export, high debt, high Budget deficit and so on, the fiscal overhang is going to give the Ministry of Finance a lot of problems going forward in terms of defending the exchange rate, or the inflation.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, my last two points will be, of course we always write this up and circulate it in more detail, the time is limited so we picked a few areas.

Bread and butter, the joke I am hearing around town is that we do not have bread and butter yet S.O 2 ‘na bitter kola we get’.

We NGC have given figures we hope it is helpful to the Government, and we will continue doing that.
We are going through the market regularly just to monitor prices on various commodities, the ordinary man is suffering and the Leader of our party, Dr Dennis Bright has already given the Government enough information.

We have to keep track of that; folks are suffering very badly and we hope that more will be done to redress.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, finally, in connection with the other discussions we have because it is related to the Budget, I am signing now in collaboration with Honourable Daniel Brima Koroma this amendment to the Finance Act that was passed based on our earlier decision to make sure we reconsider the decision we took about 27 the Finance Act particularly we are asking to reconsider and review Section 42 of the Finance Act of 2020, and Section 65 of the Public Finance Management Act so we are giving notice, and this is done in collaboration with C4C and some folks in SLPP [Undertone] I am just mentioning it in my debate, do not worry, he is doing it formally, he is going to submit it to Mr Speaker in writing and signed by us, but I want to really say this is bipartisan, it is not NGC or APC, it is the Whole House that we have decided to revisit that decision, we want the public to know that we are responsible, we listen, we are also liable to mistakes or challenges, we have the powers and we will use the powers to redress whatever errors we have, so in that revision we will see how we will give the right amendment that will go forward, but we will continue monitoring, we NGC we have planned every month we are going to have a press conference to review issues of that month and the next one will be on the business environment.
I thank you for your attention.

Now with your permission, I will head to constituency 062, and Honourable Bashiru Silikie, you will come with me and tell your folks to behave.

Thank you very much [Applause].

THE SPEAKER: I thank the Honourable Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella for his contribution to the debate.

I want to specially take note of the notice of motion that he has mentioned which has to do with Section 42 of the Finance Act that was passed here last week.
I want to commend the approach that he has taken along with other political parties that is the correct way to go.

Follow the Law in the Constitution and the Standing Orders to effect changes to Laws that are made by Parliament rather than doing it by other means outside of this House, and giving people the wrong impression.

Parliament is not omnipotent, we can make mistakes, we are all human, and when we do make mistakes, we will take appropriate measures to remedy those mistakes.
I thank the Honourable Member for his contribution.

I now call on the Honourable Hindolo Moiwo Gevao to take the Floor.

HON.

HINDOLO M. GEVAO: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to use this opportunity during the debate for the 2020 Budget to say thanks to the Ministry of Finance particularly so that every year they put their efforts together in bringing a 28 Budget that is good for the people of Sierra Leone.
I also want to say thank you to the Government of Sierra Leone; that is the Executive, the Judiciary, and the Legislature for ensuring that the promises made by the President during his campaign are being carried out.

In his manifesto, he said he was going to put a stop to indiscipline in this country.
In the fight against corruption, we have been passing the Millennium Challenge Corporation [MCC] with very high grades, we have seen the turnout in conviction by the Anti-Corruption Commission, and we have seen some serenity, some decency in our society.
At least the fight against Corruption is not for every person who is involve in corruption and being caught and prosecuted, but it is for you to be able to inject fear in every Sierra Leonean that if I do this, and I am caught I would be prosecuted, that is the fear that we now have and we have seen it in the output on financial collection by the National Revenue Authority [NRA].
Before now, Honourable Members would agree with me that the revenue collection that we are seeing now is far better than before because the culture of accountability was not there, but with the involvement or active role of the Anti- Corruption, we saw it in the revenue collection.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, permit me to commence this debate by looking at certain paragraphs in the Budget.

I refer the House to paragraph 20 and 22.


The Minister of Finance said in paragraph 20 that the economy is challenged.

The economy is challenged because as I always tell my constituents, this administration actually met the economy in a pit.

There is no way you are going to overcome the problems of yesterday in eighteen months, and this is something we always have to be making reference to because it is the reason why so many things are happening today.
If I am to read paragraph 20 Mr Speaker, it says “Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, despite this achievement, the legacy of economic mismanagement continuous to linger.

The economy is recovery but not significantly enough to make a significant dent on poverty.’’ On paragraph 22 it says, “This situation is compounded by a huge stuck of arrears owned to domestic suppliers and contractors.” Mr Speaker, for me as a Member of Parliament and for somebody who is economically biased this is the challenged.
This Government is still faced with the 29 problem of paying external debts and domestic debts.

Mr Speaker, that will take me to paragraph 99 of the Budget which says, “Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, as reported earlier, external debts estimate at Le1.6bln, and domestic debts at Le6.1tln about Le650mln as at the end of June 2019.
The total stuck of public debt, external plus domestic is equivalent to 62.8% of the Gross Domestic Product [GDP].”Mr Speaker where you have to pay 62% of your GDP in servicing debts, it becomes very difficult for things to actualise because the GDP of a nation is actually what they have.

So more than half of our own GDP every year we are paying in servicing both external debts and domestic debts.
It also takes us to paragraph 100 where the Minister said, “giving the high stock of domestic debt, debt service payment account for about 25.0% of domestic revenue.” And the Minister went on to tell the nation succinctly how these debts services, or how the servicing of this debt is actually affecting the nation or our economy.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, that actually could be seen in paragraph 180 under the rubric debts service payment.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, it reads “Total interest payment will amount to 1.23tln in 2020 of this, interest payment on domestic debt would amount to 1.0tln whiles interest payment on external debts 120.5bln.

The payment of principal on external debts is projected to amount to 579.1bln in 2019.” Mr Speaker, these figures are not peanut, we are bound internationally and nationally to service these debts.
These are debts that this administration met; we cannot shy away from it as a nation because they were taken in the name of Sierra Leone and whiles we are servicing these debts, it makes very little or no significant impact on the improvement or the strive being made by this current administration because most of these debts are being service externally.
We used foreign exchange in servicing them, and it goes by saying that we met the economy at a point where we are expecting very little to actually get the most needed foreign exchange hence one of the reasons why there is scarcity in the market of the most needed foreign exchange, all the reason why the importation of goods have skyrocketed, and all the reason why inflation of basic goods is increasing.
I would want the people of Sierra Leone to say the ground is dry S.O 2 ‘d gron dry’ but when you are going to fall, you should not look at where you fell, 30 but where you knockout your foot.

We are still struggling today as a Government because of mismanagement of the country’s economy from the previous Government and this current administration is doing its best to make sure they fix and repair the economy of this country.
And I will say for us to be able to repair this economy it is not going to take two or three years, it is going to take far more than three to four years.

So for those who say we should not be making reference to yesterday, they are mistaking.

If a patient goes to hospital, the first thing that the medical does is to ask for your medical history.

A nation that does not make reference to their history is not ready to progress.
Sierra Leone was met in a pit by the Retired Brigadier Julius Maada Bio and he is doing everything humanly possible together with this House to restore this country.

I commend this House through our oversight, through our vigilant and all of us in Sierra Leone are doing everything humanly possible to get our economy to a better standing so that it would affect the lives of each and every Sierra Leonean exponentially in a positive manner.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I will take you to paragraph 181 where the Minister said, the Budget allocation for 2020 is consistent with the priorities of Government as articulated in medium term national development plan of 2019 and 2023.

Human capital development remains top most priorities; this is a highly commendable area.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I am not a small boy any more in Sierra Leone, this is the first time that our economy is being referred to as people driven economy.
In the past three months, I will say there is no family in Sierra Leone that did not get direct economic benefit from the national coffers because every family has a school going kid.

We saw Government distributing books, we have seen Government paying School Fees, and we have seen Government doing several things under the Free Quality Education.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, when you think what this Government is doing under the Free Quality Education if you convert it into Leones, it would surmount to Trillions of Leones which is put into education.
For those educational expert, we would not see the effect today because it is not a sky scrapper where if you put a block you will see it going up, but in fifteen years’ time, those kids that are in primary school that 31 would have been dropped out if not for the Free Quality Education; who would be Lawyers and Doctors will be responsible citizens that will be productive in such a way that the unemployment that is affecting all of us will be minimized.
So I want us to actually look at the positive effect that the human capital development that this Government has undertaken, the huge chunk of monies that this Government is putting into that sector that is actually bringing so many burdens on the other areas that we think is affecting all of us to mean actually good.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, let us assume the president was to give all of us those monies to put in our pockets, let say he says I am going to give every Sierra Leonean Le15,000 for you to put into your pocket, you will eat it in one minute, but if Le15,000 is given to your kid in a form of payment of his or her fees and that is going to enable that kid to get education for us to export knowledge and services in the next fifteen years, those services that we will be exporting will come back to Sierra Leone to actually impact our economy in a very positive manner.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, it also brings me to the area of accountability and I want to commend this Government for being very committed to the area of accountability.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, in Page 35, paragraph 185 to 186 the Minister has said, in addition to the total of Le37.2bln is allocated to Health Sector from the domestic capital Budget of this Le7.0bln in addition to the Le15bln from revenue money from the ACC is for the construction of Diagnostic Health Centre.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, several Sierra Leoneans have lost their lives going out of Sierra Leone for dialysis test.

