Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698079320264.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 FIRST SESSION - SECOND MEETING THURSDAY, 25th OCTOBER, 2018 SESSION – 2018/2019 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: 28 Second Meeting of the First Session of the Fifth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone.
Proceedings of the Sitting of the House Held on Thursday, 25th October, 2018.

2 CONTENTS I. PRAYERS II.

RECORD OF VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS FOR THE PARLIAMENTARY SITTINGS HELD ON THURSDAY, 18TH OCTOBER, AND MONDAY, 22ND OCTOBER, 2018.

III.

MOTION OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPOINTMENTS AND THE PUBLIC SERVICE PROPOSER: HON.

SIDIE M. TUNIS SECONDER: HON.


MATHEW S. NYUMA BE IT RESOLVED: THAT THE FIFTEENTH REPORT OF THE FIRST SESSION OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPOINTMENTS AND THE PUBLIC SERVICE BE ADOPTED BY THE HOUSE AND THAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS CONTAINED THEREIN BE APPROVED.
3 THE CHAMBER OF PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE Official Hansard Report of the Proceedings of the House ____________________________________________________ FIRST SESSION – SECOND MEETING OF THE FIFTH PARLIAMENT OF THE SECOND REPUBLIC _____________________________ Thursday, 25th October, 2018.
I. PRAYERS [The Table Clerk, Mrs Bintu Weston, Read the Prayers] [The House met at 10:26 a.m. in Parliament Building, Tower Hill, Freetown] [The Speaker, Honourable Dr Chernor Abass Bundu, in the Chair] The House was called to Order 4 Suspension of S. O.

5[2] II.

CORRECTION OF VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS FOR THE PARLIAMENTARY SITTINGS HELD ON THURSDAY, 18TH OCTOBER AND MONDAY, 22ND OCTOBER, 2018 RESPECTIVELY.
COMMUNICATION FROM THE CHAIR THE SPEAKER: Honourable Members, take note of the correction that has just been made.

It should be Thursday, 18th, and Monday, 22nd October, 2018 respectively.

We go to the Votes and Proceedings for the parliamentary sitting, held on Thursday, 18th October, 2018.

We shall proceed with our usual method of dealing with this particular item; i.e., pages 1 to 4 will be skipped out.
Honourable Member, I was informed and I can confirm because that was the case as far as the document I have here is concerned.

The record of Votes and Proceedings for Thursday, 18th October, 2018 was distributed before our meeting the last time.

We did not take it up then because we only had one item on the Order Paper and that was the debate on the Instruments.

So, if you can access your own copies, please do so now otherwise, we shall proceed.
Honourable Members, any comments or observations on Page 5?

Page 6?

Page 7?

Page 8?

Page 9?

Page 10?

Page 11?

If there is no correction or amendment can somebody move for the adoption of the record of Votes and Proceedings for the parliamentary sitting, held on Thursday, 18th October, 2018 as presented?

HON.

MOSES B. JORKIE: I so move, Mr Speaker.

THE SPEAKER: Any seconder?

HON.

BRIMA MANSARAY: Mr Speaker, I so second.


Honourable Members, we move to the record of Votes and Proceedings for the parliamentary sitting, held on Monday, 22nd October, 2018.

Again, we shall skip Pages 1 to 4.

Page 5?

Page 6?

Page 7?

HON.

ABU KEMOKAI: There is no Page 7, Mr Speaker.

5 THE SPEAKER: Honourable Member, please look across to your neighbour’s document.

Page 8?

Page 9?

Page 10?

HON.


ALUSINE O. KAMARA: Mr Speaker, on the third line, the letter ‘r’ is omitted from the word ‘instrument.’ THE SPEAKER: Thank you and I am sure the Clerks will take note of that correction.

If there is no other correction or amendment, could somebody please move for the adoption of the record of Votes and Proceedings for the parliamentary sittings, held on Thursday 18th and Monday, 22nd October, 2018 as amended?

HON.

ALUSINE KANNEH: I so move, Mr Speaker.


THE SPEAKER: Any seconder?

HON.

MOMOH BOCKARIE: I so second, Mr Speaker.

[Question Proposed, Put and Agreed to] [Record of Votes and Proceeding for the parliamentary sittings, held on Thursday, 18th and Monday, 22nd October, 2018 have been adopted as amended] THE SPEAKER: Honourable Members, I have a matter that is still outstanding, but I notice that the Leadership of the APC is not here.

Maybe I should start with the Leadership of C4C.


I want to draw the attention to the pledges relating to the Free Quality Education.

The two parties; i.e., the APC and C4C did say when we first considered that particular item that they were going to engage in some consultations and would reverse back to the House in due course.

The matter therefore is still outstanding and I do not know whether you would like to take the Floor to inform us about your latest position.

HON.
HON.

EMERSON S. LAMINA [Leader of the C4C]: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, it can be recalled that this matter came up whilst I was away, but with consultations with my Members, it can also be assured that they all spoke in the affirmative that it is confirmed.

Thank you very much [Applause].

THE SPEAKER: Hold on, let me get the understanding of your position [Laughter].

6 HON.
6 HON.

EMERSON S. LAMINA: The Deputy Leader of C4C has just confirmed to me that he has consulted with my colleagues whilst I was away and they have confirmed their pledge towards the Free Quality Education.

THE SPEAKER: If I understood you correctly, the pledge has been accepted by your party in principle.

HON.

EMERSON S. LAMINA: Yes, Mr Speaker.

THE SPEAKER: So, you are saying in essence that the deductions should start from January, 2019?

HON.

EMERSON LAMINA: Yes, Mr Speaker.


THE SPEAKER: Thank you.

HON.

SHIAKA M. SAMA: Mr Speaker.

I want to remind you that we hope the parties are not going to speak for the Independent Members of Parliament [Laughter].

This is just a caution.

THE SPEAKER: So, now that you have the Floor, you can state your own position [Laughter].

HON.

SHIAKA M. SAMA: Mr Speaker, in the past sittings, all references were made to the political parties and Independent Members of Parliament have not been mentioned.
We have not taken a position on this issue.

I am not talking for the APC or the SLPP; I am talking for Independent Members of Parliament.

THE SPEAKER: Honourable Member, I do not know whether you were in the Chamber at the time, but the Honourable Quintin Salia did speak on behalf of the Independent Members of Parliament.

HON.

DIXSON M. ROGERS: Mr Speaker, I think I have the Floor.

THE SPEAKER: Honourable Member, I have not given you the Floor because the Honourable Shiaka M. Sama still has the Floor.
7 HON.

SHIAKA M. SAMA: Mr Speaker, I want to remind this House that we inform your office.

We have a leadership, but some political parties said that we should not have any leadership.

You told us you would put that on hold until you decide whether we should have a leadership.

We are still waiting.

THE SPEAKER: Well, speak for yourself now, Honourable Member.

You are at liberty to speak for yourself.

HON.


SHIAKA M. SAMA: You have already said somebody has made a position on behalf of us which I was not informed, but I will hold consultations with my colleagues.

I am talking to the Speaker [Undertone].

Mr Speaker, they are obstructing me whilst addressing you.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

THE SPEAKER: Honourable Member.

HON.

SHIAKA M. SAMA: Yes, Mr Speaker.

THE SPEAKER: From what you said, is very clear.

HON.
HON.

SHIAKA M. SAMA: Mr Speaker, there is so much noise that I cannot hear you clearly.

THE SPEAKER: I think they have heard what you said.

HON.

SHIAKA M. SAMA: Tell them to keep quiet, Mr Speaker [Laughter].

THE SPEAKER: They have advised themselves accordingly.

HON.

SHIAKA M. SAMA: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.

THE SPEAKER: Let me come back to you, Honourable Member.
From what you are saying, when I said the Honourable Quinton had spoken on your behalf, you seem to disown statement, which of course suggest that you have not constituted yourselves as a corporate body.

You are still working as individuals.

I therefore give you the liberty and the opportunity to speak for yourself now [Applause].

HON.

SHIAKA M. SAMA: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.

I am not going against what the Honourable Quintin has said.

