AYV News, October 11, 2023
The new United States Ambassador to Sierra Leone, His Excellency Bryan D. Hunt has paid a courtesy call on Sierra Leone’s Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu, reassuring him of continued bilateral relations.
The visit discussed a wide range of important bilateral issues were discussed as well as the participation of the Opposition APC Members of Parliament in the governance of the State.
The United States Ambassador said he visited the Speaker to pay his respects before the House resumed from its Recess on 12th October and also to learn about the key matters ahead for debate in the upcoming sessions.
The Ambassador also spoke about identifying the way forward for the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact. He revealed that the MCC was on course and that a team had recently engaged with the Government of President Bio on what further needed to be done to progress through to the successful realisation of the MCC approval from its Board and the United States Congress.
In light of the engagement with the MCC team, the Ambassador further informed the Speaker that they had agreed on the way forward to commence a dialogue with the Opposition on 16th October, 2023. He added that the President had expressed the hope to see a lot of electoral and constitutional reforms in collaboration with the Opposition and went on to acknowledge the strategic role of the Speaker in that regard.
Sharing experiences on the boycott of Parliament, the Ambassador told the Speaker of Parliament that the US had never had a situation where large numbers of the Congressmen failed to come and represent their people. He also asked a series of questions, relating to penalties for boycotts.
Ambassador Bryan D. Hunt agreed with the Speaker on the necessity to build a formal relationship between the United States Congress and the Parliament of Sierra Leone to share experiences. The Speaker noted that the MCC is a critical issue and articulated the hope for a positive outcome.
Responding to questions relating to the boycott, the Hon. Speaker recalled his efforts to persuade the APC MPs to come to Parliament and also assured the Ambassador that their positions in Parliament and the Standing Committees were reserved.
He added that it would have been more prudent for the Opposition to seek redress in Court as stipulated by law but they didn’t and rather chose the poor substitute of a boycott.
The Speaker however articulated optimism that the Opposition would see good reason to abandon their boycott and come and discharge their constitutional duty to represent their people in Parliament. The Speaker further explained the legal consequences of failure by elected MPs to take their seats after the effluxion of 30 sittings of Parliament.
He used the opportunity to ask the US Ambassador to use his good offices to intercede with the Opposition to see reason and that he was ready and willing to welcome them as MPs at any time within the ambit of the period allowed by the Constitution.