For the first time the President is not only using monies that we get out of revenue collection, even monies taken away from corrupt citizens, corrupt Sierra Leoneans, those monies collected by the Anti- Corruption Commission amounting to a total figure of Le15bln is now going to be used for the general good for the entire Sierra Leone populace.
Even the man in my village close to Guinea ‘Mamuto’, if that person has problems for which he or she needs to have proper medical research he or she will benefit; than the monies people stolen just for their own personal benefit.
In other countries Mr Speaker, you will realise that when somebody 32 evade tax and he or she is caught, there is a much more stiffer punishment against that person than the one who commit murder because when you get yourself involved in corruption you are affecting seven million people and when you actually commit personal offence against a single person, you are only affecting that person.
So the fight against Corruption is also responsible for the projection that the Ministry of Finance is giving that this economy will actually start showing positive effect going forward.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, Agriculture is very important.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I noticed the Ministry of Finance that much was not allocated to Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute [SLARI].
If we are to actually succeed in agriculture, we also have to be research base because for those of us that come from the farming areas in Sierra Leone, there is a particular brand of rice seed that is called bud.

I will like to inform you that birds that affect farms in the provinces do not eat that rice for one reason or another, and the yield that it produces is really very high; that is a product of research in Sierra Leone.

We have other product like Ropot which came out of research.
SLARI has offices all over the country and we now see so much money being concentrated on Agriculture.

I will crave your indulgence that when we go at Committee of Supply, when we look at these areas in tandem with the provisions of the S.Os, if we recommend that the ceiling be increased, please make sure that it is captured because that is our duty and that is our role.

What you people have done is to bring fort proposals to us.
It is left with us to determine what ceiling should be given for instance to the Ministry of Youth and Sport and you have to respect our decisions because when we make those recommendations, those ceilings are increased for the proper or efficient functioning of those Institutions.
I will not take much of your time, I will end up again by commending the entire Sierra Leone populace, calling on the citizens to be patient and be disciplined so that at the end of the day, when success comes it is success for Sierra Leoneans, for no Sierra Leonean buys fuel product at a different rate than another.

The same rate that the man in Kailahun buys, is the same rate that the man in Freetown buys, and this Budget before us is the people’s driven 33 Budget, some of which we cannot feel today.
Bob Marley says; ‘when it is raining some people actually feel the rain but some get wet’.

For all of us that are patriots, let us feel the rain by getting wet; let us support the Executive in ensuring that we all succeed.

It is better for us to succeed than to be opposing even when something is good.

I thank you all [Applause].

THE SPEAKER: I thank the Honourable Member for his contribution to the debate.
Looking to my right and my left I do not know, but I will like to see the record of attendance of Vote Controllers.

Whiles we await that record, I give the Floor to Honourable Dr Roland Foday Kargbo.

HON.

DR ROLAND F. KARGBO: Thank you Mr Speaker for giving me the opportunity to lend my voice to the debate on the 2020 Budget.

I want to start by joining my colleagues to thank the Minister of Finance and his team for a fairly well presented Budget.
The Budget makes good reading; it looks like a text book where you present the problem and then you present a solution.

And so we see the good work especially in maintaining emphases on the areas selected by this Government as areas strategic for the improvement of the economy.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, let me talk on Agriculture.
A good amount of money has been allocated especially in the area of Public Private Partnerships and I commend especially the bit on Tormabom Farm Project which has received considerable recognition, and I am not surprised that the Honourable from Moyamba made a pronouncement yesterday that with this project on, in a year’s time we shall be able to feed this nation and also to export rice; that is being over optimistic.
We are importing a lot of rice at the moment, our target should be to sustain our population to be able to feed our population first, and then we consider getting excess for export.

So I think that is a bit overstated, but otherwise the trend in Agriculture is good.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to also talk about Fisheries.
Of course I have very little to say in term of Fisheries, we still laud the Ministry of Fisheries for trying to cut down on unreported, illegal Fishing so that the proceeds of the fishing Industry will flow back to our coffers.

34 Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, in terms of Tourism, I think it has been a good gesture.
We hope that proceeds in a short time will come, but I was a bit disappointed that I did not see Eco-tourism given the emphases it requires especially when the Otamba Kilimi Wild Life Park in the North of Sierra Leone has been absent for the last two consecutive years.

I am concern that this very important Tourism attraction has been left out of the Budget for so long.
I think consideration needs to be given, is not just about relics, but also being able to see the country side and enjoy the beauty of our fowler.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, perhaps I will not say anything on Mining; I think good credit has been done to it, but I will come to education where a lot of money is put all the time with good reasons, and we have been in the Education Committee, and we are able to move around the country and see what is happening.
I think we laud the Ministry of Education for approving so many teachers.

Approving teachers means more money going out, and the money must come from somewhere.

I think we must agree that governance is continuity and the past regime, the Government focused in cleaning the payroll and thousands of teachers were taken, ghost teachers were removed from the Budget to give more space for the employment of more teachers [Applause].
So I will see the relevance of what happened in the past, as we take into perspective the present.

We cannot start development in a vacuum, it doesn’t happen.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, Road Infrastructure has been given considerable emphasis and huge amount of money by both the recurrent Budget and our development partners for both major and feeder roads.

I see and I commend very highly the structure on Bandajuma and the Mattru road.
I will commend the Ministry for that but I also see absent from the projections, road networks that were in the process of construction when the new Government took over and that is the Makeni and Kamakuyeh road [Applause].

It was constructed almost half way through.


In 2019 Budget, a pittance amount was given to it and it was not spent, it was not disbursed and in this Budget, I saw nothing and this road is in line with Government policy connecting District headquarters and the centre and this road is half through.

I want to 35 appeal to the Minister of Finance to give due consideration to the continuation of this road.
The road is very important because the Makeni-Kamakuyeh road is only one segment, the second segment should have been from Kamakuyeh to the Guinea border; Madina Wullah and it was intended to be an international road to open up land locked countries up north to the port facilities of Freetown.

So in effect, it was not just for the sake of opening the country, it was supposed to be of economic importance but these are just preliminaries, I want to come to the Budget [Applause].
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, in addition to the Minister of Education, I want to thank the NRA for meeting their targets over the years and also collecting more than exceeding their targets.

I think that is commitment and I want to give them special recognition.
We know the ceiling comes from the Ministry of Finance and I am happy that Mr Speaker has insisted that Vote Controllers should be present in the Well because every year this money that is so carefully collected is distributed to the various MDAs, and every year MDAs struggle to get more of the cake, but over the years when MDAs come to report, they reported the same issues over and again; take for instance the Ministry of Water Resources, I live at Lumbly just along the Babadory axis and for five weeks we have not got water, this is the longest life spell we ever had in ten years.
Are we going forward or backward?

They talked a lot about the beautiful plans they have for the Institutions, but when money is allocated to them, they forget about their plans and I think this is why we want Vote Controllers to be present in the Well to give an account.

We do not see any difference, and service delivery is going backward.

Take the Ministry of Energy, in spite of all the monies and all the strategies, karpowership coming in and out; we still have regular outages like ten years ago.
I think we need to pay attention; this Parliament needs to go back to the drawing board, is the same with approving appointees of Government.

We sing praises in this House, how long do we sing praises?
Even for the bad performances of people towards their jobs we sing praises and no doubt we have been taking to task by Civil Society Organizations even when we mean good for this country, but meaning good should not be limited by our words but we must put it in action and work for the betterment of this country.

We are 36 well paid, we are well provided for, we crave for more conditions of service and also salary increment, we need to do our work and put the Executive to task.
The Executive needs to work and deliver but they are not delivery.

Until we do our work properly, for this country to develop.

We are going to continuously be lambasted by the public because we have been elected to represent their interests and we are neglecting our duties which are not good and I think we need to take things very serious.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, when Budgets are presented here, the public are indifferent to what we are discussing about Budget because over the years they have been frustrated and now they are afraid to hope, we are all afraid to hope because hope has disappointed us so many times, and in the New Direction, we expect something different to happen.

Mr Speaker, I thank you [Applause].

THE SPEAKER: I thank the Honourable Member for his contribution to the debate.
Next on my list is the Honourable Hafiju Maada Kanja.

HON.

MAADA K. HAFIJU: Thank you very much Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, most of the previous colleagues have been praising the 2020 Budget and I do not need to repeat what they have been saying, but I will toe the line with them.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, as someone from the Military background, we have what we call time appreciation and we are always discipline so I will not spend more than three minutes although I have been given five minutes.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I just want to draw the attention of Madam Minister to Page 29 of this 2020 Budget where they spoke about Small and Medium Enterprises [SMEs] [Undertone] I said Page 29 paragraph 148, where they talk of the scheme executed by Ministry of Trade and Industry.
Mr Speaker with you leave please allow me to read, the problem I have with this is that the small and medium scale enterprises presented their Budgets, they went for Budget hearing, and when we are talking about their allocations.