I will hold further consultation with him.


I am 8 just confused because this House has once said that ‟Independent Candidates should act individually.‟ So, when you say somebody spoke on our behalf I am confused, Mr Speaker.

You cannot force me to give a position on this issue.

THE SPEAKER: Order!

There should be no confusion about this, Honourable Member.
If Honourable Quintin took the Floor and purported to speak on behalf of the three of you and you are now saying that you are not able to endorse that position, I take note of what you are now saying and therefore throw the question back to you to speak for yourself now.

HON.

SHIAKA M. SAMA: Mr Speaker, with all due respect, I have not said I do not accept what he said.

What I am saying is the truth and I am not aware of it.

I was just informed that somebody spoke on our behalf.
Honourable Member, please keep quiet.

Mr Speaker, having been told by no less a person but you, I accept and this House now agrees that an Independent Member of Parliament can speak on behalf of the others.

THE SPEAKER: No, Honourable Member.

This House is not saying that and I want to be very clear about it.

The House is not saying that at all, nor have I put that question to this House.
The question I am putting to you, as far as the Free Quality Education pledge is concerned, what do you have to say, Honourable Member?

HON.

SHIAKA M. SAMA: Mr Speaker, in support of the dream of His Excellency for the good of our children and for the success of this Government, I accept and I agree that the Independent Members will start paying at the end of January.

Thank you very much [Laughter].

THE SPEAKER: I thank the Honourable Member for that endorsement.
While I am dealing with Independent Members, let me exhaust them.

I see another Independent Member [Applause].

Honourable Quintin, you have been the subject of some discussion, but you need not be disturbed by it at all.

You have already given your own endorsement to the pledge I made some time ago.

Is just the lady Independent that I will now wish to address.

Honourable Emilia L. Tongi, do you accept what Honourable Quintin had told this House or would you what to express yourself independently on it?
9 HON.

EMILIA L. TONGI: You are right and I agree with my two fellow Independent Members of this House [Applause].

I support the idea that we start the contribution at the end of January.

We would like to contribute and I am in favour of it.

On the whole, three of us are in favour only, but we never sat together to decide the time or the month, but I want to believe January will be fine.

THE SPEAKER: Thank you very much, Honourable Member.

HON.

EMILIA L. TONGI: You are welcome sir.


THE SPEAKER: So, the three Independent Members have endorsed the pledge.

May I now invite the Acting Leader of NGC, whether they have anything to say?

HON.

FODAY M. KAMARA [Acting Leader of the NGC]: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I like that question because the course is noble and even before today, we have discussed at our own level.

We want to accept, but we are not just accepting like that.
Mr Speaker, before the pledge, there were hopes that our situation will be made better and we have tagged it on that [Applause].

Mr Speaker, if our hopes are fulfilled, I pledge that the NGC will start paying by the end of January [Applause].

Thank you.

THE SPEAKER: I thank the Acting Leader of the NGC.

I pray that your hopes will be realised before too long in other for you to be able to fulfil the pledge you have just suggested, starting January, 2019.

Now, I come to the APC.

HON.


ZAINAB C. TARAWALLY: You cannot force me to say things that are favourable to you.

I am talking on behalf of my party here.

Mr Speaker, you know that we have a dynamic Leader who is always ready to support good things.

Our Leader is unavoidably absent and I want to assure you of our full supports and commitments.
We on this part are ready to work with you because we trust you and I want to assure you that before the end of today, when our Leaders come back from their meeting, we will assure you of our commitments.

We want to continue working with you and we are with you.

We will stand with you and I want to say a big thank you [Applause].

10 THE SPEAKER: I thank the Honourable Member for that commitment.

I will reverse to this question again when the leadership is in attendance.
I thank you for your statements and we can now proceed with the other items on the Order Paper.

III.

MOTION OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPOINTMENTS AND THE PUBLIC SERVICE PROPOSER: HON.

SIDIE M. TUNIS SECONDER: HON.

MATHEW S. NYUMA HON.

SIDIE M. TUNIS [Leader of Government Business]: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I present to you the Fifteenth Report of the First Session of the Committee on Appointments and the Public Service.

1.
Introduction Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the Committee on Appointments and the Public Service that is charged with the responsibility of scrutinising presidential nominees and selecting the most fitted and qualified persons to serve in public offices met on Wednesday 24th October, 2018 and interviewed six presidential nominees for the following appointments: [i] Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Washington D.C.; [ii] Chairman, Independent Media Commission; [iii] Member, Public Service Commission; [iv] Member, Board of Directors, Bank of Sierra Leone; [v] Member, Board of Directors, National Minerals Agency; and [vi] Member, Board of Directors, Sierra Leone Commercial Bank.
2.

Procedure The Committee relied on specified documents provided by the nominees and other information obtained from the general public to conduct its hearings.

Pertinent questions put to the nominees were centered on their educational backgrounds, track records in pertinent work situations, declared assets, tax obligations and the nominees’ 11 visions for a successful and nationally productive tenure.

Issues of unsuitability or otherwise were closely looked into.

3.
3.

Eighteenth Sitting of the Committee on Wednesday, 24th October 2018.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the following nominees were interviewed on oath: [i] Mr Sidique Abubakarr Wai, Proposed Ambassador Extraordinary Plenipotentiary to Washingon D.C Mr Sidique Abu Bakarr Wai studied, lived and worked in the United States of America for over 20 years.
During the period under review, he discharged several high profile leadership responsibilities in the areas of Diplomacy, Public Safety, Public Health Advocacy, Community Relations and Social Empowerment, including serving as President of the United African Congress, Community Affairs, Analyst and Adviser to the Executive of the New York City Police Department.
Questioned on the status of Sierra Leone current relationship with the USA, Mr Wai said that Sierra Leone and the USA have a good relationship, but there were challenges.

Propounding on one such challenges, he said: “There was a situation in which the Trump Administration passed an „Executive Order‟ on the acceptance of people who claimed to be Sierra Leoneans and were held in detention.

The Government of Sierra Leone, at the time, was non-compliant in receiving their prisoners.
For that and some other reasons, the USA Government put Sierra Leone in the category of non-compliant states.” That he went on “triggered an additional intervention that some legislators going to USA would only be granted limited visa for maybe not more five days.” Mr Wai said that he had done his best to meet with several Government officials in the Trump Administration telling them that it was a diplomatic challenge that would need looking into for a review.
“I am now pleased to announce to you today that Sierra Leone is going to come under review within the next six months and hopefully, if I am confirmed by this Honorable House, I will see what I can and will do to reverse that trend, so that the relationship between my country Sierra Leone and the USA will once again enjoy a good, cardinal and even improved relationship.” The Committee 12 Chairman displayed the renunciation certificate of Mr Sidique Abu Bakarr Wai USA’s citizenship.
[ii] Ms Doreen Zephina Faux, Proposed Member, Public Service Commission Ms Doreen Faux is a retired Civil Servant who is known to have joined the Sierra Leone Civil Service in 1973 and was deployed as a Temporary Clerk at the Public Service Commission.

Through hard work, she rose through the ranks and retired in 2014 as Director, Recruitment and Selection, Human Resource Management Office [HRMO].
Ms Faux was commended for her hard work and devotion to duty, particularly for spending her entire career in the Human Resource Management Office of the Civil Service.

“She has only been appointed to go back home to do what she has done throughout her career,” a Member said.
[iii] Mr George C. Taylor, Proposed Member, Board of Directors, Bank of Sierra Leone Mr George C. Taylor is a retired Managing Director of the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank [SLCB], with over 40 years of accumulated work experience in finance, operations and Technology in Commercial Banking Services, Management and Leadership of people.

Mr George C. Taylor was also well commended across party lines.
A Member of the Committee said: “You are here today to be approved as a member of the Board of Directors, Bank of Sierra Leone.

I know you to have been a Banker.

We hope that the experience you acquired during your time at the Commercial Bank, and your level of professionalism will be transferred to your new appointment.
We wish you well.” [iv] Mr George Septimus Khoryama, Proposed Chairman, Independent Media Commission [IMC] Mr George S. Khoryama is a veteran journalist who has practiced journalism locally and internationally for over 30 years.

