Deputy Minority Leader of the House, Hon. Ansumana J. Kaikai disclaimed the motion he had earlier moved on the grounds that he did not sign it on submission to the Clerk of Parliament.
Hon. Karifala Sheku Conteh of Constituency 098 under the relevant rules of procedures of the House moved for an amendment to the said motion for debate. In effect, the motion was now effectively owned by Hon. Karifala Sheku Conteh for debate, having regard for Hon. Kaikai’s withdrawal.
Some MPs on the Government Bench argued that the said Instrument “is not properly before the House and that it should be thrown out of Parliament because it lacks memorandum of objects and reasons and that it also fails to provide nomination fee for Paramount Chief Members of Parliament, who are separate and different from Ordinary Members of Parliament”. The Instrument was therefore referred to as “incomplete”.
Whilst MPs on the Opposition Bench also argued that the Instrument provides for “parliamentarian” which, according to them “is implicitly true for Paramount Chief Members of Parliament because they share the same Chamber and also receive the same salaries and allowances in Parliament”.
You may recall that Statutory Instrument No. 115 of 2017 was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday 19th September, 2017 by the Deputy Minister of Justice, John Arrow Bockarie on behalf of the Chief Electoral Commissioner, Mohamed N’fah-Alie Conteh of the National Electoral Commission (NEC).
The Instrument that has been thrown out of Parliament has the following nomination fees which were proposed by the National Electoral Commission (NEC) for the 2018 Elections; Le250,000 for village Headman, Le500,000 for councillor, Le1,500,000 for mayor/district chairperson, Le3,000,000 for parliamentarian and Le30,000,000 for president respectively.