HON.

ABDUL KARIM KAMARA: Mr Speaker, the Honourable Member is referring us to Page 28 paragraph 148, but he is quoting directly on Page 29.

I think he is confusing us.

37 HON.

MAADA K. HAFIJU: I told you Page 29 and you are talking about Page 28.

HON.
HON.

DICKSON M. ROGERS: Mr Speaker, the Honourable Member is quoting Page 29 but the heading is on Page 28 that is for SMEs.

HON.

ABDUL KARIM KAMARA: Mr Leader, when you referred to the paragraph, the paragraph is under a Page and that is what you would have done for us.

HON.

DICKSON M. ROGERS: He is referring to the heading which is SMEs and that is on Page 28, you have to listen properly so that you can be able to learn.

HON.
HON.

ABDUL KARIM KAMARA: Yes, the heading is on Page 28, but the paragraph is on Page 29.

HON.

MAADA K. HAFIJU: That is the problem I have with bloody civilians [Laughter], they are always indiscipline.

HON.

KUSAN SESAY: Mr Speaker, Point of Correction.

Mr Speaker, the Honourable Member is referring to Honourable Members as bloody civilians.

We do not have bloody civilians here.

Mr Speaker, let him withdraw.

HON.

DICKSON M. ROGERS: Mr Speaker, he is not referring to them.
THE SPEAKER: Honourable Members, Order!

There is nothing to withdraw.

HON.

DICKSON M. ROGERS: Thank you very much.

HON.

MAADA K. HAFIJU: I did not refer to anyone.

HON.

DICKSON M. ROGERS: You know you are not a bloody civilian so he was not referring to you.

THE SPEAKER: Actually, you people must know that he is only once a soldier and twice a civilian, so he is one of us [Laughter].

HON.
HON.

MAADA K. HAFIJU: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I was trying to bring the attention of Madam Minister to where they have made an allocation to the SME and in this particular paragraph 148 they said the implementation should be done by Ministry of Trade.

Is it because SME is an Agency under Ministry of Trade?
But what I am 38 thinking is that the Ministry of Trade is just a policy making body wherein if SME presented their Budgets and they went for Budget hearing and you have made an allocation for them, I think when we talk of implementation also it should be done by SME.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, on Page 30, we talked of establishing chiefdom Youth and Military farms.
Military farm is not a new game in Sierra Leone; before I was born we were having what we called Kontobie and I think 70% of people in this Well have heard about Kontobie and now we have the Army Agricultural Unit [AAU] that is based in Mile 91 and Moyamba.

They have been farming for the past sixty years and they cannot feed a platoon of the Army.

When we talk of a platoon, it is made up of thirty men.

That farm cannot feed thirty men and every month we gave them imported rice.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, last month I was visited by the Defence Chairman of Gambia Parliament.

When I told him about the AAU he advises that we should transform that mode of farming from rice to tree planting farming such as coco, coffee etc.
If we were planting coffee, coco or masankay for the past sixty years, we would have been bringing in Dollars on yearly basis but that notwithstanding, today you have allocated a good sum of money for us to transform that particular nature of farming into a better way of farming and that is why I love this Budget [Applause].
But Madam Minister, let me draw your attention to last year Budget, you made an allocation to the Ministry of Defence of Le96bln, I do not know and I have not lay hands on the analysis but this year although it is non-salary but it has brought down to Le70bln, and if you look at the Le70bln, currently the Military is spending Le1.9bln on fuel every month, Le2.7bln on rice, and Le1.4bln on drugs.

If you calculate those by twelve months, it gives you Le72bln.
The Military reagent, the laboratory reagent, the overseas trainings and courses of military personnel, the joint medical unit that is 34 Military Hospital running cost which is Le100mln every month, the joint forces command that is the air wing, the navy, the infantry running cost, the military transport spear part, the oil and lubricant, stationeries and IT consumables, and the recruitment 39 in the Arm Forces is not mentioned in the Budget.
The Military presented their Budget of Le110bln and what was taken to Cabinet was Le100bln and the one that was brought to Parliament is Le70bln.

I need the analysis may be you have added some other amounts elsewhere but Madam Minister, I just want to draw your attention that it is not enough to run the Army.

If we are talking about development, all what you mentioned in this Budget is to develop this nation, is to develop Sierra Leoneans, and when we talk of development we should think of the Army first.
The Army is the young baby of every Government, and every developed and developing nation.

So it is a must that we cater for the Army.

Moreover, I am over happy with this Budget because you have mentioned that you have to introduce special way of farming to the Military because as I am speaking if you go to the Wilberforce Barracks you will meet sergeant, Majors, etc playing drafts, and ludos in the Barracks.

So we need to engage them in doing something tangible for the nation because we are not at war.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the Police also should come on board to help the Military to do farming to feed security forces and when we talk of security forces it includes the Police, the Prisons, the Immigrations, you cannot use the Army to do farming to feed the Police.

If you go also to the Police Barracks, most of them are playing ludos and drafts because they do not have much to do [Laughter].
Let us bring them all on board to do this farming, let us put them together to have a very big farm; we have prisoners all over at the correctional centres languishing in prison, we have empty bushes; let us make use of our prisoners.

As I promised earlier on, I do not want to go in-depth and I promise to make use of three minutes.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I will stop here for now.

I thank you [Applause].


THE SPEAKER: I thank the Honourable Member for his contribution although he went over the limit that he promised me.

I know the interruption was coming from my left and I think I know who the culprits are.

I will now give the Floor to the Honourable Kusan Sesay.

40 HON.

KUSAN SESAY: Thank you Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, today is another historic day.

Whenever a Budget is being read by the Minister, it is our duty to debate the Budget.
THE SPEAKER: Honourable Kusan Sesay will be followed by the Honourable Sahr Juana.

HON.

KUSAN SESAY: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, a lot has been said about this Budget.

Without much ado, let me just toe the queue of my friend from Bombali who said that the word ‘Battered Economy’ was not mentioned in this Budget and indeed I have also gone through it, the word battered is not mention, so for this reason I will give a title to this Budget; which is ‘Kreim dela kreim’ that is best of the best.
Is because the word battered has not been mentioned, we inherited battered economy has been the slogan of the Paopa Government.

Whenever you go to the Ministry of Mines, Ministry of Finance etc they will tell you because of the battered economy they inherited from the past Government that is why they are still struggling to put things in place, but the Minister in his own wisdom said no!

He never mentioned it here as battered economy so for this reason ‘Kreim dela kreim’ [Applause].
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, let me talk about Education.

As a Member of the Committee on Education, 22% has been allocated to the Ministry of Education which is a laudable venture and I will say kudos to Mr President [Undertone] yes when things are good we say it is good, but yet still there are challenges.

Year in, year out the Government will tell us that they have approved five thousand teachers.

How the people in my village will know that five thousand teachers have been approved?
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, it will interest you to know that out of the five thousand teachers that were approved only two thousand seven hundred are receiving salaries, and two thousand three hundred are mismatch names and that is the reason why they are not receiving their salaries.

For us to achieve the Free Quality Education Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, we need to pay attention to our teachers because they are the foot soldiers for the Free Quality Education to succeed.
But today most of these teachers have gone for nine months, some one year without any salaries.

They have 41 their pin codes but no salaries and we are saying we want to move Education forward [Applause].

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, we should be talking on behalf of Sierra Leone and not on partisan basis.
We on this side of the aisle are very happy for the Free Quality Educations because it has increased the enrolment of our kids in various Primary and Secondary Schools, but we need to take care of those challenges so that we have the required quality because the quality is not there.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, let me tell Madam Minister that after this debate she is supposed to go and sit with the Minister to ensure that they look after the welfare our teachers.
The teachers are the foot soldiers of the Free Quality Education [Applause].

For us to achieve the quality we need to encourage our teachers.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, let me take this House to the issue of managing our natural resources.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, Le3.4bln has been allocated to the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources, whiles Le13bln has been allocated to the office of the Chief Minister, Why?

Are we really honest to ourselves?


A Ministry that is just there to give out political supervision is given such a huge amount and the one that is there to generate funds for the service of this nation is being allocated just Le3.4bln, why?

And of this Le3.4bln, Le1.8bln will go to the National Minerals Agency [NMA] and Le600mln for support to Artisanal Mining.

Are you driving the poverty from Sierra Leoneans?

No!
No!

You are making the poverty more entrenched for them because if you give Le600mln for Artisanal Mining support [Interruption].

HON.

ALUSINE KANNEH: Mr Speaker, Point of Order.

Mr Speaker, the Honourable Member is calling figures without making reference to the Page or paragraph.

He should refer us to the Pages or paragraphs where those figures are.

HON.

KUSAN SESAY: Without even referencing here, I can refer you to Page 39.

HON.

ALUSINE KANNEH: Make reference to the paragraph.

HON.
HON.

KUSAN SESAY: Go to Page 39.

HON.

JOHN C. CONTEH: Mr Speaker, what is the Point of Order of even the Deputy Chief Whip?

42 HON.

KUSAN SESAY: Mr Speaker, I will tell the Honourable Member without even referencing to this book to go to Page 39.