As a seasoned journalist, he is now a political, social and economic analyst.

He was commended across party lines for his work in journalism which, they said, had made him a household name in that profession.
The Committee 13 maintained that he was qualified, capable and be a shining example to the young journalists in the profession.

A Member of the Committee who is also a veteran journalist had this to say: “I hope that when you go to the IMC, you will deal with the IMC as an independent body, so that issues that come up to the IMC will be dealt with professionally like you have always done.
We wish you well.” [V] Mr Ira Nyakeh Amara, Proposed Member, Board of Directors, National Minerals Agency Mr Ira Nyakeh Amara is a veteran senior Banker who had served as Banking Officer and Head of Department, Bank of Sierra Leone from 1980-2011.

From 2011-2017, he was Head of Administration and General Services, Union Trust Bank.

Mr Ira Nyakeh Amara was also commended across party line as an expert in Finance.
A Member of the Committee had this to say: “We know you to be an expert and you are qualified for your proposed appointment.

It is a good move made by the Government.

I still remember you working for WAIFEN in Nigeria.

You came back to Sierra Leone and you performed remarkably well at the Bank of Sierra Leone.

You are nominated to be a member of the National Minerals Agency because this country is fighting very hard to improve its economic status.
With your background, we are very certain that you will provide the necessary pieces of advice and expertise for that Agency to performs.” [vi] Mr Suliaman Kaikai, Proposed Member, Board of Directors, Sierra Leone Commercial Bank [SLCB] Mr Sulaiman Kaikai is a former senior employee of the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank.

He traveled abroad, worked in several financial institutions, gained experience in business development and returned home to set up his own businesses in Kailahun, his birth place.
He was commended by majority of Members across party lines.

A Member had this to say about the nominee: “You have been nominated as a Board Member to the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank.

I know that you will assist the 14 Board Chairman and other members of the Board to ensure that the financial status of the Bank is improved.
I hope that you will also encourage the Board to ensure that the Bank workers are motivated because if they are demotivated, the Bank will not get its intended results.” 4 Recommendation[s] Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the Committee adjudged the following Presidential nominees to be fit and qualified for their proposed appointments and they are recommended to the House for approval: [i] Mr Sidique Abubakarr Wai, proposed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Washington D.C.; [ii] Mr George C. Khoryama, proposed Chairman, Independent Media Commission; [iii] Ms Doreen Zephina Faux, proposed Member, Public Service Commission; [iv] Mr George C. Taylor, proposed Member, Board of Directors, Bank of Sierra Leone; [v] Mr Ira Nyakeh Amara, proposed Member, Board of Directors, National Minerals Agency; and [vi] Mr Sulaiman Kaikai, proposed Member, Board of Directors, Sierra Leone Commercial Bank.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the Fifteenth Report is the unanimous decision of the Committee.

I therefore move that the Fifteenth Report of the First Session of the Committee on Appointments and the Public Service be adopted by the House and that the recommendations contained therein be approved.

Signed by Hon.

Sidie M. Tunis, Chairman THE SPEAKER: Any seconder?

HON.

MATHEW S. NYUMA: Mr Speaker, I second the Motion.

[Question Proposed] HON.


MATHEW S. NYUMA: Mr Speaker, Honourable Member, we have before us another set of nominees in accordance with the constitutional mandate given to His Excellency the President.

We have played our own role at the Committee level and we have recommended to the Committee of the whole House for approval.
We on this side 15 support the Government, you cannot like us because we are SLPP or we are opponents, but you can like us because our nominees have the qualities and the qualifications to serve in the various offices they have been nominated to serve [Applause].

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, from the Report read by the Leader of Government Business, it is clear that they are not square pegs in round hole, but they are qualified to serve in the offices they have been nominated to serve.
I am happy because of the type of nominees and their qualifications we have here today.

These nominees are going to help the President in the discharge of his duty.

As Sierra Leoneans, we need to support him.

THE SPEAKER: Honourable Ibrahim B. Kargbo, please give me a moment.

HON.

IBRAHAM B. KARGBO: Mr Speaker, we also want to be very certain that we are not… - [Interruption].

THE SPEAKER: Give me a moment, please.


Undertones are generally accepted to be part and parcel of parliamentary debates, but when you raise your voice higher than the undertone supposed to be, it becomes somehow disrupting.

I want to advise Honourable Members to note that it is not a prohibition, but a practice that while you are allowed to make your undertones, do so quietly and moderately.

You should not do that in a chorus to the extent of disrupting the proceedings.

HON.
HON.

IBRAHAM B. KARGBO: Mr Speaker, I will want you to advise my colleague on the other side to stay away from imputing ill-will from our own side [Applause].

What we are doing at the moment is the promotion of competitive democracy and where we hold our own views as a party, we are entitled to hold those views.

That does not necessary mean that we hate anybody on the other side [Applause].

We will want that to be corrected.


For purposes of national unity and cohesion, I think we should reverse to the past, where all of us will participate in interviewing the nominees.

If we come to this Well to demonstrate to the public that we are all talking in unison, I would expect that the seconder of the Motion to come from this side.

I am just advising you for good administration.

Thank you, Mr Speaker [Applause].

16 THE SPEAKER: Honourable Members, please take your seat.
I think there are two very important points that the Honourable Ibrahim B. Kargbo has made.

Democratic politics is adversarial and that is a fact.

However, they can be made cooperative through dialogue and consultations.

That is what has prevailed in this House thus far and I will certainly want to endorse that practice and to allow it to continue.

We have to cooperate and consult other groups.


We have to dialogue at all times and let us avoid language that is inflammatory [Applause] or imputative of any kind.

I know some of you are part and parcel, but it should not be at all.

Honourable Members, the second point the Honourable Ibrahim B. Kargbo has made is important, especially with regard to item like this.
I am so much reflective of the cooperation that we all strive to underscore in this House that when matters are not controversial, such as this, we get one side to propose and the other side to second.

I think the message that we convey to the general public will be tremendous.

Let us think about that [Applause].

I hope you are not going to make this controversial.

HON.

DICKSON M. ROGERS: I just want to lay credence to what Honourable Ibrahim B. Kargbo has said.
I think in the past five years that was the practice and I hope that practice will continue, so that we can have a dialogue between the two political parties [Applause].

THE SPEAKER: I thank all of you for your understanding.

We shall now proceed with the debate.

HON.

MATHEW S. NYUMA: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I think that is just an administrative arrangement that I raised for them to second the Motion.

I believe in term of democracy, you should always expect the pros and cons.
There are always opposing views and because there are opposing views, you have to spell it out clearly because there are also divergent views, but we meet at a common point.

I said, you cannot like us because of certain things we do as opponents, but you will like us because of the quality of nominees we have.

Mr Speaker, with all due respect, I have respect for my colleagues on the other side of the aisle.

He is my colleague, but in a democracy, we have freedom of expression and we give your views.
I am so 17 overwhelmed with the quality of Sierra Leoneans we have in front of us.

If you go through their resumes, they have served in different capacities.

For example, George Septimus Khoryama, proposed Chairman, Independent Media Commission [IMC], is over qualified and he has worked so hard in the field of journalism.

I want to state here that journalism is not a profession you could wake up one morning and claim.
The Honourable Ibrahim B. Kargbo can attest to this because Journalism is something you have to practice.

You have to be disciplined and learn the language of Journalism.

How do you that?

You have to dot the „i‟s‟ and cross the ‘t’s.‟ Mr George Septimus Khoryama has served as a Journalist for quite a long time and I believe his experience will add value to good of this country.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, Mr George Septimus Khoryama will be dealing with some journalists who have not been qualified because they did not have the facility to be trained in various capacities.

Most of them are doing voluntary jobs.

It is better to prevent crimes/civil wrongs than bringing somebody for charges he has done.
Mr Speaker, because of his good practice and long service in the field of journalism, you will create an avenue with the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists [SLAJ] to train journalists and bring them up to a level of professionalism.

Instead of levying fines on media houses, please dialogue with them.

The Leader of the Opposition once said that they would help this Government succeeds.
If you are given this position, you have the powers and all the tools to ensure that you settle disputes between media houses and colleague journalists.

I believe you can use SLAJ as a path way for you to succeed.

For you to go through what others have not done, you can do better because you have shown that to us for many years.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to remind Mr George Septimus Khoryama about what is happening on Social Media, like cybercrime.

They are syphoning moneys from people.


Airtel Money collectors are using fake numbers, collecting money from people and they are now distributing pornographic pictures on Social Media.

They have done it to many people, including Members of Parliament.

This is not correct and I 18 believe with your expertise, you have to take these things very seriously.

Work with the relevant authorities to stop this menace in this country.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, if you just levy fines, people are always ready to pay and the crime will continue.

So, we advise you to ensure that you work as a team because teamwork is the best you can do to help our Government to succeed.

We do not believe in imprisoning people.

The ‘New Direction’ should be different this time and the ‘New Direction’ is meant to ensure that you prevent the crimes.

What is happening now in the cyber world is a very big crime.
They have brought every instrument to ensure that it is minimised, but it is still ongoing.

In fact, it is escalating to a very large scale.

Senior Members in society are now been displayed in a very bad fashion and we will not like to see that anymore.

You have to make a positive change.

If they do not want to take the change, you can take the change to them and work with SLAJ.

I believe SLAJ is a very good entity you can work with because it a reputable organisation.
You have served in that Organisation for a very long time and you are a member of SLAJ.

Please put your experience into practice and ensure a healthy relationship with the young and inexperienced journalists.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I go to the proposed Ambassador to Washington DC, Mr Sidique Abubakarr Wai.

He has given a whole lot of details about what he has done for Sierra Leoneans in the diaspora.
Remember, he did so much in the diaspora to an extent of even telling the UN that they are not doing anything for us when we had the Ebola Virus Disease.

He also told World Health Organisation [WHO] likewise and he went ahead galvanising Sierra Leoneans to do something for the Ebola victims.

I want to say kudos to him.

We believe you can put that into practice.

What you are going to do now is specific and very soon you will be an Ambassador after parliamentary approval.
I want to remind you that the present President of American is a difficult man.

He is an Anti-African because his policies are not gearing towards supporting Africa policies.

The policies from the Trump Administration are not too acceptable by our African/Americans living in America.

It is difficult for us and we have problems with that.

Our brothers and sisters are being incarcerated because they said they did not 19 have complete documents.
So, we believe when you go there, you will have the responsibility to protect Sierra Leoneans and you will improve on your relationship between you and the Sierra Leoneans living in Washington DC.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to remind Mr Sidique Abubakarr Wai about our discussion concerning the issuance of visas.

We believe you can also do something better because of your of experience in the United States of America.
Irrespective of what is happing in America, we believe with your experience, you can convince the American Immigration Department to ensure that their policies are favourable to Africans.

We believe you can do something that can make Sierra Leoneans feel better in your capacity as Ambassador after parliamentary approval.

THE SPEAKER: You have a Point of Order?

HON.


SHAIKA M. SAMA: Mr Speaker, when the Deputy Leader of the SLPP said that the American President is a difficult person, I want him to know that it is his personal opinion and not a policy statement.

Thank you [Applause].

THE SPEAKER: That is very strange coming from you [Laughter].

HON.

MATHEW S. NYUMA: I said the policies.

THE SPEAKER: Honourable Member, with all due respect, I would overrule that Point of Order.

HON.
HON.

MATHEW S. NYUMA: Thank you, Mr Speaker.

I believe there are policies that are not good for us as Sierra Leoneans.

He said it yesterday that when Sierra Leoneans were arrested because of lack of proper documents, he challenged the authorities and he served in the New York Police Department as senior personnel.

THE SPEAKER: He is criticising the policies of the present American Administration and he is entitled to do as a Member of Parliament.

HON.
HON.

IBRAHIM B. KARGBO: Mr Speaker, in the presence of the nominee who would soon travel to the United States to perform diplomatic duties, a statement of that nature can easily be misunderstood to be a policy statement.

Therefore, it would be 20 very difficult to defend.
We would want it to be clarified because in as much as the Honourable Member has a right to his views, but certain statements that have to do with other states must be carefully carved and presented, so that they do not appear as state policies [Applause].

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

THE SPEAKER: I think quite frankly that the Honourable Member was making specific reference to the immigration policies of the current American Administration and he is entitled to his views.

HON.
HON.

IBRAHIM B. KARGBO: We do not want to subscribe to the view that the American President is a difficult man.

The APC wants to dissociate itself from that statement.

We do not have the necessary records and proofs that he is a difficult man.

We want to be dissociated from that statement.

THE SPEAKER: So he is an easy man as far as you are concerned?

HON.

IBRAHIM B. KARGBO: I do not know, Mr Speaker [Laughter].

THE SPEAKER: Honourable Mathew Nyuma, please continue.
Let me just advise you that we are working under some time constrains today.

An appreciable number of us will be travelling shortly.

You have to summarise your presentation.

HON.

MATHEW S. NYUMA: Noted, Mr Speaker.

Let me go over this for the purpose of clarity.

I quote from the Report.

He said: “There was a situation in which the Trump Administration passed an Executive Order on the acceptance of people who claimed to be Sierra Leoneans and were held in detention.
The Government of Sierra Leone at the time was not compliant in receiving Prisoners.” Those policies can be challenged by a Sierra Leonean like this nominee because he was a senior citizen of America, although he has denounced his citizenship and he is now a Sierra Leonean.

He said: “I have come to challenge some of the policies and those are the policies I am referring to.

Thank you, Mr Speaker for protecting me sir.


THE SPEAKER: Frankly, let us be clear about this and let there be no mistake that that policy affected some of us very recently.

I used to travel on an ordinary Sierra Leone 21 Passport and when I applied for the Visa, I got a three year Visa in my ordinary Passport.
As Speaker, I applied for a Visa to travel to the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly with His Excellency the President on a Diplomatic Passport, I was given only a ten day Visa to enter and return from the United States.

That is a very important policy change that needs the attention of every one of us in this House.

HON.

MATHEW S. NYUMA: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker for elucidating that point.

I mentioned the Visa issue and I want to believe we can carry it out.
We were there, lambasting the EU for not doing what they were supposed to have done in terms of global warming.

So, you should support me in some of these issues because you have been talking about them.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I stated earlier that we do not put square pegs in round holes.

I have just advised Mr George Khoryama because of his experience and he should look at the ‘New Direction’ for doing something different from his predecessors.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I go to Ms Doreen Zephina Faux, proposed Member, Public Service Commission.

Ms Doreen Zephina Faux is going to be a Board member and she has served for over thirty years.

She has been in the service since 1973 and has a wealth of experience.

I want to believe when you work as a Civil Servant it is different from coming into the political arena.
The political arena is quite different because sometimes politicians would like to have their way, but with your experience, we know you would ensure that Government policies are implemented.

We believe you can help us because the Civil Service is a very challenging environment, but we know you will succeed.

If we win, it means Sierra Leoneans have won and not the SLPP, APC, NGC or C4C.

So, I believe in the ‘New Direction’ and we should give support to Government’s development drive.
You have the required laws needed to move this country forward.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, Mr John Taylor has served in the Financial Sector for a very long time.

He is also an Information Technology [IT] specialist.

I believe we are now fighting with the challenge of stabilising our Economy.

The Economy is a big 22 challenge for us.

I want him to note that it is only the rule of law that can ensure fiscal discipline.

With fiscal discipline, we believe this Economy will bounce back.
Few days from now, the budget will be read in this House and I believe you will help in stabilising our Economy.

We are not getting Donor support at this time, but we have been able to carry out Government’s priorities.

We have just introduced the ‘Free Quality Education’ and we depend on tax the taxpayer’s money.

We are yet to receive support from donors.

We will only succeed as a Nation and push Government agenda forward if we have the requisite qualifications and friendly environment to operate.
In other words, we must have the right people working in the right places.