THE SPEAKER: You are trespassing in to the time I have allocated to the Honourable Member.

HON.

KUSAN SESAY: Thank you Mr Speaker.

You know the Honourable Member wants to interrupt but I would not be interrupted because I am a senior Member of Parliament.
Let me just ask this question, how can the Minister of Finance allocate Le13Bln to the Chief Minister and leaving out Le3.4bln to that of the Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources?

A Ministry that is not doing [Undertone] of course, it is just a political supervision and it is not adding any value to the service of this nation.

Why do you allocate just Le3.4bln to a Ministry that is generating funds for the Nation?
So please Madam Minister, in an event you may want to bring in Supplementary Budget, consider the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources; they are there to generate funds for the service of this nation.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, let me refer the House again to the issue of improving Electricity within six Districts.

Without referencing to the Page Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, as for now I may say kudos to the Minister of Energy.
We were in Bo few weeks ago and Bo was enjoying 24-7 electricity supply, but Mr Minister, in this Budget, you said you are going to allocate Le20bln for electrification of six Districts, but the Minister was so clever that he never mentioned the six Districts that are going to be electrified [Applause].

Mr Speaker, I am just pleading; Koinadugu District has been for about thirty years, especially Kabala town without electricity.
So please we want the Minister in terms of implementing this Le20bln electricity Budget to include Kabala town.

We want Kabala town to be electrified, do not take it all to the East.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I will now touch on the area of improving the road network.
Mr Speaker, improving the road network has been mentioned here but my concern is that, I can only see roads being mentioned from the South East; the Bo- Mattru- Jong Road, the Pendembu- Kailahun Road and the Bandajuma – Pujehun Road 43 but nothing was mentioned about the Marakura -Yiefin Road and that was a project that was launched by the Former Government.

Three to four Kilometre of that road have been paved but today when I go through this Budget, nothing was mentioned.
How can you increase your votes in Koinadugu District?

You cannot!

So that is why I am pleading to Madam Minister to include Koinadugu during the Supplementary Budget.
The Marakura- Yiefin Road is a road that is connecting three Districts, so please we want those roads to be paved so that the Paopa Government will have more votes; perhaps you would even have more constituencies, but without giving this road due preference, definitely in the year 2013 the people of Koinadugu will speak and we will say Bye-Bye [Applause].
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, before taking my seat, I was not here during the approval of my sister Manty Tarawallie, but with your leave Mr Speaker, I want to congratulate her and by extension to say thank you to President Julius Maada Bio.

Thank you Mr Speaker [Applause].

THE SPAEKER: I thank the Honourable Member for his contribution.

Let me give notice that we shall rise at 4:00pm.

So please the speakers, I would like Members to respect the time limit starting with the Honourable Sahr Juana.
HON.

SAHR JUANA: Thank you very much Mr Speaker.

THE SPAEKER: He will be followed by the Honourable Daniel Brima Koroma.

HON.

SAHR JUANA: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, today I think we are now having an event.

Yesterday, summarily I call it a bouquet, yesterday’s activity I call it a crusade.

A bouquet to say; people went, they took what they could not consume and therefore, in summary I want to say yesterday’s debate was really not as appropriate as today.
Thank you Mr Speaker for having it today as an event and we are now beginning to see the recourse, we are now beginning to see the evidence, we are now beginning to see the reality of a true debate.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Colleagues, let me toe the line of the previous speakers yesterday to justify why it was a bouquet.

You know I heard my colleague who opened 44 the debate on the other side, calling a religious and righteous Budget of this nature a ‘Bitter Kola Budget’.
That is a wonderful description because we all know today that universally, Bitter Kola has become the most accessible cure for the economic hazard, the economic trouble we came through over the past eleven years.

So for us to present to you today the Bitter Kola Economy, it means we are bringing you the solution, we are bringing you the medicine to the havoc and horror caused over eleven years [Applause].
I saw Mr Speaker relaxed yesterday when an Honourable Colleague was saying ‘our conscience’; our conscience in which manner?

Our conscience in regard this Budget that was streamlined, managed, prepared by academic technocrats; financial wizards came together to put this document together.

For us to begin to talk about the question of our conscience, I do not know where we started it.

But however Mr Speaker, I know how you feel when your children are being misled.
You know when I see my colleagues on the other side, who for no reason did not benefit from all the horrors that they are defending today, I begin to see the fact of the matter.

You know Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, when the parents take the intelligence from the child and replace it with ignorance; it is not the fault of the child.

What happened in the past eleven years Honourable Colleagues; young gentlemen, Honourable Members, you were not part of it; do not take the blame [Applause].
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, before I come proper, let me just entice you; look at the galleries and begin to ask yourself why the galleries are empty.

How can we come to the galleries to listen to Budget Speech when revelations at the Commissions of Inquiry are exposing, an individual having a house worth $6mln.

That is interesting, and for me to see people here criticising a genuine Budget of this nature as opposed to what is unveiling today at the Commissions of Inquiry, I see it suicidal.

HON.
HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: Point of Order Mr Speaker.

THE SPEAKER: What is your Order?

HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: S.O 34 Sir.

Mr Speaker, the Honourable Member from Kailahun is referring to matters that are under investigations, and the investigations are yet to be concluded.

So he has no right to proffer or make reference to any of those 45 investigations because they are yet to be concluded.

You cannot refer to that otherwise you are opening a box.
We know of so many investigations of which we are constrained because the law does not permit us.

There are investigations but we cannot comment on them because the law does not allow us to do, otherwise, we too will go out of the box.

HON.

SAHR JUANA: Mr Speaker, I knew for every reason, he was going to protest.

But I said the revelations that are coming out, I am not talking about verdict, I am not talking about the jurisdiction of the Court, I am only saying revelations coming out.

HON.
HON.

LAHAI MARAH: Point of Order Mr Speaker.

HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: You cannot comment on any revelation or whatsoever.

By doing so, you are misinforming the public.

You cannot comment on that.

That is my objection Mr Speaker.

HON.

SAHR JUANA: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, there is a saying that goes; ‘When dry bones are mentioned...’ HON.

LAHAI MARAH: Point of Order Mr Speaker.

HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: Otherwise we will also make mention of other revelations though they are not convictions.
HON.

SAHR JUANA: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, HON.

LAHAI MARAH: Mr Speaker, Point of Order.

THE SPAEKER: What is your Point of Order?

HON.

SAHR JUANA: In the interest of sanity [Interruption].

THE SPAEKER: Hold on.

What is your Point of Order?

HON.

LAHAI MARAH: S.O 32[6] Mr Speaker.

That one is straight forward.

That is why we are here as Senior Members of Parliament to correct the Junior ones.

I know my Honourable Sahr Juana is a Junior Member of Parliament.
Let me read Mr Speaker, I need to read it.

46 THE SPAEKER: Read it carefully.

HON.

LAHAI MARAH: “Reference shall not be made to any matter on which a judicial decision is pending.” I will stop there.

THE SPAEKER: Judicial?

HON.

LAHAI MARAH: Judicial decision is pending.

THE SPEAKER: Really?

HON.

LAHAI MARAH: So talking about the Commissions of Inquiry Mr Speaker, is not in place.

THE SPEAKER: Now you are talking.

Have you seen the difference?

HON.

LAHAI MARAH: What is the difference?


THE SPEAKER: Honourable Sahr Juana, go ahead.

HON.

SAHR JUANA: Mr Speaker, I only wanted them to know that by last year when we were debating the Budget, the galleries were full.

I want to re-echo again that the attention of Sierra Leoneans; genuine Sierra Leoneans who are in search, whose wisdom is to investigate their wealth are at the Commissions of Inquiry.

That is just a revelation, is not telling you there is an investigation.
THE SPEAKER: Let me give guidance.

HON.

ABDUL KARGBO: The Commissions of Inquiry are also empty.

HON.

SAHR JUANA: No, it is not.

THE SPAEKER: No, let me give guidance.

I do not want us to stifle the debate, so I will give a little guidance.

Mention of course can be made of the fact that a Commission of Inquiry is taking place but the content reveal there cannot be mentioned because we have to await the report of the Commission.

As far as I am aware, there is not yet a report from the Commission.
I hope the Honourable Member understands what I am saying.

HON.

SAHR JUANA: Very clear Mr Speaker.

47 THE SPEAKER: Thank you.

HON.

SAHR JUANA: Mr Speaker, yesterday’s speakers presumed to be the best speaker of yesterday on the other side claimed here he was an Economist from London.
I appreciate that so much but today I am speaking as an Economist from Christ the King College [CKC], an Institution where Academic Philanthropists, seasoned Philosophers hailed from, such as Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella, to name but a few.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I am coming now to the point proper.
The Ministry of Finance, after a holistic engagement of this nation, realised that the people of this country, the youths of this country require and need employments, and for this reason, they have made it a visible thing to ensure that Youth Farms are created; not the Youth Farms that were created but never existed, but this time you are sure to create the Youth Farms, not so Madam Minister?
The Honourable yesterday was saying ‘how can you employ our youths on the farm?’ But our brothers are in America doing odd jobs.