As the Leader of the Opposition said, we must have the right people giving the right pieces of advice to the President.

So, we are expecting much from you because of your expertise.

You have served in that sector for a very long time and you can help us to enforce the fiscal discipline in this country.

You can help us to enforce whatever directive that is going to come from Government in terms of stabilising our Economy.
I thank you very much, Mr Speaker.

I believe Honourable Members will approve these nominees, so that they can go to work for the betterment of Sierra Leone [Applause].

HON.

DICKSON M. ROGERS [Chief Whip]: Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, we have in front of us fine gentlemen and a woman of this Republic.

These nominees seated in front of us deserve to serve this Nation because before now, they have served this Nation in various capacities.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I start with Mr Sidique Abubakarr Wai, proposed Ambassador, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Washington D.C.

If approved today, he would go to Washington D.C. not to represent the Sierra Leone People’s Party [SLPP], but the people of Sierra Leone.

When we talk about Sierra Leone, we are talking about over seven million people in this country.

In this country, we have people in the APC, SLPP, C4C, PMDC, NGC, etc.
I met this gentleman in New York, when we went for the U.N. Conference.

I did not only read his resume, but I secretly did a personal investigation about him.

He is somebody every Sierra Leonean can be proud of.

He is a very good Sierra Leonean and he has worked for this country even when he 23 was not in that position.

I just want to admonish him that he has to continue serving the people of this country.

He has a duty to correct wherever Sierra Leone has done wrong [Applause].
Let us be proud of our own land.

This nominee is going to represent the Green, White and Blue.

On that note, I want to appeal to my colleagues to approve your nomination.

However, when you are out there, you have to think about Sierra Leone.

If you succeed, the ‘New Direction’ succeeds.

As I always say in this Well that this is the ‘Paopa’ Government and if you succeed, then the SLPP Government will come to power after ten years [Applause].
So, you are the agents of that change and you are going to be the agents of that success.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, during the interview, I appealed on behalf of somebody I have admired from a distance; i.e., the proposed Chairman of the Independent Media Commission [IMC], Mr George S. Khoryama.

When some of us were growing up, we used to come to Parliament to witness the proceedings.
We used to come here to listen to Dr Abass Chernor Bundu giving us the English from the Oxford and Cambridge Universities.

I never knew I would stand in front of that same man today.

Some of us are blessed.

Therefore, I believe that Mr George Septimus Khoryama deserves that position.

I want to however remind you that that position is also meant for the young journalists who are coming up.

Your good works will give any President in this country a sense of treating the journalists with fairness.
The journalists deserve special place in every country.

I know we do not have anything against the nominee.

The only thing we have is divergent opinion, but I think I should say thank you to my colleagues on the other side because they have never opposed any of our appointments except one or two.

We can safely say we have 98% supports from them.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I go to Mr Ira Nyakeh Amara, proposed Member, Board of Directors, National Minerals Agency.
He is my elder brother and he is a nice gentleman.

I am not sure if he can kill an ant even when he steps on it because of the way he walks.

I sometimes say to myself; S.O.2.

‘som tem e nor bin waka quick.’ He is so gentle that even as he walks, you will know that he is a gentle man.

Like what Honourable Ibrahim Ben Kargbo said yesterday, ‘Sierra Leone is at the crossroads.’ We 24 need money because we want every sector of this government to function properly.
We need that Board to generate a lot of revenue.

So, I hope and pray that you bring together the knowledge you have acquired in all the areas you have worked.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, coming home is nothing strange.

Ms Doreen Zephina Faux, proposed Member, Public Service Commission has been in that institution for a very long time.

So, if she is coming back to serve in that same Sector, I believe the knowledge and the experience she has got over the years would make Sierra Leoneans very proud.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, few months ago, the wife of Mr Sulaiman Kaikai, proposed Member, Board of Directors, Sierra Leone Commercial Bank and I were on the other side of the Isle.

His wife is a very nice woman.

I do not want to say she is beautiful because Honourable Hassan A. Sesay will start asking questions.

I have looked at your resume and you are a fine gentle man.

I pray that we approve these fine nominees.


Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, few months ago, we used to go to Mr George C. Taylor, proposed Member, Board of Directors, Bank of Sierra Leone for overdraft.

He was very helpful to Members of Parliament.

If he was bad to us, I would have been the first Honourable Member to stand here and oppose him.

He was very good to us and he always assisted Members of Parliament.

So, this is our turn today to assist him.


Having said that, Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I urge this Honourable House to speedily approve these fine nominees.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

THE SPEAKER: I thank all the Honourable Members who have spoken so far for their contributions to this debate.

I would like to bring this debate to a close at 12:30 p.m.

So, I will ask all those wishing to take the Floor to use their time judiciously.

HON.

SHIAKA M. SAMA: Thank you, Mr Speaker.


I have to move from the Wellington Police Station where there is a very serious case I am addressing.

One of my constituents drowned into a water well.

I can see certain people in front of us and I want to take this golden opportunity to speak on their behalf.

One of them is my 25 ‘kortor,’ who is also my elder brother; just like I am an elder brother to Honourable Mathew Nyuma.

This person is a very serious Sierra Leonean.


I have observed him for several years during the Old Bo Boys Association [OBBA] activities.

He is one of the brains behind the formation of the OBBA.

There is no controversy about this and OBBA is one of the strongest student organisations.

Mr Speaker, I did not meet Mr Iran Nyakeh Amara at Bo School, but I have observed him for a number of years.

I found him to be somebody who is very serious and who is dedicated to duty.
Each year at our celebrations in Bo, you would see him very busy.

There are lots of people who only put their energies and attention to matters where they will gain some material benefits, but Mr Iran Nyakeh Amara is a selfless person.

I am very happy that His Excellency has nominated him to serve in that capacity.

I personally think we will make Sierra Leone great when we ‘work our talk.’ I am sure he will work hard because he is a very serious person.
We need people of his type to serve in positions of trust.

He is not a talker.

In other words, he does not talk like some of us.

He believes in action and not words.

So, I have no doubt that Mr Iran Nyakeh Amara will perform very well.

If he does not perform, let anybody come to me.

I can assure you that he is going to perform.

He is very serious man and he will perform beyond expectation.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, another person I want to talk about is Mr Sidique Abubakarr Wai, proposed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Washington D.C.

This is the first time I have met Mr Sidique Abubakarr Wai, but I have heard about him.

Six of us were prisoned and fined Le210mln in a kangaroo trial and he was one of those Sierra Leoneans in the USA who helped to raise that money in less than two weeks and we were out of prison.

In less than one month, all of us were freed.


I was there for three weeks.

I only spent another additional week because there was poor coordination.

So, such a man is a great man.

I am happy that President Bio is making very serious appointments.

He is not rewarding people blindly.

He is looking for very good Sierra Leoneans because he wants the ‘New Direction’ to succeed.

We do not only need educated people, but serious and educated people.
So, I am very happy that Mr Sidique Abubakarr Wai is here with us to serve in that very important role.

It is true 26 that wise men are now from the South.

I am happy that we have one of us that is going to serve in this capacity.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I go to Mr Sulaiman Kaikai, proposed Member, Board of Directors, Sierra Leone Commercial Bank.

I predict he is from Pujehun.

Pujehun is a greater constituency for me.

I am from 104, but Pujehun is a greater constituency.
If he is from Kailahun, he came from Pujehun and went to Kailahun [Undertone].

I am still correct because he moved from Pujehun to Kailahun.

He is originally from Kailahun District.

If he wants to know whether he is from Pujehun, let him contest for Chieftaincy in Kailahun and he will be told to go back to Pujehun because he is from Pujehun District.

I am happy that the President is making very good appointments.

When you show me your friends, I will show the type of persons you are.
By his appointment, we know that President Bio is very serious about moving this country forward.

I have no apology for making this statement because I firmly believe in what I am saying and I want to wish them well.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I move to Mr George S. Khoryama, proposed Chairman, Independent Media Commission.

His name is a household name and he has a lot of experiences in journalism.
He knows the problems and for a very long time, Sierra Leoneans have been raising some points against the attitude of journalists concerning certain things they thought were wrong.