It is better to give our youths odd jobs than to leave them unemployed.

Thank you for such a direction and May God bless you [Applause].

We are here thinking about everybody and their capacity.

Members of Parliament, you should be here defending food sufficiency and food security.
For us to come back here and begin to say these are odd jobs for our youths which you did not provide in the past; the Youth Farms that existed that are now going to come into existence that never existed, but there were vouchers paid, is suicidal.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, let me come to ‘blotted’; on Page 18, that interests me so much.

You will realise that the rents of yesterday were so huge.
The Minister is now proffering suggestions that instead of paying blotted sum; uncompromising amount between the Land-Lord and the Tenant.

Imagine rents were paid for Government Ministries, Offices equal to building another, for just one year.

Today, the Minister is now saying we would stop.

We are working on possible arrangements to ensure we build our Offices because in the past the rents were blotted.
People amerce so much wealth out of rents and yet people are telling us we are running a Bitter Kola economy [Undertone] I do not want to cry, and I have never cried in this Well.

The only 48 thing I will always say is that I am a son of whatever regime that has existed and continue to exist but I would not take the blame, I will not be innocently evoked, for I was not part and parcel of the destruction they caused; who am I to defend them?
When I turn and look around I begin to wonder; why are my brothers really taking such defence?

I ask myself; God where were you when Satan was in-scripting those guys when they were causing this malicious damage on our Economy?

God come down and save my brothers from this innocent argument [Applause].

So in essence, we must support not only the Bill.


On the 8th February, I was asking myself, before the commencement of the reading of the Budget by the Minister of Finance, I had already had a perception, and I was thinking what should happen to this group?
I know if opinion polls were anything to go by, you would all agree with me that before the execution of the summary decision by His Excellency to sentence those that he has sentenced out of Cabinet, a lot more would have said the Finance team would have gone.
But when on the 8th November, the Minister of Finance stood on his toes with a well calculated, well prepared, well designed, well instituted Budget, I saw my colleagues from the other side clapping, then I said to myself, Jacob Jusu Saffa has won this race.

When the Minister, Jacob Jusu Saffa was presenting, I saw everybody in the Well clapping and we came out to say this is the best presentation ever.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, let us do justice to our conscience and to the people who elected us [Interruption].

HON.

DICKSON M. ROGERS: Mr Speaker, I want to stand on S.O 35[2] and that is for Honourable Abdul Kargbo.

Mr Speaker, based on S.O 35[2] I want to ask that Honourable Abdul Kargbo goes to his seat.

He is giving a lot of undertone and overtone from his colleague’s seat.

HON.

HASSAN A. SESAY: Mr Speaker, the Honourable Member is not speaking or contributing to a debate from another seat.
Undertones are not measured as part of the contribution to the debate.

HON.

DICKSON M. ROGERS: You cannot also give undertone when you are sitting on a seat that is not allocated to you.

49 HON.

HASSAN A. SESAY: Undertones are permissible element of debate in Parliament, but he is not speaking officially.

HON.

DICKSON M. ROGERS: Mr Speaker, undertones should remain undertones, but when they are above tones then it is no longer undertone.

THE SPAEKER: Order!
THE SPAEKER: Order!

Suspension of S.O 5[2] THE SPAEKER: If we were to extend the meaning of that S.O to undertones from the wrong seats, there are many of you I would have sent out.

HON.

SAHR JUANA: Mr Speaker, for the sake of time let me hastily try to summarise because I hear my counterparts from the other side very zealous.

You know this is the only time I am presenting from the other flank, though I am very friendly in my approach as against the other side, they are yet celebrating me.
Thank you very much Honourable Members for being with me and supporting this Bill.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, to say the ingredients in this Bill are anything to mention would be an understatement.

This Budget details and its ingredients are so sophisticated that if I say this Budget is proper and if I call it Bread and Butter I would be doing injustice; that is an understatement.
I want to categorically tell you here that the Budget will lead us to human development, will lead this country to a better future, should not only be endorsed here by me, but I implore all of you to graciously, unanimously and genuinely support this Bill because it will be not only for the betterment of you but the betterment of our constituents.

Mr Speaker, it is a pleasure that you have given me such an audience and you have been able to moderate.
I knew the S.Os will come any time I am debating; some with relevance and some that are not relevant.

For Heaven sake, let us be friends, let us see this as our country, let us put opposition apart and ensure that we run this country as a civilised nation.

The Bread and Butter Budget is a sincere one.

While I have levied all the praises on the Ministry for doing a very good job, let me now caution you that much as you have taken to bite so much, make sure you swallow it [Laughter].
Ensure the mistakes of the past; 50 allocations of yesterday were challenged.

Let us ensure that allocations are done promptly Madam Minister so that the blame on Bread and Butter would not be yours; it would be now on the various MDAs.

But if you hold on the Budget and allocations are not given to them on time, you will take the blame.

Remember, we have a Magistrate Court; we have a Judge whose decision comes at night; most often he is at the Airport when he releases his verdict [Laughter].
You will be surprised if you do not perform and if you do not live up to the expectation of this well organised and orchestrated Budget that you have brought; I hope this Budget is not brought in a way to cajole us but it is genuine and would have the intended purpose.

I thank you very much, I thank your team for doing a good job and we look forward to having a prosperous and better Sierra Leone [Applause].

THE SPEAKER: I thank the Honourable Member for his contribution.
I now recognise the Honourable Daniel Brima Koroma.

HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: Thank you very much Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, with my limited time, I want to go straight to the Budget.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, if we are to go to the Budget, I will take the queue from the last speaker, the Honourable Member from Kailahun District that we need to be friends, and friends give genuine advice.
Some genuine advice may not be suitable advice but it is genuine and that is our role as responsible Opposition, we are all in this same Government; you are in the ruling and we are in the opposition, we need to advice you.

On that note Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to refer you to the last sentence.

THE SPEAKER: As you are referring us, let me just give notice to the Honourable Aiah David Kassegbama, you are next.

HON.

DANIEL B. KOROMA: Thank you very much Mr Speaker.


As I refer this House to the last sentence of paragraph 14 Page 3, with your leave, I will read; ‘We have embarked on an aggressive marketing campaign to rebrand our country’s image and boost Tourism to grow the economy and create jobs.’’ Madam Minister, sometimes when I see you here I see you too innocent for our consumption.
But please convey this message to the Honourable Minister because you are in the 51 same Ministry; that we are with you in this campaign but there are certain things that are impeding the progress and the desired result of this said campaign; I believe you are in a very serious campaign even with NRA- sometimes I pity NRA, very serious campaign that should boost tourism, to create jobs, and to rebrand our economy.

When you are talking of rebranding, you cannot rebrand to yourself.
Rebrand applies to the opinions of other countries in respect of your country’s economy, and there are moral guarantors to that effect and when I speak, I speak fact and figures; I refer to documents and in this case, I will not constrain you as previous.

I will always go to the source first before I tell you my points because that has always been your cry; ‘Your source’.

In this case, I have improved on that, I will tell you the source and then I hit the point.
In this case, this is a joint letter written and signed by the British High Commission, Delegation of the European Union, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Embassy of Ireland, and Embassy of the United States of America.

This is their opinion as to how we can rebrand Sierra Leone and allow Tourists to come.

I think if we want foreign exchange from our Tourism, we are expecting outsiders from the International and this is their opinion.
If you can solve this problem, I tell you for free that they will convey that solution to their people and they will come.

But let us first listen to their concerns; this Letter is dated 26 August, 2019.

Mr Speaker with your leave, I read only the first, second and last paragraphs.

The first paragraph; it says ‘we have followed with concern the By-elections that took place in constituency 110 on 21st August, 2019.
European Union and United State of America Embassy staffs were accredited as International Observers and visited all pooling stations’.

Paragraph two; ’whiles Elections were conducted in a credible and orderly manner in majority of all the pooling stations, partners condemn all acts of intimidation and violence that marred the process’ It says; ‘we note the decision of National Electoral Commission [NEC] to cancel the By-election’.
And then the last paragraph; ‘Sierra Leone has made important progress in the consolidation of democracy and peace since the end of the one party state rule and the end of the eleven years Civil War as was also demonstrated during the 2018 General and Presidential Elections.’ this was 52 not fully demonstrated during the By-Elections in Constituency 110.

That is their Opinion on the 21st August, 2019 By-election.
There is a strong expectation that Sierra Leone will further consolidate democracy and peace in this country, and as far as they are concern, as long as that decision remains as it is, this is their opinion and it is impeding the campaign strategy that the Minister is currently undertaking.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I will further take you to paragraph 17 Page 4; I always tell you my source.
It talks about the pass marks of this Government in respect of the MCC expectations or goals; the benchmarks [Undertone] you passed, yes, I agree and congratulations!

I only want you to know that it is not new, and to prove to you that previous Government had passed even better.

I shall refer you to a document written by Sierra express media.com, if you click to that you will get this document.
With your leave it says; ‘Sierra Leone has won the coveted MCC compact award worth Hundreds of Millions of Dollars.