Now, you should count yourself as a very lucky person as you have been giving an opportunity to make a legacy.

I always say that it is not just having Board Members or having people to serve as Ambassadors, but we want to see positive changes.
We have had Ambassadors who have misbehaved in the past and they have been shamed internationally.

We have had people who have misrepresented this country.

What we want to see in this ‘New Direction’ is positive change and I believe when there is positive change, it will be felt and seen by the ordinary Sierra Leonean.

We do not want to see the changes in long speeches.

When you improve my life, I should be able to say thank you.

You do not have to remind me that I have helped you.
My advice to all of you is that we want you to make a difference.

If you are a Board Member and there are certain things that are not going 27 right, please try to do some analysis and know what Sierra Leoneans are saying.

Try to know the desires of Sierra Leoneans and work selflessly for that change.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I was looking at the messages on my old phone and there was a conference held in Kigali.
The theme of that conference was ‘Fighting Corruption.’ President Bio has said in this Parliament that he was going to treat corruption as a national security threat.

So, one thing you must do is to help fight corruption in your small corner.

I do not know of any perfect person in this World, but we must endeavour to make conscious effort to ensure that we push this country forward.

We must give Sierra Leone a revolutionary push.


If you go to other countries that are poorer than ours in terms of mineral resources, they are making a lot of progress.

Why are we still backward?

It is because we have had failures in leadership.

So, I want you to make President Bio and the people of this country proud.

I wish you well.

I pray that God will continue to guide and bless you.

May you prosper in good health.


Thank you very much, Mr Speaker [Applause] THE SPEAKER: I thank the Honourable Member for his constructive contribution.

I recognise the Honourable Hassan A. Sesay.

HON.

HASSAN A. SESAY: Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker reminded me that I came a little too late.

It is true, but I will personally explain to you.

We have people in front of us seeking the approval of this House.

All nice things have been said about them.


Indeed George Khoryama, we cannot say more than what has been said because the name is synonymous to journalism.

If such a person has offered to come and revive the IMC, I think it is but fitting we give him all the accolades and the support he needs.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I have somebody who is born in my district, Tonkolili District, but he is on the other side.

When I saw his documents, he is from Tonkolili, Magburaka to be specific.
Fortunately, that is where I come from.

I know he is a good person because I have interacted with him for quite some time.

I have also read a lot about him.

There were some reservations, but he corrected them.

Denouncing his American citizenship to serve his country, I want to say kudos to him.

He is Mr Sidique Abubakarr Wai and I hope you will deliver as expected [Applause].

28 Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I go to Mr Ira Nyakeh Amara, proposed Member, Board of Directors, National Minerals Agency.
He also has a link with Magburaka.

He went to Government Practicing School in Magburaka.

So, this gives me pride that I have people I can rely on, even though they belong to the other side.

Honourable Member, you are an Independent Member of Parliament and you do not even have a Leader [Undertone].

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I will zoom in somebody who has demonstrated a peculiar characteristic, somebody whom I have lived with in the Boarding Home at Albert Academy.
This is somebody who has spent over forty years serving the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank.

He is the only person who has been in that Bank till his retirement.

He was never touched and he rose from ordinary clerk of the Bank or Teller to the top most level.

I think this is the type of person you can say ‘is well grounded because he has a lot of institutional knowledge.

I am talking about Mr George C. Taylor [Applause].

I have known him when we were in school and we lived very close together.
We usually visited his brother who was the then Principal of Government Model Secondary School.

So, we became close friends and that relationship existed since the seventies.

So, if Mr George Taylor has been nominated to serve as Member of the Board of Directors of that Bank, I am the least surprised because he is more than capable to do his job.

He has retired, but not tired.

So, we still need to extract the knowledge he has acquired over the years.
Having said that, Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I would not say much because so much has been said about them.

Therefore, I call on my colleagues to speedily approve these nominees.

Thank you, Mr Speaker [Applause].

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

HON.

MOHAMED K. S. CAREW: Thank you, Mr Speaker.

I want to take this opportunity to say you are a very good Leader.
I am here today not to praise sing the nominees, but to send a message from our Leaders on the other side; i.e., the APC leaders [Laughter].

We are here to serve the people of our constituencies and not individuals.

The message we sent was a very good message which we need to take 29 from this Well.

We are not here to make utterances against other people.

If the President has chosen these people to serve in different capacities, we are not going to oppose unnecessarily unless we have a reason to do so.
So, the message we are sending from this side should be a message of solidarity; a message that we are here to serve our people not individuals [Applause].

We have in our midst nominees of the President who are going to serve in various capacities.

We hope they will perform, but if they fail, Sierra Leoneans are going to fail as a country.

We have lots of problems in our communities, including this Parliament.

We want to stand in solidarity with each other to support one another.
If they touch any one of us, whether you are SLPP, C4C, NGC, then you have touched all of us.

So, we are not going to take anything for granted.

If somebody said they are going to destroy one of us, you would destroy all of us.

Thank you [Applause].

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

HON.

ALHAJI S. TURAY: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.

I want to repeat again this Parliament is the most civilised House in Sierra Leone.
As Members of Parliament, we do not need to become critics against each other.

We can see some critics from the other side and the people of this country know that the APC Members of Parliament are cooperating for the development of this country [Applause].

You defined ‘PAOPA’ as the use of ‘force.’ For us on this side, ‘PAOPA’ means ‘Prompt Action on Poverty Alleviation’ [Applause].

If you look at the handing over note of the late President, you will see the definition of ‘PAOPA’ [Applause].
If you attempt to do what the definition is saying, we will be comfortable in this country.

In other words, if they follow the ‘prompt action on poverty alleviation’ and not forceful means, everybody will be fine.

Their own definition is to use force to do things.

We are not here to force things, but to cooperate.

If you look at the people in this House, you will not see Americans, British or the Germans, but Sierra Leoneans [Applause].

We are willing to approve these nominees.


[Suspension of S.O 5[2] being 12:00 noon] THE SPEAKER: Let me just remind all of you that I sincerely would like to see us end this debate not later than 12:30 p.m.

So, we have 30 minutes to go.

30 HON.

ALHAJI S. TURAY: As I stated earlier, we are ready to approve these nominees [Applause].

I want to however advise that they go to their various offices and do the right job [Applause].
This is because the Commission of Inquiry is about to kick-start and they should also know that another Commission of Inquiry will be constituted to look into their operations [Applause].

I advise that they do a proper job which will make the people of this country to live comfortably [Applause].

The problem we have in this country is love.

There is no love for each other in Sierra Leone.


We need to love one another because where there is love, there is peace; and where there is peace, there is unity [Applause].

That is why I said we are not here to criticise each other [Applause].

I will advise the nominees to do their job judiciously if approved by this House.

We want them to do the right thing and that is the only thing we want to see in this country.
Having said that, Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I call on this House to approve these nominees.

I thank you [Applause].

THE SPEAKER: I Thank the Honourable Member for his contribution.

He is giving notice of another inquiry.

Let me remind him that the Standing Orders do not allow you to give notice the way you have done [Laughter].

I think we should learn from what transpired a few months ago, when they did the right thing, they got an inquiry.

If you do the wrong thing, you will not get it.

HON.
HON.

ALUSINE O. KAMARA: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Member, we have six nominees before u, but I would like to zoom on one nominee not because I know him personally.

I have never met him before, but I think he belongs to a society I like very much.

I have a very soft spot for the society he belongs.

He is Mr George S. Khoryama, proposed Chairman, Independent Media Commission.
I want to state here that the money Journalists are paid and the facilities they have are not commeasurable to the work they are doing.

However, in as much as I like what they do, there are times when I frown at them.

When I was working at the Ports Authority, the only time you see these journalists published information was on Fridays.

They used to say ‘Mr Kamara, I have information about you, but I have known 31 you for a very long time and I do not want to go to the press.
I just want to have some discussion with you before going to the press.’ I usually say, ‘My friend, I do not like publicity and if you have anything against me, go ahead and write.’ So, that is one of the odd things against them.