The award announced on December 19, 2012 was given in recognition of President, Dr Ernest Bai Koroma’s Government record of good governance, economic freedom and investment in people.

To be eligible for this award, a country must pass at least half of the twenty indicators being assessed’.
To be able to get this award as you have done now, for which I congratulate you, you must be able to pass at least half of the twenty indicators.
And I want to tell you that it must include three; one and two of the following: It must include corruption of which this Government succeeded and then the second point is that you must pass either civil liberties or political rights in addition to corruption, and I am pleased to inform you that the reference you made in Page 4, the Ernest Bai Koroma’s Government passed all; it passed the corruption index and also the other two indexes [Applause].

I will tell you your own pass mark as it is now.


The source of your pass mark is www.mcc.gov/selection and out of twenty indicators this Government passed nine, and failed eleven.

Whiles the Ernest Bai Koroma Government in 2012 passed twelve out of twenty.

But my duty here is to tell you the areas you failed so that you improve on them.

You did well for passing nine but you need to know the areas you failed so that you will improve on those areas.
These are as followed: 53 ▪ Fiscal Policy; you got 15%, you failed; ▪ Inflation; you got 7%, you failed; ▪ Regulatory Equality; you got 37%, you failed; ▪ Trade Policy; you got 60%, you passed; ▪ Gender in the Economy; you got 57%, you passed; ▪ Land Rights and Access; you got 21%, you failed; ▪ Access to Credit: you got 19%, you failed; ▪ Business Start-Up; you got 85%, you passed; ▪ Ruling justly; you got 88%, you passed; ▪ Civil Liberties; you got 90% you passed; ▪ Control of Corruption which is your flagship; you got 71%, you passed; ▪ Government effectiveness; you got 31%, you failed; ▪ Rule of Law; you got 53%, you passed; ▪ Freedom of Information; you got 71%, you passed; ▪ Primary education expenditure; you got 16%, you failed; ▪ Natural Resource Protection; you got 39%, you failed; ▪ Immunization Rate; you got 49%, you failed; ▪ Girls Primary Education completion rate; you got 40% you failed; and ▪ Child Health; you got 20%, you failed.
So those are the areas you need to seriously improve on.

During our Finance debate, I made it very clear here but you guided the process of which I very much appreciate; that this House is now over matured to have a Legal Department to follow our Proceedings in all legislations because we have found out recently that whatever we legislate here or whatever amendment we make, when the final Acts comes normally gives you hours of sleepless night going through them because some issues may not be reflected.
You have directed this House to look into this matter and the most appropriate time is now.

That is why I am informing this House through Mr Speaker, that madam Minister, we need provision for Legal Department this time round; from 1st January, 2020, that is our submission.

We need at least two or three staff.

For a start 54 let us have a Legal Department to be following our amendments so they will reflect what Parliament resolves.
But to take it to the Law Officers Department where the staff are not enough, they do not normally have time, at the end of the day when they come with the Act, not everything is captured.

Mr Speaker Honourable Members, on Page 9 paragraph 50, the Minister spoke about Single Currency to be used in West Africa by January, 2020.

I can say clap for yourselves in anticipation but the question is; is Sierra Leone qualify?

I hope Sierra Leone would be qualified.


If Sierra Leone fails to partake on that glorious event come 1st January 2020, I wonder what will be our position [Undertone] my desire is for Sierra Leone to qualify and I hope we will qualify under your watch.

If Sierra Leone is qualify we would all have praises, we will enjoy and be able to control this inflation rate.

So that is my real concern.


Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, during our Transparency Oversight, I am not the Chairman but with his permission, I must make it clear to this House that there are certain Councils that have no core staff Madam Minister.

I am not saying it is your fault, but maybe you do not know and I want you to know now.

Take for example Falaba, no core staff!

When you take about Finance Officer, Accountant, Procurement Officer; Zero!
When you take about Karena, Finance Officer, Procurement Officer, Accountant; Zero!

You talk about Kambia, they only have Accountant, no Finance and Procurement Officers, absolutely nothing!

I must commend Bo City.

I am not the Chairman to evaluate them, to give them pass or fail mark, but in my own personal opinion, Bo City did excellent.

I was really impressed with Bo City Council.

It was followed by Port Loko City Council.


If we can follow the good examples of Bo City Council, I think the problems of this country in respect of Councils will be minimised.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, in closing, I want to make reference to the words of one Mr Jacob Macaulay.
Jacob Macaulay made it very clear to us here that ‘our economy is not stupid; it is our politics that has gone mad.’ I believe some of the measures taken, especially by NRA to raise revenue for the up keep or the running of this Government are sound policies, but sometimes they are being marred by political 55 beliefs, political view point or political party loyalty which cannot allow us to do the right thing.
You must be mindful of that because you are a Minister of Sierra Leone and not a Minister of SLPP or SLPP territory.

You are a Minister of the entire Sierra Leone, please be mindful and do not to allow your political ideology to influence your role as Minister of Finance.

So on that note, I want to thank you very much for giving me this opportunity.

THE SPEAKER: I want to thank the Honourable Member for his contribution.
I want to take this opportunity to seize on at least one issue that he raised, and that is of great concern to the House as a whole.

The Law Officers Department has not been servicing Parliament adequately when it comes to drafting Bills.

To the extent that when Bills are being considered, we do not even have the services of a Draftsman in the Well.

What this has meant is, I have had occasions to work overtime to look through those Bills, and that is not my role.
So we need some allocation since they cannot service us adequately, then let us have an in-House capability; an in-House legal drafts people to come and take charge of that responsibility.

In other words, I cannot continue doing it indefinitely.

I now turn to the Honourable Aiah David Kassegbama.

HON.

AIAH D. KASSEGBAMA: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to first of all thank God for such an opportunity like this.
I believe it is a wonderful and excellent opportunity standing here on behalf of my constituents and I believe that for every Institution or Government to succeed, there are four things they should take into consideration, and one of them is the reason why we are here which is allocation; allocating money to Institutions, MDAs out there.

Secondly, is the implementation process; giving them the money is one but the implementation process is another.
Thirdly, for the Monitoring process and for every Government or Institution to succeed, you need to have a very proper monitoring system.

Finally, is the evaluation process which makes a Government to succeed or fail because in doing your proper evaluation you know that the first process of the allocation is being implemented properly.
So for this Government to succeed, you need to think about these four stages: allocation; that 56 is why we are here now, implementation; when the monies are given to these MDAs, these institutions to be utilized the right way it should be, monitoring and evaluation.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I believe as we say we are patriots of this nation, we need to be very careful, what am I saying?

You might be doing some things and you will think you are free; you will think you are doing the right thing.
But I want us to know that everything given to Institution, God is watching each and every one of us.

Most times people say politics is only on earth; it is not in Heaven, but I want you to reflect back that it was because of the negative politics Satan wanted to play in Heaven that is why he was brought down on earth.

He wanted to play in his own politics in Heaven and unfortunately he came down, and now he is trying to manipulate the Earth again so that we can follow him wherever he is.
So, when money is being allocated to any MDA or Institution, please utilize it in the right way.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to go to Page 28, number 144; targeted interventions for job creation.

When you go to 145, it reads; ‘Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the availability of jobs in the most predictable means by which your youths can acquire the much needed Bread and Butter.’ If you go out there now you will see young men and women living a miserable life.
How can we empower these young men and women to live a sober life?

There is a saying by people that ‘politicians are the ones that are using the youths’, but I want you to know that we are the same people that can empower these youths and make them to be who God wants them to be in the future.

You know one thing in paragraph 147, my colleague Honourable Hafiju Maada Kanja was talking about the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises.
We have seen so many Institutions; NGOs and Commercial Institutions coming to lend money, give money to people with a high percentage in paying back.

And how can these people survive?

If you are browning Le300,000 from an Institution, you have to pay on a weekly basis the sum of Le50,000, how can they survive?

But I want you to know the Bread and Butter we are talking about.
Most of these NGOs or Financial institutions are cheating the people, and Government can step in to help the people, to help the young men and women in doing Small Scale 57 Businesses in their different communities, in their different villages, in their different societies.

I love one area which is 159 Page 29; Labour Based Public Works.

One thing I always believe is that saying something is one and doing it is another, and that is the implementation process, allowing it to work accordingly.
I see something written here that ‘the Local Councils and the Sierra Leone Roads Safety Authority have no capacity in terms of equipment and trained labour at the District level to rehabilitate and maintain roads.’ Most of us here, our constituencies are having rough and bad roads.

As for my constituency which is 026, it is 95% no roads.

But one thing I love about what is written in 152 is, ‘the practice has been contract fider, rehabilitation and road maintenance to private companies.
The costs of these contracts have often been over bloated and quality of the work has been poor.’ Why?

Because of familiarity!

Most Contractors are not doing the work accordingly; when they are given the money to make roads they do not do it accordingly that is why I have been talking about four stages.