Secondly, Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, they do not go in search of information like what Christiane Amanpour usually do.

Christiane Amanpour of the Cable News Network [CNN] used to go to the war front.
There are times when she reports, you will hear the sound of bullets on the background.

But unlike Christiane Amanpour, we have some journalists who usually sit in their corners and give reports.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, let me give you a typical example of a journalist called Elizabeth Blunt.

During the Falkland Wars, I was working at the Ports.

We restricted everybody from boarding the Vessels who were going to the Falkland Wars.
There was a short crane that was beside the ship and by the time we could notice, Elizabeth Blunt was on board the vessel, interviewing those people.

Though she was a lady, she climbed the crane on board the vessel and she started interviewing people.

I think those are some of the journalists we like to see.

Some of our journalists do not go out in search of information.

They sit down in their corners and give reports.

I want Mr George Khoryama to go out and talk to some of these journalists.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, not all the journalist are bad.

Some of them are fine journalists, but others are not.

As the adage goes, ‘some are wise, but some are otherwise.’ I am talking about those who are ‘otherwise’ and I want you to meet them and tell them that in journalism, you have to go to the field and seek information.

They have to make sure that they give the people the correct information because we rely on them to report what is happening.

If they fail to do this, I am afraid.


Without wasting much of our time, I ask this noble House to approve all these nominees, so that they can go and start work.

I thank you very much.

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

I will now turn to the right.

I recognise the Honourable who is well attired in his native costume.

That must have been specially designed and made for you.

HON.

MUSA FOFANAH: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.

This is the fabric from Kono District.


I thank the President for giving us these nominees.

I want to however single out Mr Ira Nyakeh Amara, proposed Member, Board of Directors, National Minerals Agency.

I want Mr Ira Nyakeh Amara to know that we have lots of problems with the Ministry of Mines and the National Minerals Agency [NMA].

The reason I am reminding Mr Ira Nyakeh Amara is because the issue of exploration in this country is killing Kono District.
I think eighty-eight years ago, we discovered diamond in Kono District.

According to history, the Gbogbowa River gave the first diamond in 1930; but as we speak, mining companies are still going to Kono District for Exploration.

Some of these Explorations last for four years.

How on earth a mining company goes to a diamondiferous area to explore for a period of four years?

Again, after those four years, the same companies will apply for exploration licenses for another four years.
Are these mining companies honest to Kono District or the country as a whole?

I want to remind the nominee that this is a big challenge and we want him to look into this issue.

I want to believe under the leadership of the Speaker and the Committee on Mines in this Parliament, we will help the nominee to review some of these bad laws.

I also want to remind the nominee about land degradation.

We have seen mining companies that have destroyed our environments and nothing has happened.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to remind the nominee that Kono as a district has lots of challenges that have to do with mining.

We count on this nominee, if approved by the House, to make things work the right way.

I am confident that this noble House will approve these fine nominees.

I thank you very much [Applause].

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

HON.

P.C.
HON.

P.C.

SAMUEL G. PANDA: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I thank the President for these nominees he has sent to us for approval.

I will also like to thank the Committee on Appointments and the Public Service for vetting these nominees.

I will 33 like to address the nominees not as individuals, but as a group.

I want to remind them that the onus is on them in terms of moving Sierra Leone forward.
I would like to mention two individuals; i.e., Mr Ira Nyakeh Amara, proposed Member, Board of Directors, National Minerals Agency and Mr Sidique Abubakarr Wai, proposed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Washington D.C.

I have read so much about Mr Sidique Abubakarr Wai’s achievements and skills in promoting the vision of Sierra Leone and what he wants to achieve for this Nation.

I am very pleased and I hope and pray that this House will approve all these nominees.
If you are approved, go out there and tell the World that Sierra Leone is ready for business.

We want the entire World to know that Sierra Leone should be respected as a Nation because we are part of the global mission.

It is not because we are small or some time people call us poor.

I find that paradoxical.

A poor man is somebody without asset.

If a Nation has asset, I think that Nation should not be considered as a poor Nation.

I do not want to accept the notion that Sierra Leone is poor.
Sierra Leone is not, but rather the problem we have had in the past and presently is the ignorance of those in position of authority.

This has been our problem in this country.

It is not due to lack of qualifications.

We have people who are highly qualified but if they are ignorant of their duties, then it is a problem.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, Mr Iran Nyakeh Amara is a colleague of mine and we have had discussions about the mining rights in all the chiefdoms in Sierra Leone.
This is because our laws affect everybody.

I am happy my colleague spoke about the period of exploration.

I have seen companies explored for four years; and in another instance, licenses given to some companies preclude any other companies from participating.

It is just like you own a farm and you expect your labourers to come and cultivate on the farm, and the policy allows the labourers to cultivate everywhere for a long period of time.

Our people are not benefitting at all.


It is not beneficial to our people.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, some of these mining policies are wrong for this Nation and we are not benefitting at all.

You prepare policies here, provide licenses and 34 go to the people without explaining to them.

They have no input, but because the documents are coming from the Ministry, they have to accept.
That has created conflict because these are the reasons those mining companies and the indigenes are always at loggerheads.

The indigenes are always revolting against those mining companies for not doing certain things.

The policies from the Ministry created such misunderstandings.

I want to remind the nominees that they are Sierra Leoneans and they have been nominated by the President because he has confidence in them.
I want you to go and show the World that we are ready for business and we have no begging bowl as a nation.

All we ask is respect for our citizenship and our Nation and our humanity.

I thank you.

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

We will now wind up this debate.

I recognise the Honourable Ibrahim Ben Kargbo.

Immediately after him, the Honourable Leader of the Opposition will take the Floor.

I hate to do this, but quite frankly I will now limit you to three minutes each.
I would have extended it to five minutes, but the Leader of C4C will also take the Floor.

HON.

IBRAHIM B. KARGBO: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.

I want to however observe that rules should be uniformed; but since you are the Speaker, you have the final say here.
I want to use this opportunity to mention Mr Sidique Abubakarr Wai principally because when we interviewed him [and from information we gathered about him], it is quite evident that his choice as an Ambassador to the United States was well thought of and for which I congratulate him.

I would also like to state here, for those who have entertained fears about our cohesiveness as a country, that Mr Sidique Abu Bakarr Wai is amalgam of the Sierra Leonean [Applause].
In other words, he is not only a Northerner, but also a Southerner.

He is a man who has spent a very long time in the United States, a foreign country to make a name for himself.

In the process, he used his offices in the United States to help all Sierra Leoneans who came his way.

This is why I emphasise he is a good choice by the President [Applause].
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, what I would like to also emphasise by way of advice is that we had the American Visitors Programme from which we benefited.

That 35 allowed us to enter university in the United States.

That was a good programme that brought potential leaders, future leaders of Africa together under one roof in America.

Today, this is why people like the former President of Ghana benefited from the Visitors Programme.
Mr Roberto and others are proud that they know a little bit about the United States and they were mentored by the United States under the American Visitors Programme.

I benefited from that programme.

The idea being that, they always talk that if you are nominated even thirty years ago you will one day become an important person in your country.

I think 70% of those who were nominated became important people in their countries.
So, I want you to plead with the Americans to reactivate the American Visitors Programme.

It is a good programme, but like I said, I congratulate you for your nomination.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I go to Mr George Khoryama.

Mr George Khoryama has been a friend of mine for many years.

If our third musketeer was alive today, the late Honourable Frank Kposowa, he would have been part of the delegation to bring Mr George Khoryama to the Well of Parliament.

Unfortunately, he has passed away.


However, I also know that there was a good communication between Mr George Khoryama and Honourable Frank Kposowa not because they were just friends, but professionally they worked together and they came out with very readable newspapers.

More importantly, Mr George Khoryama worked with Honourable Frank Kposowa until he became the President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists.
So, I believe that you will understand the reason for the formation of the Independent Media Commission [IMC].

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, when there was a hue and cry after the compilation of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee Report about the quality of journalism in Sierra Leone and the facts that some leaders where not kind to journalists.
What was very clear was for the issue to be addressed and when we were invited to a meeting, and I must pay tribute to Dr Julius Spencer, who was the Minister at the time, we sat down with the President late, Dr Ahmed Tejan Kabbah and we agreed that we should have a starting point.

We thought that all the Journalists were professionals and we 36 must come to a point one day when we become self-regulatory.
We do not want people to continue to tell Journalists how to write articles or how to write newspapers.

So, the starting point was setting up of the [IMC] with the full understanding that as time went on, the IMC would gravitate to a status of self-regulatory activities.

Today, Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, Mr George Khoryama has been nominated to become Chairman of that institution and he knows fully well that I was the first member of SLAJ to be appointed Commissioner of the IMC.
I also know that Mr George Khoryama is a capable man and he will go to IMC and perform remarkable well.

So, what I can say here is that we will support you because it is important to support you and we will continue to work towards self-regulation which is also very important.

As I round up, Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, let me talk about Mr Iran Nyakeh Amara.

Throughout my life time, I have always tried very hard to improve my academic status and this is why I stand here and speak English [Applause].
One thing that became a problem for us here was that we are weak in the area of financial and economic reporting of our newspapers and some of them spoke to the authorities at ECOWAS, Bank of Sierra Leone, etc.

to allow us to be trained on how to report finances and the Economy.

That was how we ended up at the West Africa Institute [WAIFEM] for the training of journalist and other people interested in financial matters.

I was privileged to find Mr Ira Nyakeh Amara.


He was there not only as an ordinary man, but as one of the people in charge of training us and he did very well.

He proved to us that he was a real Sierra Leonean.

I think the choice for him to go to the Minerals Agency is a good choice.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, Mr George Septimus Khoryama and others are equally important because of the roles they have played.
The lady has proven to us that from a Stenographer, you can actually go to the highest point in society if you are a serious person.

Mr Speaker, people are going to travel out of this country locally and internationally.

I would now stop at this point and to thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

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

I now recognise the Leader of C4C and please try to be very brief.

HON.
HON.

SAA E. LAMINA [Leader of the C4C]: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, in concurrence with Section 61 of the 1991 Constitution, I would like to thank His Excellency the President and also to congratulate the nominees in advance.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the resumes of the nominees before us show that they are intelligent and courageous.

They have the ability to make quick decisions in their various fields and sound judgement.

That is the general perspective for all of them.


What I will encourage them is to desist from that things they call paralysis syndrome.

They may have fine ideas, but they have to make them work for the institutions they are about to go.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I wish I have enough time to address all the nominees, but because of the limited time, I will talk about few.

The distinction between Public Service and the Civil Service is so wide in Sierra Leone.
I am aware of the fact that successive governments have tried, but the lacuna still remains wide.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, today, a public officer working for the local government for example, the Chief Administrator and Core staff, if they die today that will just be their end with no benefits.

So, your service has a lot of demerits.

To the nominee going to the National Minerals Agency [NMA], I want to allay the fears of my colleagues in the area of exploration.
The recently launched ITAB 2 at Miatta Conference few days ago will put an end to those long years of exploration.

It will now give Sierra Leoneans the opportunity to travel across the country and take stock of all the minerals and their status and that will put an end to the four or five years period of exploration and that will bring good things to this country.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, what Members of this House, especially those in Mines and Minerals Committee will do today is to encourage the NMA, which is primarily the regulatory Agency of the mining sector, to do well in terms of ensuring a synergised and generic crop compensation benefit and the resettlement package.

There is no 38 policy in this country that seeks to address a generic exploration and crop compensation to those affected mining communities.
We implore the nominee to NMA that in as much as this House gives designated institutions to design laws, it is high time we looked at this aspect.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to end with a fine Sierra Leonean, a man I consider to be a selfless and a servant leader, somebody whose political views transcends the region he comes from.

You can see the Tonkolili/Pujehun in him.

He is a man I consider to be penchant, as well as a philanthropist.
During my first official engagement as a sitting mayor of Koidu to New York, upon hearing the message that a young West African Mayor was in town, I never knew him, but he came and met me.

During my tenure, I left a legacy to which this particular citizen contributed $5,000 in 2013.

He never knew me at all, but upon hearing that one of Sierra Leone’s youngest Mayors was in town, he did not come alone, but rather he came with other African and Caribbean citizens.
He took me to the New York Police Department with the inscription of NYPD.

I am talking about Mr Sidique Abubakarr Wai [Applause].

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, it will be of no regret in getting a man with a blend of the African and Caribbean Society.

Whenever Guineans, Caribbean, Nigerians and Ghanaians have issues, he usually championed negotiations.

I can confirm that he is a go getter.


On this note, Honourable Members, I implore this entire House to swiftly ratify Mr Abubakarr Sidique Wai [Applause].

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

The Leader of the Opposition has the Floor followed by the Leader of Government Business.

HON.

CHERNOR R.M.

BAH [Leader of the Opposition]: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker, I will start by encouraging my colleagues on this side not to pay heed to all that has been said, but I want to endorse the ambassador designate [Applause].

I hope you heard me loud and clear.

Mr Speaker, a lot has been said about the nominees, especially the Ambassador designate.

Unfortunately for me, he was the only nominee that I did not know till yesterday.

I however know all the others nominees.

Mr George Khoryama knows very well that I know him.
He is a young man 39 like Honourable Ibrahim B. Kargbo [Laughter].

For those good old days, I used to interact with him once in the while.

Mr Speaker, during the course of the interview yesterday and having gone through his resume, Ambassador Abu Sidique Abubakarr Wai deserves this appointment.

In fact, we were left with no alternative but to give him the opportunity to serve.
Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I am sure most of us who were in Parliament between 2012 and 2018 know that Mr George C. Taylor was a very familiar to us.

Unfortunately, I was not one of them, but he was my best friend.

I am not using the same channel because I was not stock in a lift at any point in time.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, the Independent Candidate from Kailahun was saying during the interview that Mr Kaikai was from Pujehun, but I was saying he was from Kailahun.
This shows that Mr Sidique Abubakarr Wai is a nationalist and he cuts across regional lines.

I want to borrow and adopt all the positive things that have been said about the nominees.

I therefore recommend all of them for approval [Applause].

THE SPEAKER: I thank the Leader of the Opposition.

HON.

SIDIE M. TUNIS [Leader of Government Business]: Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to thank my colleagues for their brilliant contributions.
I think my only contribution here is to urge the nominees to do their level best.

Ambassador Sidique Abubakarr Wai, be assured of the full support of this House we have the Foreign Affairs Committee that will be working with you.

If you have any issues in the United States of America, please do not hesitate to contact the Committee Chairman, Honourable Dr Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella.
There are also other Committee Members, but if you cannot get anyone of them, talk to the Clerk of Parliament or the Honourable Speaker or my very good self or the Leader of Opposition.

We will continue to support you and other nominees in their various offices.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I want to assure those that will be working here that we have put in place vibrant Committees that are going to work with them.
We are going to be visiting your offices and we are going to ensure that we put you on your 40 toes to do what you have been nominated to do.

Without wasting of time because the Honourable Speaker and myself with the Leader of Opposition will be travelling out of this country in the next one or two hours, I want to congratulate the nominees in advance.

Thank you very much [Applause].

THE SPEAKER: I thank the Honourable Leader of Government Business for his contribution.
[Question proposed, Put and Agreed to] [Motion of the Committee on Appointments and the Public Service has been approved] THE SPEAKER: Honourable Members, it is now my pleasant duty on behalf of the House to extend our warmest congratulations and felicitations to the nominees this House has just approved.

We have no doubt in their capacity to deliver and live up to the expectations, not only of his Excellency, but of this House as well.
They are people of renowned repute and have gained experiences in other vocations over the years, and that gives us the absolute confidence that they will do us proud in their new assignments.

We wish you well and you may go forth to your new assignments, knowing fully well that you have got the approval and blessing of this Honourable House.

We thank you and God bless [Applause].

ADJOURNMENT [The House rose at 12:40 p.m. and was adjourned to Wednesday, 31st of October, 2018 at 10:00.am.]

41