That is the evaluation stage; when you give money to certain contractor or the companies, make sure you evaluate, you monitor them properly and see that they are doing it accordingly.
I tell you out rightly, most of these Companies or Contractors are making money from Government.
But one thing I love is number 153, it reads; ‘commencing in 2020, the Sierra Leone Roads Authority [SLRA] in collaboration with the Local Councils will be equipped to procure and contract road construction and maintenance services locally and employ youths from their communities.’ I hope that will happen, Employing those youths from their communities will bring a positive name to the Government, but taking other people from other areas to other Chiefdoms and other constituencies is negative.
I hope what is written here will be implemented because the people that are there; the young men and women that are there know what to do.

I will tell you out rightly that I had an encounter in my constituency some months ago and I had to talk to the young men to work on the road and two days ago they called me to say they have done the work.

What did it cost?

Not much!


But these youths are out there, if they are not employed to do such work and you take outsiders, they will eat the money and the work will not be done well.

The youths that are in the 58 communities know how to do the work because if the work is not done properly they are the ones that will suffer.
So, I am pleading to this Government to please encourage and employ the youths in different areas of life, and make it possible that the Councils work directly with the Stakeholders in that particular constituency.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to come to Page 85; rent for Government Offices.

I want to tell this Honourable House that Government has spent so much in renting buildings out there.
If the Government wants to succeed, my advice is that get the money, build buildings that will serve as offices instead of spending money on renting people’s houses.

Saying it or writing it is one, and implementation is another.

That is why we are here to say what is written here must be done.

Build houses not only for Government offices, but I will tell you out rightly, we know what has been happening with the low cost housing.
Today people are building houses in this country, they are making money, and Government can make money out of that too.

Taking back those lands out there and selling them to other people will not profit the nation and will not profit the Government but taking those lands and building houses, renting them to the people will bring more income to the Government.

I believe that will be a very positive move if the Government thinks about that.
There are so many lands out there, they are taking the lands from the people but if the people see infrastructures being built on those lands and being rented to the same people, they will be happy.

It is a way of income to the Government.

I believe if any Government embarks on that it will definitely make a mark.

Today, if you go to rent a house they will tell you about $5,000, $10,000 or $ 20,000 and Government can do that.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, we are patriotic citizens of this nation, and we need to note our actions towards the people.

Before I conclude, I want to read a scripture from the Bible drawn from Proverbs Chapter 27 Verses 23 to 24, it reads; ‘be sure you know the condition of thy flocks, give careful attention to your herds.’ You need to know the state of the people that you are leading, you need to know the state in which they are; are they comfortable?

Are they happy?

Are they not happy?


Be diligent in knowing that; the state of your flocks and look well to their herds.

Verse 24; 59 I love this scripture; ‘for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.’ Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, everything we are doing does not last forever.

So, whatever you are doing be diligent in it, be a Steward and be a faithful Steward and know that your flocks are watching.

God bless us all and God bless Sierra Leone.


I thank you very much Mr Speaker [Applause].

THE SPEAKER: I thank the Honourable Member for his contribution to the debate.

I am particularly delighted to take note of the following: That to my right, we have men of God; not even one, several of them.

To my left, I have men of God too and sheiks and now in front of me; C4C I noticed a man of God, I do not know whether I can say the same for NGC.

Do they have a man of God?


Honourable Members, I know this will come as a disappointment to those who had hoped to speak today, but I crave your indulgence to continue to be patient because I am just about to call upon the last speaker for today and that lot falls on the Honourable Festus Mohamed Lansana.

HON.

FESTUS M. LANSANA: Thank you very much Mr Speaker.


Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I also want to use this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Finance for putting all together this document.

The importance of this document here is that they did not only come back with figures; they made sure that they went back to where we were in those days, where we are now and where we want to be and they proffer solution as to how we can get there.
But I will just make few corrections; yesterday my learned Economist on the other side of the aisle came up with some issues, even though they supported the Budget, and they proffer some solutions.

I just want to compliment what they did yesterday.

The first person talked about the Cobb Douglas Growth Model.
He was very explicit in giving us the Growth Model although he only spoke about the labour aspect of the Growth Model and criticized us that we have not paid attention to the capital aspect of the Growth Model and the infrastructure.

But from the discussions so far, all of us will agree that this particular Budget paid attention to the other indicators of the Growth Model, so I do not want to dilate on that too much.

60 Mr Speaker Honourable Members, I will go to the public debt policy.
If you go to Page 21, paragraphs 100 and 101, I do not want to go through all; I will just read very few.

‘Indeed we have accepted that there is some amount of increase in the debt burden.’ But if you look at it from the total GDP ratio, you will agree with me that the increase is very minimal; we are all at the same level of 58% since 2016 of the GDP; total debt versus the GDP.

So it is just few decimal points that are increasing, so it is very moderate.
But that notwithstanding, the Minister of Finance went further to proffer solutions to what we can do for us to make sure that we reduce our debt burdens, I will just read a few for us to hear; firstly, there is going to be regular debt sustainability analysis.

Regular debt sustainability analysis here is a situation whereby we are going to analyze our debt situation so that it can serve like an early warning for us to know whether we are going at a very high risk or we are not going at a very high risk.
So let me just read it; ‘regular debt sustainability analysis will also be undertaken ahead of every annual Budget to provide early warning signals on debt levels and risk of debt distress to inform debt management policy.’ So that is what we want to do to see whether our debts services are sustainable.
Secondly, to ensure the sustainability; Page 102 tells us that ‘to ensure debt sustainability Government will continue to seek Grant Financing or borrow at high concessional terms to finance investment in key sectors of the Economy including infrastructure.’ So it means Government is going to embark on Grant Financing, Government is not going on for those high interest rate loans; instead Government is seeking more or Grant and at the same time they want to borrow at high concessional loans so that we can pay 0.00% and whatever.
And the debts that we are going in for are those debts that are economically viable so that at the end of the day you look at the rate of returns.

You cannot just take a debt and consume like what some of our brothers on the other side were saying that we are taking more of consumption debt.
But if you look at what they have put here, we are talking about debts that are sustainable, debts that are economically viable because they have to first calculate the rate of returns or whatever debt you are taking so that you can be able to pay your interest at the end of the day and service that debt.
Also, what has been happening here in the past was that 61 because we have huge debts; both external and internal, the Government has been spending more monies to service these debts by paying the internal and external debts because those are statutory mandate they have to undertake.
But the problem here was, because we were not able to verify these debts; Page 103, under clearance of verifiable domestic supplies and contractor’s arrear, what the Government did was the total amount of arrears submitted to the Auditor General was estimated at 10.7tln.

So the Government in collaboration with IMF came together to verify those loans in April 2018, and they were able to notice that they had 3.2tln debts that were verified, 90% of those debts were accrued from 2016 and 2017.
Because we have huge debt especially external debt, servicing these debts impacted negatively on our exchange rate.

The reason being that; because the IMF instructed us to pay our debt with the understanding that when you pay this debt you are pumping money into the economy especially the Dollar, and because of the velocity of the circulation of the Dollar, that was going to impact positively on the exchange rate of the country.
But because most of these people were Briefcase Contractors, whenever those debts were pay they will convert the debt into Dollar and take it out of the country.

So what they have done is to come up with policies that can be able to tighten our exchange rate and some of these policies are in the Bank of Sierra Leone Act that have recently enacted.
I will take you to 114, ‘the Bank will also enforce the provision in the Bank of Sierra Leone Act 2019 on quoting and trading in Leone.’ So henceforth we are not going to be paying our debt in Dollars because most time people have to go to the street, to the black market to convert their Leones to Dollars so that they can be able to pay debt.
So what has happened is if Bank of Sierra Leone enforces this law together with Office of National Security [ONS] and other forces it will give opportunity for us to make sure we able to control and manage our Leones, but the good news is even with the depreciation of our Leones they had to use what we sterilize.
Sterilization in economic is when you auction when there is a deficit in your exchange rate, but if you keep on auctioning every Thursday at the end of the day you will suffer from what we called discrimination of reserve but because they are mindful of the discrimination of reserve the make sure that even when they were auctioning the Dollars, they ensure that they 62 had three months reserve that they can always use in case of any eventuality.
So even if something happens today we are still assured of three and half months reserved that we can be able to go back to the Bank of Sierra Leone so that we can take the money and spend on rice, fuel etc.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I also want to take you to the revenue aspect because we have been talking about expenditure for so long and I also want to draw your attention to the process of Budgeting that whatever we are allocating it depends on our revenue so we are not going to bite more than what we chew.

We have to look at our revenue trend, how much we expect NRA to generate and it is on that basis that the Ministry of Finance is allocating.
Every MDA is expecting that they would allocate 20% or 30% of the Budget to them, but because we are constrain by the revenue they have to make sure they prioritise, and the priorities according to this Budget here is based on our Manifesto.

So when you are allocating you also have to be mindful of the priorities in the New Direction Manifesto.
So in as much as we want to increase Budget allocation to all the MDAs but we also have to be mindful of our secondary scale of preference so that we Budget according to what we have already taken as our preference and that is what is in our New Direction Budget.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, let me now take you to the annexes.
I cannot go into details but we had oversight on the Councils just like what Honourable Daniel Koroma intimated but one thing we observed was that the CAs who are the vote controllers are being paid composite salary and there is no end of service benefits for them and they are being allocated Billions of Leones which is a recipe for corruption.
I want to implore our able Minister of Finance to please pay attention to the salary aspect of the Local Councils because for now they are paid composite salary, there is no end of service benefits for them and at the end of the day they would want to do what we call ‘operation pay yourself’ at the time when they are in service because at the end of the service they are not getting anything extra.
So I want to end by imploring our Minister of Finance to look into the welfare of the Local councils so that the issues of “operation pay yourself “will not work.

I thank you Mr Speaker, Honourable Members [Applause].

63 THE SPEAKER: I thank the Honourable Member for his contribution to the debate.

That brings us to the end of the contributors today; I want to take the opportunity to recognise the Honourable Nicolas Kamara, former Member of Parliament.
Honourable Members, tomorrow is the third and last allotted day of this debate.

Let me remind the House, before we started this debate we agreed to reduce the number of days from five to three by motion, by resolution and we cannot now go against that.

What this means, for tomorrow two things at least; firstly, to start on time because I would want us to rise latest 2:00pm.

for prayers, and we have the laying out of the former Member of Parliament, Dr Moses Sesay, I want you to bear that in mind.
Secondly, and more importantly I would be very strict with the time limitation tomorrow because is only by doing so that we will be able to accommodate as many speakers as possible.

So far I have applied the rule of self-regulation; it has not worked very well.
Apart from one Member of Parliament I would rather not called his name who really made deliberate effort to keep within the time limit and I congratulated him when he did, no other speaker even made the attempt, they all trespass into the time I would have allocated to other speakers, so please tomorrow you would find me be a little bit fastidious for the reason that I have indicated.
Honourable Lahai Marah, you are not on my list so do not bother yourself about it [Undertone] no, I thought you have decided not to contribute to this debate.

Anyway, please those of you who may be called upon tomorrow if your speech runs into five Pages shorten it to two Pages.

Madam Clerk, any announcement?

ANNOUNCEMENT HON.

DICKSON M. ROGERS: Mr Speaker, THE SPEAKER: Yes.

HON.
HON.

DICKSON M. ROGERS: I stand on S.O 23 and I want the press to please pay attention to this because I want it to be known publicly.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, for far too long we have been told in this Well to express the way some 64 Members of the Public are bringing some of our names into dispute.

Almost on a daily basis they are texting people telling them that Honourable Dickson Momoh Rogers, Honourable Bashiru Silikie, Honourable Paran Umar Tarawally etc are asking for help.
Even yesterday they did it to me three times; there is a lady in this Parliament who showed me the text that somebody sent to her with my picture asking for Le1mln because according to him I was stranded in Pujehun and when the lady saw the text she called the person, and told him that Honourable Dickson Momoh Rogers is in the Well.

Few minutes after that, somebody called claiming to be the Speaker and he wanted to see me.
Thirty minutes after that, Mr Walker at NPA sent another message to me that somebody text him to say I am stranded in Pujehun and I needed Le1mln and I was in the office with Mr Walker yesterday morning before coming to Parliament.
Two days ago when the Vice President was travelling to United States of America he was at the Airport and a lady showed him a message purportedly sent by me with my picture that I needed Le1mln and the Vice President said the Dickson Momoh Rogers that I know is a man that will never send a text to somebody demanding for Le1mln and he immediately called to inform me.
I am announcing my number publicly which is +23276606585 anybody asking for favour with my name please I am not the one, but most importantly Mr Speaker, I think we have said it in this Well that Orange Mobile Company to register telephone numbers of everybody.

I am beginning to suspect that those criminals are doing those things in collaboration with Orange network because that is the reason they have not been able to monitor those that are doing it.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, those criminals are tarnishing the names of Members of Parliament by using different numbers pretending to be us.

Mr Speaker, I really want this House to let the Executive Director of Orange beware of the way they are using their communication system or their network to blackmail Members of Parliament or to bring our names into disrepute.
I have announced my number on Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation [SLBC] for people to know my number so that if anybody calls on different number pretending to be me they should ignore them.

Thank you very much.

65 HON.


ALUSINE KANNEH: Mr Speaker, adding to what the Acting Leader of Government Business has just said, few days ago again I was at home and my colleague Honourable Maada Ambrose Lebbie sent me a message and to my surprised I got to my WhatsApp, I saw my picture which somebody sent to his whatsApp asking for favour, telling him that he is Honourable Alusine Kanneh, he is stranded in Kenema and needed Le1mln.
And Honourable Maada Ambrose Lebbie called me and told me that somebody sent him messages with my picture requesting for Le1mln.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, since I came to Sierra Leone I have never asked for Le1mln because I have Millions of Leones so I cannot ask for help of Le1mln.
On a very serious note Mr Speaker, this is very serious as the Acting Leader of Government Business earlier on said, we have to do something about the networks that we are using, it is important for them to put mechanisms in place because it is not good for the public, and it is not good for our image.

Thank you very much.

HON.


MAADA K. HAFIJU: Mr Speaker, importantly and additionally, Military Colonel Massaquoi went to Ivory Coast two weeks ago on an intelligence course and before he left, he came to this Parliament we were in the office of the Clerk somebody called on my phone telling me that he is the Clerk of Parliament and he has job for me, I told him that I am in the office of the Clerk and I am an Honourable Members of Parliament.
I gave that number to the Military Colonel and when he went to Abidjan he discussed with some intelligent groups that have devices they used to track those people, and because they were advertising their devices, they asked him to give any number of such nature and he gave them the number that called me.
Upon his returned to Sierra Leone they called Colonel Massaquoi from Abidjan and directed him to a Pharmacy at Circular Road in other to comprehend the man that was using those numbers constantly pretending to be the Speaker of Parliament, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Honourable Dickson Momoh Rogers, and the Clerk of Parliament.
This man is suspected to be a former Member of this Parliament from Kenema District [Undertone] yes; they have the device to detect those criminals, and they gave Colonel Massaquoi all the 66 details about the man.

So the Military is trying to get those gadgets from Abidjan so that it will be used to trap those fraudsters.

HON.

MOMOH BOCKARIE: Mr Speaker, I stand on S.O 23.


Like I have previously discussed with you colleague Honourable Members of Parliament in a democratic State people have the liberty to put forward their opinions on issues and to discuss issues wherever they may find themselves as long as that is done within the ambit of the Law.

Democracy and freedom of speech should not be misused to erode the respect of people and institutions that they served.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, two days ago I was on a whatsAapp forum together with Mr Speaker, in reference with the issue we discussed today in Committee Room one, somebody posted an article with the heading S.O 2 “Salone don don” and a member of that particular forum responded in a very insulting manner relating to Honourable Members of this Parliament and the Parliament itself by saying S.O 2 “Memba of Parliament dem useless” somebody within the forum asked him to withdraw that particular statement and even cautioned him that he has to be mindful and they are aware that the Mr Speaker himself is a member of that particular forum.
He responded accordingly say S.O 2 “Watin Mr Speaker go do.” So colleague Honourable Members of Parliament, in as much we are living in a democratic state, having freedom of speech we should caution our citizen and all of us that those freedom that we have or we stand to enjoy under democracy should be used within the ambit of the Law.

Thank you very much.

THE SPEAKER: I keep reminding all of us that S.O 23 does not take us very far but somehow we keep relying on S. O 23 every time.
This is serious matter; some time ago the Honourable Maada Kanja Hafiju also drew our attention to a similar situation that we referred to the Privileges Committee.

I think we will refer this particular one to the Privileges Committee.

Are you in the position to provide details?

HON.

MOMOH BOCKARIE: I will provide his name and the number please.

THE SPEAKER: Very good.

In that case this matter is referred to the Committee on Privileges.

Yes Madam, you have the Floor.

67 HON.


JEBBEH A. KUMABEH: Mr Speaker, mine is a clear evidence, I have the number and the name of the fraudster that called me this past Saturday which I was very smart to pick up.
He said he is working at European Union office and he is requesting that I should gave five qualified names of people to be given a job, after a while I called him back, told him that I do not want anybody to play with my intelligent and if you want me to give names of people for you to get money from them, you are mistaking.

The next minutes I called him his phone he never answered but thank God I have got his number and in fact the number is indicating that he is on whatsApp.
THE SPEAKER: Okay, is unfortunate.

Let us hope now that we have passed into Law the Electronics Transaction Act that such situation will be arrested by the service providers failing which we would invites them to Parliament to give an account of what is going on.

HON.

BRIMA MANSARAY: Mr Speaker, you said that it has to be arrested by the service providers, but how are they going to know, is it Parliament that is going to inform them formally for them to take action?
THE SPEAKER: Well, we have received this report and will bring them to their attention in the first instance and ask them what they proposed to do to curtail if not to eliminate this kind of activity that is becoming very much rampant.

HON.

BRIMA MANSARAY: I think with the information we have got from Honourable Maada Hafiju Kanja we can link them with Colonel Massaquoi to see how they can work together.

THE SPEAKER: Right then.

ADJOURNMENT [The House rose at 4:20p.m.


and was adjourned to Friday, 22nd November, 2019 at 10:00 a.m.] 68